

Intel and Counterintel in Eve Online - jmduke
http://ask.metafilter.com/278002/Are-there-any-hobbyist-espionage-groups#4031599

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rudolf0
The complexity and intensity of this kind of "metagaming" in sandbox-style
MMOs can become absolutely mind-bending.

I was "head of intelligence" for a large player organization in an open MMORPG
similar to EVE. Our organization was modeled after Goonswarm, and our
intelligence division was modeled very closely after GIA ("Goonswarm
Intelligence Agency"). Planting spies and rooting them out, using intelligence
to gain political and diplomatic leverage, training defectors on how to turn
some of their peers, using screenshots of chat logs and forum posts and
recordings of voice comms to embarrass and stir dissent in the enemy, turning
the tide of battles by ambushing the enemy or tricking them with false intel,
and in general utilizing spies to further global long-term strategies.

To this day that was probably one of the most cerebral, challenging, and fun
experiences in my life, and my real career often pales in comparison.

