From Smugglers to Saboteurs: The Spectrum of MMO Crime

MMORPGs are a place for players not only to look into the virtues of heroism but also to explore the other side of virtual life: crime. The last update of Albion Online, Rogue Frontier, adds a new category of criminal activities and thus, gives players a chance to embrace their inner rogue. This provides an excellent opportunity to study how MMORPGs integrate “crime” as a gameplay loop, as it affects the player interactions, the game economy, as well as the community dynamics. 

From controlled systems to unrestrained freedom

In this respect, we're going to compare Albion Online and EVE Online, as they both rely on player-centric economies and open-world PvP situations. However, the criminal activities in the two are dealt with in totally different ways. The Rogue Frontiers update in Albion Online has made the introduction of the Smugglers faction and with it, high-risk high-reward activities. Players can “rescue captured smugglers, deliver rare Smuggler Crates, and hunt for Smuggler's Coins” through the MMORPG’s Outlands.  This mechanic is designed to be accessible yet challenging, offering solo and small-group players a chance to engage in criminal activities.

Conversely, criminal behaviors are a core part of EVE Online's identity. Regarding the sandbox nature of the MMORPG, players can freely carry out pirate activities, spying, and even outright scams with very few to no limitation(s). These actions are not only tolerated but actually acknowledged as valid strategies. For instance, players can set traps for cargo ships, join corporations, and earn their trust in order to rob them or manipulate the marketplaces to gain profits. 

Albion and EVE examples

The way an MMORPG incorporates crime heavily affects its social structure. Albion Online is an example where Smugglers’ activities are added as a new feature in which you can choose whether to take part. Players need to travel through black zones, which are permanent (and full loot) PvP areas, while trying to evade other smugglers, bounty hunters and gankers. Nevertheless, the system is permissive enough to ensure that unseasoned players have a chance to try it out. The risk depends on how far the objective is from the den (dens are the hubs of the new Smugglers faction). So, you can pick an objective accordingly to the level of risk you would accept. In the end, it’s a totally optional system, so it doesn't put anyone off. 

In MMORPGs like Albion Online, player-driven narratives can revolve around guild drama, such as hypocrisy, partiality, or internal strife. It is typical to hear anecdotes of leaders acting in ways they previously denounced, alienating devoted members, and bringing down guilds due to subpar leadership. These stories typically relate to common patterns found in a lot of MMOs.

A sped-up recording of the entire heist story that follows

In contrast, EVE Online excels at being a ruthless universe. Its criminal activities can entail manipulation of social structures. To illustrate this, I can't think of a better example than the Jay Amazingness heist. In an unexpected turn of events that left the community dumbfounded, Goonswarm Fleet Commander Jay Amazingness carried out one of the biggest thefts ever known in EVE Online history.

After a hiatus from the MMORPG, Jay had been given back director role by Goonswarm leader Asher Elias. An unfortunate confidence mistake that Asher shouldn't have made… a mistake Jay exploited by draining the alliance's vaults. He took everything from cold hard ISK to capital ships, including Titans. To cover his back, Jay puts over 52,000 jump clones at destruction by removing the jump clone service from a Goonswarm structure. Fortunately for Goonswarm, server downtime proved to be an unexpected blessing, as it saved about 70% of the clones. Despite a quite significant material loss, with the total amount rising to trillions of ISK, it could have been much worse without this miraculous downtime.

Confused by the events, Asher Elias, who had trusted Jay sincerely, expressed his shock, saying “I'm sad about the loss of trust and a friend. I've been pretty bummed over the last 24 hours, and it wasn't because my spaceship guild lost money.”

A reflection of the broader game design 

The way an MMORPG treats criminal activities is a reflection of its broader design philosophy. The Smugglers’ activities of Albion are simple, with bright conveners to facilitate participation. This underscores Albion’s focus on accessibility. EVE Online, on the other hand, has a more pronounced risk-reward paradigm. Engaging in criminal acts in EVE takes quite a lot of time and resources. A case in point is that a successful heist or piracy operation might require one to form alliances, obtain costly ships, as well as traverse through a maze of complicated social rules. In spite of the fairly good returns, the damage that can be caused is treacherous.

From Albion Online’s Rogue Frontier update to the persistent lawlessness of EVE Online, the comparison draws on  how MMORPGs can integrate crimes in such various ways. Albion adopted a typical route and made it flexible, giving players the chance to be outlaws without being too oppressed. EVE, however, turns up the chaos to full volume, building a cosmos where crime is more than just a performance and is woven into the identity of the game itself.