Eve Online mistakes become part of the universe with the brain power of its players

Major technical and mechanical failures in EVE Online have evolved into inherent and fundamental parts of the game through the problem-solving abilities of its user base, said Hilmar Veigar Petursson during today's DICE Europe event in London.

Throughout the game's early development Petursson went under cover in-game to better understand the play style of EVE's players, joining up with other users to mine their way through the universe while denying any direct relation to the studio behind the game.

"Why are so many people playing [Eve Online] when it is so obviously so broken?" he asked. He later found through his time undercover this was because of the social experience underpinning Eve world, adding that it's the mind of players that functions as an additional platform for the game.

Mining mechanics that went awry in-game thanks to development flaws were used to the advantage of clever players who discovered new ways of playing the game - ways that Petursson says the game was never intentional in the design.

According to Petursson, the designers of CCP are merely "custodians" of the game who work to develop its universe, while the value of the game is found in its players, in respect of others and trust in others: concepts that are "upholding the emotional foundation of the universe."

CCP is currently working to compile stories of players for linear media and will later bring that to television, in partnership with director Baltasar Kormakur.