Gaming propaganda

I made this poster in reference to a coalition of « alliances » of players of Eve Online.

In the context of this game, part of the playground is dominated by such space-holding alliances of hundreds of players who share unity of purpose in some of their activities. Morale and the will to overcome obstacles are key to their success and survival, many of them being involved in a virtual war against those who would conquer or resist them. Moreover, the strategic necessities of internet spaceship warfare prompt these alliances to enter into treaties of mutual assistance in order to muster bigger fleets and reach the breaking point of their common adversaries first.

Demoralization of their foot soldiers and betrayal by their peers are two of the biggest dangers alliances face. As such, Eve Online has proven a fertile ground for disinformation, marketing and propaganda.

The poster above supports the cause of the Northern Coalition, a group of thousands upon thousands of players from all over the world, who play together when they connect to the game. Tau Ceti Federation, my alliance, belongs to the Northern Coalition and takes an active part to the defensive war against powerful invaders from the South. The ebbs and flows of this conflict makes for exciting evenings, both as a participant and a spectator.

The « bring a point » words make a reference to the in-game ability of some equipment to stop enemy ships from fleeing the scene of their impending demise by « tackling » or « pointing » them. Any brand new player can bring a point in a battle besides Brobdingnagian dreadnoughts and make a difference, as pointed out in an older and famous « every ship counts » piece of propaganda by Goonswarm.

The team spirit can sometimes manifest in jingoistic or totalitarian prose, which make for a fun read and a good laugh, as illustrated by Razor Alliance’s Ministry of Propaganda and Morale.

I used the official Northern Coalition « best friends forever » slogan, alliances logos designed by their respective authors, and a screenshot from some battle in the North a few weeks ago. The image features ships of all sizes, from the puny frigate to the gigantic titan.

This is my football.