Edge Of The Arctic

Black, jagged rocks comprise hardened lava fields, contrasting with the green lichen blanketing the roadside landscape. Iceland is unlike anything I’ve experienced. In the distance, smoke plumes out from the Sundhnúkagígar volcanic crater, which erupted mere weeks before my arrival. It’s easy to understand why game studios like Kojima Productions reference Iceland while developing new game worlds – the island is breathtaking. As beautiful as it is unnerving. It’s hard to believe thousands of fans are descending upon such a place to attend a video game convention.

EVE Fanfest is the official destination for anyone wishing to celebrate EVE Online, the industrious spaceship MMO celebrating over two decades of existence, and developer CCP Games has flown me out to experience it. The event attracts all manner of players, from casual neophytes to renowned deep-space mercenaries who’ve become legends in the community. Swaths of flags and banners fly as players boast and celebrate their alliance’s accomplishments; in other corners, old friends quietly hug after reuniting.