10 Video Game Factions You Joined (Just To Mess With)
4. Corporations - EVE Online
EVE Online's player-driven ecosystem is like no other. An MMO in name alone, CCP Games' long-running spacefarer is more akin to a social experiment. Anything goes in this inhospitable universe, including screwing over your fellow players for individual gain. Corporations are the name given to player-run guilds in EVE. Able to recruit members numbering in the hundreds, Corps offer, among other incentives, safety in numbers. If an opposing crew ambushes you in the far reaches of space or otherwise wrongs you, your Corp will have your back.
Some unsavory types, however, will play the long con. Instead of declaring outright war with another Corp, individuals will infiltrate the competition and dismantle them from the inside out. Such Machiavellian schemes aren't always successful and require a degree of social engineering but, if successful, the gains can be massive, especially if a Corp's leader sees fit to grant unfettered access to the guild's shared storage.
The moral of the story? Trust is hard to come by in EVE Online. If you ever decide to get your feet wet, assume every stranger you encounter has the worst intentions.