A cow is taking on EVE Online one button press at a time
EVE Online has built its reputation on complexity. The space-faring MMO launched in 2003 and remains active more than two decades later, offering a sprawling universe that can be difficult to understand even when you are watching someone else play.
Now, an unusual player is attempting to navigate it: a cow. Fenris Creations is broadcasting the experiment on Twitch, where the animal has been given the name FC CapitalCowPilot. The setup turns her movements into inputs, allowing her to interact with EVE Online by stepping on buttons positioned around a small enclosure.
It is a wonderfully low-pressure approach to one of gaming’s most intimidating worlds. There is no visible strategy guide, no carefully planned fleet operation and no obvious explanation of what CapitalCowPilot is trying to achieve. From the outside, it is even difficult to tell whether she is making meaningful progress. Mining may be involved, but that remains uncertain.
The stream is monitored by several cameras, while Fenris Creations provides commentary for viewers and shares facts about cows. CapitalCowPilot is not constantly active, either. She sometimes stands in one place for long stretches, leaving nothing to happen on-screen and eventually requiring the team to wake the monitors after her extended idle periods.
That unpredictability is part of the appeal. The project combines an elaborate MMO with a very simple control system, producing a live experiment that can shift from apparent progress to complete inactivity without warning. It is the sort of unexpected arcade video story that makes watching games as entertaining as playing them.
Whether CapitalCowPilot achieves anything substantial is still unclear, but she has earned plenty of support from the audience. Animal-controlled gaming experiments have previously produced spectacular outcomes, including the infamous case of a fish committing credit card fraud. For now, this cow’s mission is considerably more peaceful: stand, wander, press a few buttons and perhaps mine some space resources.
For readers interested in unusual gaming setups, RETROCADE’s arcade news and gaming coverage explores more creative ways people interact with games. Those considering a dedicated setup can also browse arcade machines or compare options with the arcade machine buying guide.
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