The lunatics in Reykjavik have just been there... CCP Games, the developer of EVE Online, has always been in its own element and has developed a unique relationship with the community that loves and hates EVE with a deadly zeal. One of the perennial gags associated with the game has been "spreadsheets in space," and after announcing this collaboration some time ago, EVE Online is proud to announce that 20 years after its release, the world's favorite spreadsheet software, Microsoft Excel It became the first videogame to seamlessly integrate

and the first to offer a spreadsheet in outer space.

Excel is now a free add-on to EVE Online, "allowing easy access and analysis of in-game data across all accounts and characters. On the latter point, I wasn't a serious EVE player and had multiple accounts and characters, so you can imagine how much data the big boys are tracking... Importing Excel allows you to "create custom reports, graphs, and charts to gain deeper insight into in-game activity to gain deeper insight, track progress, and strategize next steps."

Any EVE player will know exactly what that means. Prepare a corporate presentation! When I was flying, we had a wing commander who would occasionally take the squadron out, thoroughly check our ship fits, and have everyone do a roll call like a school assembly before the first warp.

The CCP, somewhat optimistically, says that this new tool will "bring fairness and accessibility to everyone." Don't take my word for it: [Catherine Pidgeon, Microsoft's head of Excel products, said, "CCP Games has extensive experience in the MMO space, and we are excited to be working with them to create the first ever native Microsoft Excel add-in for video games for the first time ever. CCP Games has a wealth of experience in the MMO space, so it was only natural to work with them to launch the first ever native Microsoft Excel add-in for video games," said Catherine Pidgeon, Microsoft's Head of Excel Products. We look forward to helping EVE Online players of all levels use Excel to streamline their data management and take their in-game experience to new heights."

So, if you want to, ahem, "become the data-driven capsuleer you never knew you could be," the EVE Excel add-on is available now. This add-on tracks a variety of in-game data, including your assets (location and item values), market orders, item market prices, wallet transactions, skills, etc., and integrates it with your corporate finances if you have the appropriate roles. Surprisingly, the CCP site even has a sample workbook for aspiring space accountants, an EVE Academy guide on how to use Excel, and a new topic in the EVE Help Center.

Wait until the spies get a whiff of this. Well, this seals the "using spreadsheets in space" joke once and for all, and is a very nice example of overcoming the game's shortcomings; for EVE's 20th anniversary, I can't think of a more appropriate birthday present.