Dr. EyjoG says the QEN "is intended to help inform pilots in EVE about the status of the economy and to make it easier for others to understand the level of complexity in the EVE universe."

He adds, "In fact, with more than 200,000 players, the economic system of EVE is becoming so vast and complex that it is possible for the virtual world of EVE and the real world to learn from each other."

This issue of the QEN covers three key areas this time around: demographics, which covers population, skill points and security status; the macroeconomics of EVE Online, which focuses on the monetary supply, and price levels, including measurement of inflation/deflation in the EVE world.

Some interesting findings in the report: it claims 195,000 accounts, representing 433,000 characters, or 2.2 characters per account. It also estimates EVE will reach 200,000 by mid-Q4 2007 and will be well into 210,000 by Q1 2008. 40 percent of characters are female, and 60 percent are male -- although EVE's player base was pegged at about 95 percent real-world males in early-to-mid 2007, and the character demographics don't indicate whether this has changed. This gender divide was believed to be one of the key reasons driving EVE's decision to add human-form avatars, as opposed to just ships, in an effort to appeal to both sexes. (*)

Says Dr. EyjoG, "CCP was among the first companies in the world to offer a single-shard solution, placing it at the forefront of computer game technology. With this first Quarterly Economic Newsletter, CCP is once again a leader in gaming innovation by offering an unprecedented level of detailed universe information that players can use to enhance their online experience."

[*CORRECTION: The article originally confused in-game character demographics with real-world user demographics.]