Thursday, September 13, 2012

A victim to the attack on the consulate in Libya, Sean Smith is mourned by his fellow gamers.

Remembered ... Sean Smith's computer-generated avatar as "Vile Rat" in "EVE Online"; inset, Sean Smith. Photo: AP/CCP Games/The Mittani

It would seem diplomacy takes place in the most unlikely places.

September 13, 2012 - 12:17PM


Sean Smith, a foreign service information management officer killed with three others in an attack on an American consulate in Libya, has been remembered not just as a husband, father and 10-year veteran of the US State Department, but also as an influential intergalactic diplomat in a sprawling virtual galaxy.
Known online as "Vile Rat", the 34-year-old State Department officer had a large profile in the multiplayer game EVE Online, which features more than 400,000 players captaining starships, buying and selling virtual goods, engaging in corporate espionage and electing a government composed of real-world players....