What Does o7 Mean?

Breaking Down the Emoticon

Turn your head ninety degrees to the left and you can see it: a figure with a rounded head raising one arm in a sharp military salute.

Where Did o7 Come From?

The salute emoticon emerged from massively multiplayer online game communities in the early 2000s. Space games — where military ranks and ship commands are part of the fiction — gave it fertile ground. EVE Online (a space-based online game released in 2003) is widely credited as one of the first communities to make o7 a standard greeting. From there it spread to other games and eventually to general gaming culture.

o7 in Star Citizen

Star Citizen is a space game currently in development by Cloud Imperium Games. It has the largest community use of o7 outside of EVE Online. Players greet each other with o7 in the game’s chat channels, on the official forums at Roberts Space Industries (the in-game fiction’s space agency), and in community videos and streams.

The game’s military setting — players take on roles as pilots, soldiers, and traders in a far-future universe — makes the salute feel completely at home. “o7 citizen” is one of the most common phrases you’ll hear from experienced players welcoming newcomers.

o7 on Twitch and Discord

On Twitch, viewers type o7 in chat to salute a streamer — often when something impressive happens, or when saying goodbye at the end of a stream. The emoticon works across any gaming stream, not only space games. On Discord servers, o7 functions as a quick respectful greeting that takes one keystroke and needs no explanation among gamers.

o7 in Other Games

EVE Online and Elite Dangerous (a space exploration and combat game) have the strongest traditions of o7 outside Star Citizen. Both games have military rank structures and community cultures where formality and respect carry real meaning. You will also find o7 in military-themed games, flight simulators, and anywhere player culture values camaraderie and mutual respect.