Role playing is a pastime in which one assumes a role other than oneself. A role-playing game is essentially a collaborative storytelling effort in which each participant takes on a role and interacts with others only through that role.
To a point, EVEonline is a role-playing game from the start. The very first thing a player must do is determine which of four empires his capsuleer comes from. Since any capsuleer can train any empire's ships, this is not a tactical issue as much as an expression of philosophy or personality.