EVE Blog Banter - The Heart and Soul of EVE

Welcome to this special installment of the EVE Blog Banter, the monthly EVE Online blogging extravaganza created by CrazyKinux. The EVE Blog Banter involves an enthusiastic group of gaming bloggers, a common topic within the realm of EVE Online, and a week to post articles pertaining to the said topic.

Complexity. Intrigue. Humanity.

When thinking about what I love about EVE, I can reduce the myriad awesome details down to several key principles. The depth of gameplay and variety of approaches to utilizing the sandbox creates opportunity for constant development and learning. Whenever a particular role becomes stale, one can jump into a new experience and explore what that has to offer. Missioning, trading, pirating, developing Sov Space, exploration, industry, mining, fleet warfare, and mercenary ops are just some of the obvious EVE pastimes. Drilling down into any role, the depth is almost overwhelming. One has to learn what ships to use, how to use them, how to fit them, and how to work with others most efficiently in a given role. Options range from playing an integrated role in group ops to multiboxing solo play. Given CCP's strong commitment to ongoing development, new options are constantly on the horizon bringing new challenges and new opportunities. The player run market pulses with aggression and beckoning opportunity. The ever-present degrees of risk in EVE require thought and planning to minimize losses. Engaging with this intensity and complexity is intellectually engaging and emotionally satisfying.

New Eden feels alive, vital, and expansive. Far more than the lurking pirate rats or Sleeper drones, it is the primal game of hunting and being hunted that breathes energy into the experience. Whether it is jockeying for market dominance or taking steps to minimize pirate predation, the ever present intrigue always influences time in New Eden. Gifted players take this to amazing heights orchestrating spy rings, disinformation campaigns, subterfuge, scams and campaigns based on revenge, political machinations, or pure opportunistic exploitation. Occupying a world with such nefarious Machiavellian processes makes trust the most valuable commodity in the game. Trust is also the most risky and dangerous vulnerability to any project in New Eden. This dynamic tension creates massive drama as an emergent process. For those with the mind to observe and utilize these forces, great works are possible.

While the first two principles of complexity and intrigue set the stage, it is the humanity that truly keeps me engaged with EVE. The communities that form both in and out of game provide a seamless interpersonal experience that is rich and entertaining. The EVE Bloggers, forums, websites and Tweetfleet keep me connected to the game even when I am unable to actually log in. The passion that these players bring to their creative expressions is inspiring. The extended community of external developers gives us great tools for maximizing our EVE time and effectiveness while keeping us engaged in planning and plotting. The most intense human aspect of EVE comes from collaboration with other pilots in cooperative projects. Whether working keep a corp functional and relevent, or joining a movement like Hulkageddon, players set goals together and enjoy the ride. We come together to defend our space or to build our wallets up so that we can then jump into even deeper projects. Living in a C6 wormhole, holding Sovereignty in 0.0, and building capitol ships are examples of projects in EVE that require massive coordination and cooperation. While the griefers add intrigue to the space, it is the pilots that we enjoy flying and building with who provide the heart and soul of the EVE experience. I look forward to meeting many new friends while deepening the ones I have already made long into the future that comes rushing to New Eden one line of CCP code at a time!