Those moments only happen once. They are gone in a flash to be replaced with experience, knowledge and a certain level of "same 'ol, same 'ol", the grizzled veteran who has seen it all. The experienced player of Eve. That isn't a bad thing, it is part of growing up, the same things happen to us in real life and they happen to us in game as well. We grow up. The snow is never as deep or as cold as it was when we were seven. The home-town is smaller and the world so much bigger.
I remember the first time I flew into zero space in my Merlin. I probably only had a few million skill points and the idea of the trip was very intimidating, foreboding even. It was a big deal. My CEO flew ahead of me and keep me on comms, reporting the slightest trouble and giving out advice. It seemed so dangerous, exciting and full of promise. Those 15 or so jumps seemed to take hours. I imagined at any moment fleets of evil "Reds" would appear to destroy me. They didn't, not then at least, and I made it safely. Albeit ill prepared for life in zero space.
Since then I've made that exact same trip probably two-hundred times or more, I did it again just last weekend before the Death Race and I didn't give it a second thought. I didn't spin my ship around in warp to look at the stars, the flashy nebula, the sun glinting off my ship. And I wondered. I wondered about when exactly that was lost? I don't mean totally lost, I still spin my ships and look around. But the sense of wonder is gone.
I suspect this is a lot like my childhood. It's gone too. I live it again and again through my children, through their eyes. And much of what made Eve special can be captured again talking to Noobs. They're like children in so many ways. I don't mean that in a negative way, but in the way they see the universe. The questions they ask, the sense of wonder and excitement they bring to the game. They are us re-born each and every time. And much like my own children I delight in teaching them, in guiding them and helping them, as much as I can. Even my own children can drive me crazy from time to time and I need the company of adults.
We can't recapture the wonder of our youth, in real life or in -game. It'll never be the same as it was the first time. But we can remember it and hold on to it and keep it alive. And we can experience it again in the eyes of the constant stream of new players entering our universe.
Heck, wonder is only one aspect of this crazy game. And while it might be gone from so many aspects it can still appear at different times and in different ways. This ramble is a ponder without point. A series of words intended to do nothing more than provide a brief respite and a chance to think. Is your in-game life filled with wonder, adventure and excitement? If not, then what are you missing? Maybe you need to re-connect with your inner Noob and take a moment to remember how scared you were when you undocked, or jumped, or were attacked, or stolen from, or scammed, for the first time?
I know I'll never forget it.