This is just a mini-post, one family funeral today and one tomorrow. But something has been rattling around in my head and I thought this might be the place to mention it out loud.
Open recruitment, few rules, relaxed atmosphere, undock and fight mentality, certainly Stay Frosty isn't like many other corporations. And during the last month or so I've talked to well over 100 players interested in joining and trying this new thing out for themselves. Most don't believe it at first, or have their doubts. Which is natural and understandable. That isn't the surprising part, this is after all Eve.
The other common thread, which I have found rather surprising, has been the apologies. This isn't a criticism of any one player, but rather the odd position that Eve has put so many people into that they feel it incumbent upon themselves to apologize for things beyond their control.
"Sorry, but I don't play as much as I should." "I'm sorry, but I'm changing jobs and won't be on much in the next month." "My apologies, I can't be on comms right now, the baby needs feeding." "Apologies, I'm attending E3 and won't be very helpful this week." ( I'm making these up btw, they don't relate to anyone specifically.) This list could be very long, but I think you get the idea.
What is it about our beloved game that instills such need? The players are not wrong, so what are they actually sorry about? That they have real lives?
Is this a result of the culture that Eve has established over the last decade? A culture of responsibility, of CTAs and alarm-clock ops, of organized roams and established roles? If so, I sincerely worry about the long-term viability of such a culture. The need to apologize for something beyond your control, while on an individual basis is certainly understandable, on a wide-spread basis it is rather troublesome.
Many people say RL > Eve, but do they really mean it? Obviously not based on the feedback I've been getting. And this isn't just an observation based on the last month, but rather one based on the last five years. It is a powerful and often overwhelming problem. I've experienced it myself. I've left corporations, brought down entire Alliances, based simply on changes to my personal circumstances. I know where this feeling stems from.
It is one of the primary reasons I built a "no-apology" corporation. A place where no one ever needs to feel bad that they can't play today, or this week. Or that they have to drop fleet because the baby is awake.
You should want to play Eve because it is fun. Not because you feel you have to.
Open recruitment, few rules, relaxed atmosphere, undock and fight mentality, certainly Stay Frosty isn't like many other corporations. And during the last month or so I've talked to well over 100 players interested in joining and trying this new thing out for themselves. Most don't believe it at first, or have their doubts. Which is natural and understandable. That isn't the surprising part, this is after all Eve.
The other common thread, which I have found rather surprising, has been the apologies. This isn't a criticism of any one player, but rather the odd position that Eve has put so many people into that they feel it incumbent upon themselves to apologize for things beyond their control.
"Sorry, but I don't play as much as I should." "I'm sorry, but I'm changing jobs and won't be on much in the next month." "My apologies, I can't be on comms right now, the baby needs feeding." "Apologies, I'm attending E3 and won't be very helpful this week." ( I'm making these up btw, they don't relate to anyone specifically.) This list could be very long, but I think you get the idea.
What is it about our beloved game that instills such need? The players are not wrong, so what are they actually sorry about? That they have real lives?
Is this a result of the culture that Eve has established over the last decade? A culture of responsibility, of CTAs and alarm-clock ops, of organized roams and established roles? If so, I sincerely worry about the long-term viability of such a culture. The need to apologize for something beyond your control, while on an individual basis is certainly understandable, on a wide-spread basis it is rather troublesome.
Many people say RL > Eve, but do they really mean it? Obviously not based on the feedback I've been getting. And this isn't just an observation based on the last month, but rather one based on the last five years. It is a powerful and often overwhelming problem. I've experienced it myself. I've left corporations, brought down entire Alliances, based simply on changes to my personal circumstances. I know where this feeling stems from.
It is one of the primary reasons I built a "no-apology" corporation. A place where no one ever needs to feel bad that they can't play today, or this week. Or that they have to drop fleet because the baby is awake.
You should want to play Eve because it is fun. Not because you feel you have to.
Comments
In regards to whether this is a good or bad thing it's as Lance Henrikson's character on the old show Millennium oft said "It's my gift, it's my curse."
Hence the conflict that causes a 52 yo father and professional IT tech to apologize for not logging onto a computer game at a certain point stems from his
(1) desire to simply fly spaceships in the AMAZING 'verse CCP has created and
(B) knowledge that one more DPS/Tackle/Logi ship on fleet and on grid could possibly make the difference between logging on to heavy losses and weeks, if not months of hard work ahead to rebuild or logging on to the sound of his friends (on Mumble or TS) raised in the victorious LOLing and virtual back slapping that follows a successful defense or successful Op against those gods forsaken and terribad "_________" (insert Enemy of your choice).
EVE may not be real, but as Corelin pointed out quite well in his most recent post("What Makes EVE Matter")... 'Loss' in EvE IS very real. we all have a stake on the table in this MMO... a very real stake in time and trust and in virtual blood, sweat and tears... and we don't like it when our two realities (EvE and the one with kids and bills etc.) conflict. And so we apologize for not living up to our self imposed responsibilities, which is completely normal and is a mark of how very good a virtuality CCP has created.
Stay Frosty sounds more like the ideal of a Pirate society... an attempt at a stable anarchy. A group, working together with an absolute minimum of rules or structure. In order for this to work, as I am sure you know, the goals of the members must be very closely aligned and where goals diverge the individuals must be able to manage those goals separately without conflict. But, Stay Frosty still has to have controls, rules, oversight and leadership for the group to maintain that stability.
To fulfill this you have to intentionally plan against the need for CTA's, large group Ops and ensure your members assets are secure. In EVE this means in an NPC station that CANNOT be attacked and ensuring access (Directorship) is as minimal as possible. In HBHI we have only three Directors and we are me, my son and my son-by-another-father. Our members 'stuff' is safe from corp theft because of this. But, we accept and want the risks inherent in life in Anoikis, so ALL our our stuff (in the hole) is at risk from outside forces... Hence we may get a txt msg that our C6 has been invaded or that our POSes are under attack, "Logon if you can!"... but that's the game we want to play. =]
And yes, I do live north of the 49th...
Nothing inherently wrong with that.
Not everyone finds enjoyment in the culture you are creating. There are other corporations for them to go to just as you have created a corporation for people to go to who have a particular play style that may thrive there.
I sent an email the other day apologizing to my corp mates because I would be out of game for four days to attend several family funerals, so I know exactly why this happens.
This was an open ponder. A reflection on Eve, not an opinion or editorial really. Just something that struck me and I thought worth sharing.
I get to hang out and do fascinating shit with my sons, both are men I not only love as/like a father, but respect as men and Marines and that I really like as a chill bros.
Our corpmates, few though they be (and mebbe because they are few) are important to me/us because it is just we few against 'them'...
And our Allies... well, seriously, you'd have to be on Mumble sometime to understand why we love flying with em... I sure as hell can't put it into words other than, "We few, the really weird few, this band of Jokers"... =]
And that, is just that. =]
This is the first worlds living room, where we all hang out together and chat about whatever comes up... no matter where we are, who we are or what we do... a universal 24/7/365 coffee klatsch... and I am pleased as hell I lived to see, and share in, these days. =]