December 8th, 2008. This image is the very first piece of Eve related art that I created, just a few short months into playing. (I started in September 2008, which is just about as early as a Mac-centric person could play.)
I can still remember exactly why I created that thing. A bunch of us were trying to rat down in Providence. In those days you needed three or four buddies to help rat belt chains, mostly because I was to pathetic to do it solo. And sometimes a "red" would show up in local and try to explode your ship. These long and amazingly boring sessions would mostly be filled with jokes, making fun of people, and generally trying to make sense out of this crazy game. We were talking about the poor rats and why they died so much, what could possibly be their motivation, and how different they were to the other "reds" that were piloted by real people.
This conversation resulted in my popping over to photoshop and making that piece in about five seconds. I seriously gave it zero thought and then posted a link. Before I knew it, the link had made the rounds and the feedback was extremely positive. Huh. By this time I'd already been exposed to some of the work that others had done, via forums, shared links, and other sources. I was just starting to put the connections together. Up until this point, video games had always been things you played. But Eve was something different. It was more like a game you lived. And it was possible to cross over, in a way, into a brand new type of experience. This was different kind of thinking for me.
But that path started with that single image. Soon I'd become the self-proclaimed Minister of Propaganda for Providence and eventually start writing this blog and creating thousands of images based around Eve Online.
That thread would lead to some amazing and incredible adventures. A thread whose winding and twisting turns would lead me to help dozens and dozens of Alliances, podcasts, bloggers, web-designers, and much more create an engaging world around their own creations. And help to create in-game events, campaigns, protests, hats, and return frills to spaceships. A thread that has built upon itself in ways that I could not have imagined when I started playing. The culmination of which, in many ways, will be next week at Fanfest.
It has been a strange journey. One I wouldn't trade for anything. Some of the work I've done has been silly, frivolous, and intended that way. And some has been the result of countless hours of hard work. And the rest falls somewhere else in the middle. All along my only intention has been to entertain and enliven our experience, to help the community, and to share my passion for this incredible experience that we all enjoy. And to help spread the word about Eve.
I honestly believe that this journey is only just beginning and that there is much more that I can do. And I'm looking forward to seeing where it leads me next.
I hope they have cookies there.