The first time I raised my hand in Eve it got smacked down. So I raised it again. Back in those early days I quickly realized a fundamental truth about Eve - if you want something you better be prepared to fight for it. Want a better Corporation? Then make the one you are in better, or go start a new one. Don't have enough content? Then go poke around in HED and make the locals mad. Want to learn how to bomb gates? Fly over to the Russian's space and bomb them. Want a war? Create one.
You can't make an omelet without breaking some eggs.
Eve is weird. Nothing happens in it. You undock for the first time and are presented with a vast, cold, dark and unforgiving universe that does nothing. It just sits there. This is incredibly daunting for most people. For most players this feeling never leaves their experience, they huddle in familiar territory, they try to play solo, or they eventually despair and quit. Eve is a blank slate. It is totally and 100% up to you to write your own story on that slate. No one is going to do it for you. Those that grasp that truth are the ones that succeed, that enjoy the game, that "get it" and have long and fulfilling game-play. It doesn't matter what they decide to spend their time on, PvP, Null Sec, mining, industry, wormholes, solo, whatever. What matters is this understanding that the more you put into your Eve experience the more you will get out of your Eve experience. There are no shortcuts.
And then there are those for whom that truth is not enough. There are those players that need more, that want to break some eggs in order to make an omelet. It is easy to label these people as egotists and megalomaniacs (and some might very well be), but essentially they are all egg-breakers and content providers. People who once raised their hands and got them smacked down a few too many times and decided to forge their own destinies instead. Without them, Eve would be incredibly boring. With them, Eve is a vast ocean of politics, wars, conquest, betrayal, back-stabbing, meta gaming, incredibly rich and rewarding game-play. Think whatever you want about them individually, I'm not here to praise Caesar, but you have to give them their due. We're all lucky to have them.
It is possible to both appreciate the inherent need for such people and at the same time actively fight against them. That is, after all, the source of the dynamic that drives content. I should know. I do it every day. I am after all an egg-breaker from way back. I raised my own hand a few times and decided early on that the only way to make Eve interesting, was to make Eve interesting. I became actively involved in creating conflict, even before I stared writing this blog, because I wanted my Eve to be exciting and have purpose. I helped create Wars, built Alliances, actively sought out War Zones, and did everything I could to create the kind of content that I wanted. And I haven't stopped doing it since. Most of it, I promise you, you aren't even aware of.
I don't hate anyone. I certainly do not hate The Mittani or Sion or anyone else for that matter. I'm simply playing the same game they are playing. I just have no interest in playing it at the same scale, but that doesn't make my game any less important. Or impactful. I have nothing but respect for those that play the game. I've watched and learned from them all since the beginning. And I've taken away a lot of important lessons, both good and bad. I'm still learning.
It's easy to throw labels around. Goodness knows all that egg-breaking over the years has created a shit-ton of haters, both in-game and out. I think you'd be rather shocked and surprised at the sheer amount of vitriol I endure. But, as bad as that can be sometimes, I can assure you of one important thing - it is nothing compared to the good. The good far exceeds the bad. I can't tell you how many times an encouraging word pops up out of nowhere, how often a message arrives that imparts wisdom, or relates a positive tale, or simply says 'keep it up'. Never surrender. It is that energy that keeps me going. And, I suspect, it is the same energy that keeps others going as well. Even people like the Mittani.
I'm playing a game. A game I love called Eve Online. I encourage you to play along with me. I encourage you to go out and break some eggs, make your own omelet. There is no magical answer, no secret concoction, no elixir, only hard work, determination, and a desire to cause trouble. Stir some pots. Make some noise. And watch what happens.
And maybe someday, someone will write a book about your adventure.