Eleven years ago I wrote a post called Why Do I Love Eve? at the behest of then Blog Father CrazyKinux in which, after having played Eve for a year and a half, I tried to explain my passion for the game. I had only recently started this magazine, which has now been running for eleven years. Today, as I look back on those days, I can only marvel at how naive I was at the time. When I wrote that post I wasn't even a Pirate yet! I was still running around Null Sec.
Much has changed since those early days. Back then the only Eve player I knew in real life was my own Son. In the ensuing years I've literally met hundreds of Eve players in real life and I consider many of them to be dear friends. I've watched them start families, graduate school, travel, change jobs, grow up, and face their own life challenges along the way. Back then I never really thought about the company that made the game I loved so much. I never would have imagined traveling to Iceland, something I've done three times now, or meeting an actual CCP employee. Much less becoming friends with them. Watching them run for political office, move on to other careers, or start families of their own.
I could never have imagined that one day I would be sitting at a table in Harpa signing autographs on illustrated posters I created. But that happened. Or that when I needed help the most, hundreds of people from all over the world would rise up to help me. But that also happened.
Nor would I have imagined inviting players to my own home. But that happened as well.
I could go on and on. The important thing however is that, despite not being able to imagine that journey eleven years ago, it is a journey that I am incredibly proud of. And despite the somewhat naive words of a young player back then, the heart of that post remains even more true today. I still love Eve Online.
That noob hit the nail on the head. The things that drove me to Eve back then continue to drive me today. The sandbox. The visuals. The insane complexity. The desire to succeed above all else. And the innate weirdness that comes from embracing chaos. The game that never ends. The adventure we write ourselves. How ever you choose to describe it, there is nothing else like it. Surviving Eve is a badge of honor. A distinct and elevating position that few others can mirror. And then, to not only survive, but to excel at Eve? Well, that is another thing. A far rarer thing. And a thing to be cherished.
Today I am most proud of Stay Frosty and A Band Apart, and the pilots that fly with us. It is hard to imagine that in a few short months Stay Frosty will be celebrating its eighth year. In that time it has become the preeminent Pirate group in all of New Eden, representing and promoting an old-fashioned notion of solo and small gang excellence, piracy, and honor that is hard to come by these days.
I'm proud of all that has been accomplished in those years. And I look forward to all that is yet to come. What new things can I not imagine today that will come to pass in the months and years to come?
Who knows. All I know is that I can't wait to find out.