I just went seven days without posting. I also went a few days without logging into Eve. And a few days without thinking about Eve. Or doing any artwork. Or talking on social media much. I needed a short break and spent time with the family, going to see the new Deadpool movie, hanging out with the kids, getting some work done around the house - that sort of stuff. Recharge the batteries. Touch some grass. This isn't the secret part, but I find that longevity in Eve requires these short breaks from time to time. Not on any sort of schedule, just whenever it feels like I need one.
But I logged into Eve yesterday and decided to keep it simple. Always with the rust. I find it helps when returning to just grab a ship, undock, and go find trouble somewhere. As I was flying around and getting my mojo back - I started to think about other ways I've developed over the years to keep Eve interesting. In September I will have been playing Eve consistently for sixteen years now. That is a long time. And while short breaks are one important aspect that helps me stay engaged - it certainly isn't the only one.
This is where the secret comes into the story. While I believe it is important to manage your commitment to the game by taking real life breaks, I also believe that commitment extends inside of the game as well. Now this could be as simple as doing something different inside the game from time to time, exploring a different region or activity, or flying a new or old ship, or challenging yourself to a different play-style. All of which are valid and they do help. Doing the same thing every single day can get boring and lead to burn-out. So take those tips to heart.
But sometimes I also believe it is important to just not give a damn. Let me explain. So yesterday, after a short break, I logged back into Eve. Before I undocked I decided that during this session, however long it lasted, I was just going to not give a damn and go rumble. Risk my ship. Put it down on the table and take whatever Eve was going to give me. Now this doesn't mean that I jumped into four man gangs of Thrasher Fleet Issues or anything stupid. Not giving a damn is not the same as being an idiot. What it does mean is that the usual guardrails come down. It is, in a matter of speaking, zero stress PvP. Or how I stopped worrying and had fun instead.
What I didn't know was that would lead me into five straight separate fights against Kestrels. That wasn't planned, but I ended up fighting five kestrels in a row and winning each of those fights. Well, to be fair, one of them got away and then was killed by another Stay Frosty pilot afterwards. Which still counts. Then I saw a Coercer Navy Issue alone in a plex. Now normally I would not slide into one of those alone in my Comet. So this time I did (this has about a 20% chance of success) and paid the iron price for my foolishness. Even the other pilot was surprised I stayed and fought. Meh, I said in local, it was more fun to take the fight.
I grabbed a Cormorant Navy Issue from the hanger and undocked again. This is when I saw the Caracal engaged with several other ships. So of course I warped right into the middle of that one. Managed to bring down the Caracal and a Cat Navy before the others got me. That was a blast.
A great way to get back into the game after a short break. And have some fun.
Point being, find your own way to break things up. Find some fun. Change your habit a bit and try something new. Boredom is the brain killer. And while we all need to focus and practice and gain experience to get better at our chosen fields - we also need to fight against boredom.
These are some ways that I've discovered over the years.