Just to be clear, I do not have a Death Wish. But I do have to call this post something. What I do have is more complicated than a blog post title or catchy graphic can capture. To explain this, let's start with a bold statement of fact:
Eve Online can be boring.
Especially if you happen to have been playing for a long time. But even if you haven't it isn't an engaging game if you wait around for it to engage you. That is not what Eve is about. In fact, it is very passive and relatively dumb when you think about it. The game itself is only a system that is laid out in front of you. It needs you to engage, to be active, to participate in order to activate. You have to do the work to make Eve interesting. This causes no end of frustration for those players who never catch on. And CCP has done a pretty remarkable job over the past two decades to alleviate some of those issues. But there is only so much they can do, because this is the way Eve fundamentally works. You can't change that.
For me that means a lot of things. It means running Stay Frosty and FC'ing regular fleets each week, trying out new combinations of ships, flying in new places, doing new stuff. That helps. Personally it means constantly challenging myself every day. Otherwise I tend to get bored. Yep, even the Pirate Lord has moments of extreme boredom in the game. None of us are immune. So I tend to create scenarios for myself to keep things interesting. Those usually revolve around PvP. I'm sure other players have other ways, but for me it is always about combat.
What does this mean? It means I tend to take more risky opportunities in the beginning of a month, than I do towards the end of each month. I tend towards trying more opportunistic engagements and maybe risk more knowing that I'll have the rest of the month to make up for it. This is something that I've been doing for years now. As an example, yesterday I saw three Corax in a site and attacked them in the Jaguar I was flying at the time. I gave myself maybe a 30% chance of breaking one of them. I didn't and I lost the Jaguar. If that opportunity happened again I'd probably re-ship first, or pass it by. I wasn't getting a lot of action yesterday and decided it was worth the risk. A busier day and, again, I might let it slide.
The point being, your risk/reward structure is entirely your own to control. There is a randomness factor that exists, no doubt about it, but percentage wise you can control enough of your own fate to dictate the direction over time. I often prove this to myself at various times, by going weeks at a time without a single loss. Just to watch the kills rack up. But that gets boring. And I hate to be bored. At some point a riskier opportunity will show up and it is worth taking it. Not everything is about numbers, or percentages, or statistics. It is also extremely important to have fun. And also deliver content. I also get enjoyment from that as well.
These are tactics I use to actively engage with Eve Online. On a daily basis. One day I will just randomly decide to take an Incursus into space to find a ship I can't kill with it to engage. And that's how I end up exploding some dudes Vigil Fleet Issue with it. And then I get blobbed by a Condor and a Comet. But that's how risk works. Plus it was a lot of fun.
For me "fun" is more important. In fact, it might often be the most important thing. Sometimes protecting a corp mate is more important, or achieving a specific goal, or whatever. But generally I strive to play the game and have fun doing it. If something doesn't bring me joy, I stop doing that thing.
I'm writing this, not to explain myself. But to encourage you. Find your own way to have fun in Eve Online. It can be done. I think you'll have a much better experience if you focus on yourself and your valuable time in the game.
It has worked for me for over sixteen years now.