"A catch-22 is a paradoxical situation from which an individual cannot escape because of contradictory rules or limitations."
Often, on our roams, we will encounter players in local who hurl intended insults at us. These can vary widely, but often use our chosen play-style against us in one way or another. In the context of local chat this is a very common choice for players in space. This is the place to do such things, in the context of the game itself. We often parlay back. Many times these exchanges can be hilarious. Even rarely rising to the level of share-worthy or screenshot worthy. This is part of Eve Online. And we are all familiar with the special kind of Hell Jita local can be, or the countless examples of local chat being used to intimidate, or bully younger players - or worse. This is also, sadly, a part of Eve Online.
Bear with me here today, I have a point to make but it is going to take some time to get there. Local chat can also be extremely positive. For me, I can't go anywhere in New Eden without someone saying hello in local. Yesterday I took a wormhole down to minnie space and every few jumps someone was calling me out in local to say howdy. I always try to respond. If I miss it, it is usually because I'm busy doing something else. Like fighting for my life. I've gotten used to this over the years and it is normal. And positive.
The rules and etiquette that dictate local chat, governed as they are, albeit moderately, by CCP have their own guidelines. And any player can usually get a handle on those rules pretty quickly. It essentially boils down to - keep your mouth shut or be ready to play the game. If you choose to play the local chat game - I recommend a healthy dose of humor. It really does help.
Outside of the game however the rules change. The Eve community is increasingly spread out over increasingly widespread platforms. Discord servers, Reddit, X, BlueSky, Instagram, TikTok, streaming, YouTube, the choices are endless and many players only frequent a select few (if any) of these channels. Notice I didn't even bother to list blogging. Like so many other communities around the world, the Eve community itself is challenged to present a unified or cohesive front these days. This is the way things are now. Fractured. And this applies not only to the gaming environment, but to everything.
I remember when I first started playing Eve Online one of the biggest fears inside an alliance was the constant threat of "secret channels". Special chat rooms in which only some select players were invited and where things were being decided behind the curtain. We've certainly come a long way since then, now you can have your own niche somewhere and say whatever you want into it. Feel free to scream into the void.
Or, you know, spread slander. Who can stop you?
This is the first part of the Catch-22 - there is no way to effectively monitor or prevent anyone, anywhere, from saying whatever they want about you. And there is nothing you can do about it. Stand up, or speak up, and you only add fuel to the fire. It isn't always about truth, but who says a thing first and loudest. In small ways and big ways this is ultimately about bullying. And the recourse is pretty much nothing. I've witnessed players being destroyed by this and driven from the game because of it. Not everyone is me.
I can't be driven from the game. And trust me, people have tried. In every way imaginable. I've been doxxed twice, stalked in real life, slandered, accused of stealing, accused of being a failure as a father, had my account stolen, had 15,000 shuttles dumped on my killboard, and more. And the reason why I have to mention these things... again - is the second part of the Catch-22.
Eve has no memory. Every year almost half of Eve Online's players are replaced. New players enter the game and older players leave the game. This is a never ending cycle that repeats over and over again. I ran into someone the other day who had no idea who Mittens was. And every single day that process just continues. And while that is how Eve Online evolves and changes over time, the result is loss of memory. From an institutional perspective the community (as a larger entity) remembers what it chooses to remember and forgets everything else. This is normal. But also frustrating for those of us who have played the game for almost two decades. And, I can imagine, it is also frustrating for younger players as well.
Add those two things together and you have a recipe for frustration. I bring all of this up, not to offer a solution, because there isn't any. But as a warning. This is the dark side of the concept of a larger community in Eve Online. It is a place that exists as powerfully inside the game as it does outside of the game. But outside the rules are rapidly changing, evolving, and are built to favor the loudest and most determined voices. There is no recourse. To this void all you can do is stand firm and let it roll over you. Because Eve will forget. A whole new batch of players is coming and sooner or later they won't even remember you.
Or they will never forget you. The choice is yours.