You have become what all men should fear...

Bold Pilot log, entry #1

Nerdchills. That's what they call that strange feeling that rushes through you when you see something awesome of a pixel-play. And then there is that odd way you lose yourself in something, thinking, dreaming about some awesome pixels while time rushes by and after having some fun with it it occurs to you that the Sun's rising. "You are about to become what all men should fear..."

No, seriously, EVE Online is one of those games you can forget yourself in. You even find yourself doing things out of habit. I find a sweet irony in the intro video that tries to establish your role as a capsuleer, and what that means. The irony being that those who forget themselves in the EVE universe indeed become something all men should fear. Nerds. Haha. You may be reading this and thinking that computer games are evil or that I'm insulting your favourite game. Let me reassure you that either is not true. What I mean is not a trait of a game but a very human reaction.

It is called the 'Flow' theory. Namely, when the challenge and reward is kept between the right constraints, a special state of mind occurs, where time is of no concern, and the side-effects of the activity are not noticed. Some people live it so strongly, that even the memory of such a flow state is a reward and an incentive of its own to repeat the activity over and over. Some people cna go to extreme lengths trying to re-live the flow. This, my dear reader, is what I dub the cause of game addicton. A good game is addictive in a way that it rewards the challenges you are up to. EVE in this regard is, as in many more ways, unique. The sandbox theory it builds on allows you to pick your own challenges, and, more importantly, mostof the time your rewards as well.

This is, however, a double-edged blade in more than one regard. Firstly, chosing your own challenges in a proper, flow-generating way requires a special type of person. This loophole of the sandbox is what repels the unfitting personality. There is no need to see this as an insult: some people simply don't find this kind of entertainment pleasing. When I'm saying you are not an EVE-player personality, it's not a deterrent, you could still be a very clever person with three degrees seeking refuge from your daily chores. What matters however, is the way you pick your goals. Most people point to the learning curve when they are prompted to name the main cause of people leaving EVE. The second duality in the nature of the sandbox is that the soul of the game is competition. You are competing with all players at all times on many levels. This, too can deter people of specific personality. The third thing is the response of the environment. It is not very game-like in the way that faults do come back to bite you. This is etched into EVE so deeply, that if I, for one, found out that you can make mistakes without paying their toll in time or isk, I'd definitely leave the game alone. But there are many people that don't like when silly moves backfire. This too is a trait that is required to fully enjoy EVE.

And then there is another interesting element. The people who have been playing this game for a long time, and remember things many don't. They sometimes are described as 'bitter vets'. This, I tell you, is too the flow theory in work. They had many flow experiences. So many in fact, that it is now long-term memory. You know the saying about time and memories... Yes, the human memory is selective, and gradually leaves out the undesirable memories. This causes them to recount the past flow memories as 'good old times'. They too long for the flow, and often have formed some sort of neither with nor without addiction, that often crystalizes as being pessimistic or indifferent.

Now let us slip into the backstory a little more. You are about to become what all men should fear... Why should New Eden's people fear you? Because you don't just die? Because you can be more powerful than their empires? No. The reason, they should fear you, dear capsuleer is that you have just the right psychology to get flow experience while knowing full well that you are crushing lives and destroying billions worth of assets with a few buttons. The true reason they fear you is that they don't know what you enjoy most, yet you directly or indirectly interfere with their lives and bring change. People fear change. People fear those that enjoy changing things. People fear that you'll have a flow in the wrong time at the wrong place and the wrong way.

If you are a true EVE-player, that psychology may not be too far from you. The sandbox serves a beneficial role. It keeps the flow inside, and you out.

Sessym out.