This won't be the last

Bold Pilot Log Entry #6

Taking a break. Yeah, that's a common thing for most EVE players. It has much to do with human nature. Basically, there are three main types of quitters.

The first group is the people who start weighting their real life happenings way over the game. This is nothing to frown upon. If you have stuff™ to do, then you have stuff™ to do. So they realize that they long for their internet spaceships less than the subscription is worth. They often come back when things settle or when they can arrange their free time again.

The second group is the burnt out. Well, this is slightly less glorious than stuff™ to do. To put it in its harsh simplicity, they screwed up. They got bored. Bored. In EVE. In most cases there is so much to do in the game, most people haven't tried things or tried but never got to the point where it starts being fun. Instead, they pursue select activities to the point they stop being fun. But there are differrent mistakes that can lead to burnout.

First is overdrive. When you concentrate and develop somthing to perfection. Suddenly you realize that if not all your conditions are met, you're feeling awkward. You simply stop ejoying the aspect that other players can do their thing and that often means they compete with you, and screw you over eventually. This relates to the flow theory I introduced in my first entry. Basically you put yourself outside the flow domain, the task being too easy and the reward being too high. What you are doing to have fun stopr being fun and you don't realize it until it's too late. It's time then to take a break (and let your account expire if the financial aspect is of concern) for a few months. You'll return when the longing becomes grater than the memory of tedium.

Second reason for a burnout is oversatisfaction, the "I have everything" effect. This basically is the reason why older players often leave the game. The experience becomes shallow and even new content gets old fast. Unless an oversatisfied person finds something he can dwell into for new flow, he's lost. It is then advisable to take a break, probably get some long skills running while new content is produced.

The third group of people who stop playing EVE do something utterly strange, nested deep within their understanding of the world. They 'ragequit'. In a fit of emtional turmoil, they decide to leave the game and never look back. They may make a huge fuss over it, shouting their often flawed viewpoints to the community, who, franky, couldn't care less. Childish and unfruitful reaction, that alienates mature people, because if they don't share the view, they will see little point in the move.

I tell you one secret. Be it any kind of quitter, you are very likely just taking a break. He who tasted the internet spaceships shall never forget the flow. He shall return when appropriate, to the embrace of this cold, harsh universe of pixel people sitting in pixel spaceships pixel shooting each other, letting the pixel DUST 514 of their pixel empires to fall on pixel planets.

Sessym out.