It sure has been a while since I’ve actually written a true blog post. Most of my recent works have been guides, theorycrafting, or news… kind of. I wanted to take a bit of time here to talk about where my views actually come from, EVE blogging in general, and why I’m such a salty bitch. The real motivation behind this is the anger that I so often see in response to me splurging words onto a screen. It’s so often that a 1,500 word piece is met with fury that I would dare write about how it’s a good thing that I can hunt in their space.
So why is it that I titled this piece as I did? Just why would I ever think that my own opinion is worth considering? Reason #2 will shock you!
Crossing the Zebras
When it comes down to it, the real reason I’m here typing words up for the internet is because I enjoy it. I’m not a professional writer and hell, I only got B’s in English back when I went to school. Three years ago Niden invited me to write for Crossing Zebras, I said yes for the hell of it and ended up writing this little piece about how Citadels were going to affect wormhole space. It was relatively well received and for some reason that pretty much cemented me as a regular writer and editor on arguably the most popular EVE media site of its time.
Since then I’ve gone on to talk about New Eden as an FC, as a theorycrafter, and as the CEO of a wormhole corp. Sometimes I just wear the one hat and sometimes I wear seven. My particular ‘flavour’ is that I dislike the nullsec way of life, enjoy sarcasm way too much, and see wormholes as the true way to play EVE. This includes diving out into null to taste the krab meat or their response fleet (inb4 17 supers).
That actually brings us back to the same question again. Why am I, of all people, qualified to talk about wormhole space, balance, nullsec, or one of countless other topics that people have an opinion on? I’d say it’s the same reason that anyone from Jin’taan to Jezaja to even StainGuy can have a voice about a topic (maybe not that last one). You know what you are getting into when you read or watch their content and ultimately it’s there for your own consumption.
If someone reads what I’ve written and disagrees with my opinion then that’s simply what I’d call a talking point, not something to cry about. Why not break it down to see why I’m wrong and that Rorqual mining in absolute safety is the best thing since Dazzling Spodumain? Unfortunately, the usual response is one of indignation that I dare make a poor comment about their gameplay. It makes me wish that EVE blogging was as big as it used to be so everyone can pick their poison rather than listening to me, apparently.
On EVE Blogging
Looking over the vast wasteland that is the EVE Blogpack is… depressing. That isn’t a dig at the site at all. I’m on there and I’m glad that there’s such a vast collection of bloggers and their posts available. What does bother me is that 90% (no I didn’t count) of them are dead and gone. Here’s somewhat of a random selection of the older ones, although I encourage you to visit the site yourself:
You don’t need to read the titles nor do you even need to read the posts themselves to see what’s going on. It’s a similar story to my final CZ post. One of apathy and losing the star power that used to be EVE blogging. Over time personalities such as Jester have quit the game and sites with popular guides have even become Splatoon 2 blogs. More content creators pop up from time to time but whether they last is always a bit of a gamble. Writing about something you love is great until you don’t love it any more.
But still, we soldier on. I’m still here writing and there are a good few more bloggers, many of whom have been around for much longer than this little blog. What I’m really saying is just how much I miss the past. It seems like just yesterday that almost anyone could fire up a wordpress account or a blogspot site to have their say. Nowadays it seems that opinions are relegated to shouting on Reddit and meme videos.
Rose tinted space goggles right here and I know it. All I’m trying to say that if I can have my own opinion on a topic then so can you. Pick up a microphone, turn on OBS, or dust the Cheetos out of your keyboard. We need more people writing about New Eden and more opinions that aren’t just the Reddit hivemind. Whether it’s in the name of war propaganda or of your own hisec missioning group doesn’t matter so long as you have an opinion.
A New Chaos Era
I’m not going to open the can of worms that is “the state of EVE” right now. Some will say that Pearl Abyss/CCP are doing a great job and some will say the game is still dying. I don’t want an opinion on that right now. I’d rather watch the NetEase Triglavian Dance instead ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ (below). What I will say is that the opinions I hold are ones which will always have a backing of “is this healthy for EVE?”
Sure, I’m always going to want an easier time nano’ing around null, but I’m not about to say that my gameplay should keep the miners docked up. I agree with Hilmar that Chaos is right for New Eden. I would rather that those docked up miners continued to mine while a subcap response fleet ruined my day.
This is the attitude that I feel we all need to uphold if we truly want EVE to be forever. No EVE 2, no EVE classic, just EVE as it should be for years to come. I’ve already heard kids on fleets talk about how their dad used to fly with a particular FC and that’s really just magical for a video game (or any media for that matter). Outside of WoW there aren’t many other games with such an accolade. There’s a rich history to New Eden with potentially so many more chapters to be written.
The responsibility for said future lies entirely on the shoulders of the players themselves. CZ’s old motto was that we lived and died with the fanbase; this applies perfectly to EVE too. If we, as players, don’t have opinions on what CCP is producing and just want ISK, then why bother playing at all? It’s the same mentality that created Serenity’s hyperinflation and total blue doughnut. That isn’t what I want for the game, nor should it be what anyone wants. If EVE is to purely be a mining/currency generation simulator in five years time then I’ll hang my hat up now and call it a day because that isn’t EVE.
So to answer my question and the reason for this entire article: My opinions are balanced because opinions, player interaction, and a living universe are what keep this game alive. Anyone is welcome to write about New Eden and in the end we’re all just fake space journalists or nerds with keyboards. For now I’m still enjoying the game and I sincerely encourage anyone who does too, to share their thoughts with the rest of us. o/
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