With EVE now 9 years old, many players have been playing this game longer than my daughter's been alive. Some started playing in high school and have already graduated college. The game itself has evolved tremendously even in the ~5 years since I began playing. And so we have the much-discussed "bittervet" syndrome, in which players who have been
for so long finally reach the point of
.
This is a frustrating thing because, when we reach that point, we literally become the
worst thing about EVE. Not CCP's occasional and undeniable bonehead moves, but our vitriol and anger leach out and into the air (well, space) around us, poisoning everything they touch.
Conversely, the
best thing about EVE are the newbies. Not the n00bs who are everyone's bane, but newbies with the right attitude to enjoy the game and the universe but have only recently gotten here.
There are a few solutions to BVS.
- Quit. There's nothing shameful about deciding that you've grown away from EVE, done all you want to do, and moving on to something else. A number of well-loved players have done this, either into another MMORPG or out of the genre completely. This often happens when RL intercedes, too, due to financial constraints or family responsibilities.
- Find something new in-game. Not everyone can do this, but think about all the bits that EVE has to offer. Maybe you've typically focused on a particular area and have never dug into, say, sovereignty warfare or market PVP or living in W-space or whatever. If you're on this site, you almost certainly roleplay already, but for some people that's the cure.
- Teach newbies. Go find some enthusiastic and intelligent newcomers and roll with them. Maybe even create a new character. Go run level 1 missions together or prowl low-sec in Merlins or explore cosmic anomalies. Even mining is fun here because everyone's spending their time figuring out how it works in a low-risk environment and socializing. Seeing the game through "fresh" eyes can do remarkable things.
- Evolve from "bittervet" to "Buddhavet". AKA the "Silver Night Path". Let the frustration wash over you and pass through you until you emerge from it implacable and unworried, just enjoying the corners of EVE that still appeal to you and not getting
about a game.
Whatever you do, remember the
MST3K Mantra:
"It's just a show; I should really just relax."
Author
Topic: On veterans and bitterness (Read 8066 times)