EVE General Discussion

After thinking about it a lot, it's occurred to me that despite all the pain and sorrow surrounding Sean "Vile Rat" Smith's death, there may be something positive to come out of it.

Through the EVE Online community's collective mourning and tributes following the death we have drawn the attention of the internet and mainstream press, bringing a human element to the tragedy in Libya.
In doing so we've unintentionally made ourselves a powerful statement against the stereotypical image of the gamer being the jobless, friendless, basement dwelling outcast.

In our legitimate sorrow for the loss of our friend we've shown the world that gamers are anything but the stereotype, behind the online avatar is a real person, with real feelings and, even though many of us are literally a world away from each other, real relationships.

As someone who has struggled most of their life to be socially accepted simply because of my interests and personality being different from the mainstream, the events of the last few days, while filled with grief and sadness, have made me and likely many others feel damn proud to be a gamer.

While I've never really felt the need to justify who I am and what I do with my life, the passing of Vile Rat has shed much-needed light on the power of games and technology generally to bring people together in deep and meaningful ways and in that sense this sad loss of life has done something other than take away a much loved, much respected member of the EVE Online community.

R.I.P Vile Rat, you will be missed.

Let me start by telling you - I didn't know Sean Smith, or Vile Rat. I certainly knew of him, and knew the influence he had on this game. I can sense the power of his presence in the posts, the tributes and the response that has gone out so far. It is palpable and real - and touching beyond measure. He was clearly a hero - and I don't mean just the goon sort, but a real life, bonafide, American Hero. And as cliche and unpopular as it may be these days to be called so - it was true of Sean Smith as far as I can tell.

I do not often post on these forums at all - and yet now here I am, drawn to make some comment on this gentleman I never met. That fact alone is hard to explain. Why do I feel the need to say goodbye, in some fitting manner and to draw some respectful conclusions about the senseless loss of a man I never knew personally? He represented a great deal to us - as Americans and EVE players both. But I do not want to be so flippant, as proper as it may be in some respects, to turn him into some sort of "symbol" because he - like all men - deserves much more.

Then, as I looked at my son this evening, falling asleep on my lap - it started to make sense. Or perhaps it is more proper to say that the senseless became more apparent to me. The fathers who read this will understand me perhaps a little more intimately, and no I do not mean to belittle the mothers or childless among us. But I am a father and so that is the perspective from which I speak. The fact is that fathers are the protectors of their children - society and nature have ordained it so. And while we do not often speak of it, it is an expecation that each of us (or at least those of us worth our salt) are constantly and intimately aware of - it is an expectation that connects us.

There is such a wild mix of emotions that tears though any us (fathers) when we learn that someone else's child has been made fatherless. That emotion can only be magnified and deepened when it happens in such a high profile and senseless way, to a man who was in all ways possible - a hero. There is no greater fear, for any father, than the tragedy that has befallen Sean's family. We fear not our own mortality - but the loss our children must suffer - and the fact that they must go on without us to look over them and protect them. My prayers go out to his family, and to his children especially. All I can say is that they've inherited a whole virtual realm of would be protectors - and while it pales in comparison to what they've lost - it is the best we can do right now. None of us will ever forget Sean and his family, I am sure.

It is odd this little universe of 'internet spaceships' we all fly in. It can be so easy at times, to forget there is a real person behind the avatar. A person with a job, a family, with hopes and dreams that hopefully go well beyond the next epic fight or that Titan we've been hoping to buy. A person who's real life responsibilities make 'playing a game' seem a rather childish affair. How the world changes for us when we learn about the people behind those pixels. I myself have marvelled about how differently I get treated (and the bizarre questions I get asked) when people learn what it is I do in "real life" as an Emergency Medicine Physician. It says a lot about EVE mind you that it draws people - people who would otherwise not spend anywhere near as much time as we do playing games - to it in such a powerful way.

The glimpses we get behind the screen - into the triumphs and tragedies of people's real lives are one of the things that I think makes eve truly special. This is particualrly true when it comes to the military men and women we have in our electronic families. EVE in particular seems to have a sizable contingent of current and former military folks - and it is not uncommon for a corporation of any reasonable size to have at least one or two members off in harms way somewhere at any given time. It is easy to compartmentalize and forget the danger they are in, but Sean's death reminds us that it is not to be taken lightly.

And more than that - it reminds us that we are all, above all else, people. Those of us who go to fanfest and share drink with our 'enemies' understand this well, as do many others in the game. We understand that despite the personas we project and the gamestyle we adopt - that real life people - good people - are behind those pixels. Not all of us understand that - but maybe now they will start to. So let us take that one lesson from this and grow together as a community. It is just one of many ways we can honor Sean's memory.

I've read the CSM tribute - it is moving- I've read it three times already. But I cannot help but notice they felt the need to respond to the perception of "goons as bad guys". They knew Sean - I did not - so I defer to them on their choice. But let's be clear. Right now - this isn't about goons, or internet spaceship badguys. It's about a man named Sean - a father and a husband who loved his family, his friends, and his country. And also a man who apparently loved this game called EVE and the people who played it. We are blessed to have been so honored. A man who was in every way possible, by all measures possible - one of the 'good guys'.

o7

Rest in Peace Vile Rat/Sean Smith.

I didnt knew the guy in person.More as an opponent in game.Most of the times me and him in local chatting for anything else than the usual "**** you goons" crap.
Good guy,smart.One of the few i ever felt good to see in local.
We all are(were for some)in this game to escape from some reality.
I know nothing for his family.If he had kids i hope this site stays up long enough so his kids see this:your father was a good man.

R.I.P VR

I was thinking also, perhaps a minutes silence at the start of the Key Note speach at Fanfest next year would be a good way for people to show their respects

Always sad to hear a member of the community has died, especially in such a violent way.

RIP Vile Rat

As a father, my grief for Sean and his family is acute. *snip*



EDIT: Sorry for the really big snip there, but this thread is not really the place for discussions on religion, it's somewhere for people to honour Sean - ISD Type40.

Also from Monkey Circus ,



Forget about the nationality....
Forget about the Alliance where he was ...

But don't forget about one thing!

He was a Part of EVE Online, He was a Part of us all,

We will always remember you



Fly Safe VR

R.I.P. Bud

-EDIT- Off-topic - ISD Tyrozan