EVE New Citizens Q&A

Hello all,

I'm a trial user and I would like to preface that while this post will have questions about Eve Online, they will not directly pertain to the game itself but rather the Eve Online community. Currently I am writing a research paper about Discourse Communities and I chose Eve Online as my “Discourse Community”.

A Discourse Community is a grouping of people who have an expert knowledge on something (anything) and their language is a key factor for defining the community. This language typically will set a discourse community apart from others or make it exclusive. For example, Eve Online Citizens’ use of language that represents this exclusive and expert knowledge is the use of Acronyms (CCP, FiS, NeX etc) and Terminology (Carebears, Scram, Mittins etc). Anyone new or unfamiliar with Eve will not know the meaning of these words therefore they would be "outsiders" to the community.

However, I am not just interested in just the language of Eve Online as a community, but the interactions and values of the community as well and how this affects the language. (ex: Carebears is a derogatory term that suggest that users who take upon these values should not be on the game or need to just accept risks inherent to Eve)
I am interested in how one’s values from the real world might (or might not) affect how they interact with others or how they play on the game. (ex: there are those who feel that stealing in Eve online is just as bad as stealing in real life, or there are those that feel stealing in real life is bad but in a game or on the internet it is not applicable since it is not “real”)
Or if one feels that Eve is their priority community in life or secondary priority in life. (How much do you think the real world affects you in Eve Online, or how much do you think Eve affects your real life? Is the real world more important to you than the community or does it serve simply as a monetary means to allow you to play the game? Do you consider your community more real than other’s despite the lack of physical aspects of communications or the anonymity of others? Does your community serve as an escape from the real world? Do you think your community is just as valid as other real world communities? Etc..)
I am also interested in how old citizens and new Citizens feel about each other. (How do new citizens try to become part of the community? Do old citizens help? When does a new citizen feel that he has become part of the community or even an authority in the community? What are indications of one’s authority in Eve Online?)

You can send stories and examples and feel free to expand on what you are talking about or explain. The more the better. If you want to post but are unsure if it exactly fits within the conversation just post it anyways. Who knows, it might contribute to the conversation or be GOLD for my research paper. If anyone posts I would REALLY appreciate it! I also need to bring up that ****IF you do post you are giving me permission to use anything you say for my research paper and to even quote you.**** I was thinking about using your usernames as your pseudonyms but if you are uncomfortable with that then you can specify that you would like a different pseudonym from your username.


Thanks

Will do my best to answear your questions,but please note im not a native english speaker so if there is something your not clear about ask me and i will try to explain.

Interestingly enough we had a conversation in our corp chat yesterday that included some of what your asking. Our conversation was evolving around why we play eve,and ofc some of us do consider it a glorified chat But im guessing this become more and more normal for long term players. For me personally i can honestly say that my thing in Eve is the people,not the game it self. A few years ago this was different ofc but there is a limit to how long you can do the same thing over and over again. So now i rarely undock unless corp members drag me with them
It might sound like a bad reason to play,but the truth is that a lot of my social interaction is online. The reason for this is a bit uncommon tho. I met my husband in Eve a few years back and i moved to US last year. Being nervous because of my language,and an accent i cant hide, has made it even harder for me to find friends,and ofc since Norway is across the freaking globe timezones are a pain. Thus i started to rely more on people in Eve when i want/need company. Shoudl also mention that my husband is a paramedic so he is gone quite a bit

So for new players. Personally i consider my self an older player,even a vet. I started back in late 04 and have been playing since (this is not the character i originally started with). I like talking to new players. Both because they seem so exited about the game,and i like being able to help them out when i can,but also because its like having a new guy starting to hang out at the bar you go to every single day. In other words fresh blood,new stories

I realize that many dont feel like this over new players,but i honestly think thats more because many people dont have the patience to teach a new player the game,not that they have anything against the fact that they are new. Sort of a "Yea i would love to fly with you,just dont make me answear any questions" kind of thing. Some might feel like that because they are afraid of giving someone the wrong answear,others might just be to shy to talk to new people. And ofc im sure there are some that just dont like "noobs".

I dont consider young Eve players outsiders. But i know that new members that join the corp often feel left out of the "cool boys club". But thats because of peoples paranoia,not that they dont like someone. When you take a game like Eve where 'noobs" and new members are so likely to scam you,be a spy,or a corp thief,people learn really fast to not trust every person who is willing to say hello. I know that i do the same thing. I can be suspicius of someone for months before i finally start to relax around them (but i have also gotten burned like that and even if someone sticks around for a year they can still turn their back on you).

Now for my morals around Eve,and how my real life morals affect my gameplay. I was raised to know that stealing and similar was wrong. I think im one of the few people that can say i dident even dare to take apples from my grandmothers garden without asking This has ofc followed me into Eve. I dont like blowing people up,i dont steal (i was accused of it once and i have refused to use a corp hangar ever since),and i have never scammed anyone. But i accept the fact that this does happen in the game,and i also realize that Eve would be increddibly boring without it. So i dont look down on people who scam,steal or grief,but i make it clear that i dont want the people that i recruit,or fly under our corp/alliance ticker to scam,steal or show acts of piracy (yes i know its a very thin line). In general it works,but if someone breaks the rules and ends up having to be removed from the corp,it does not mean i cant be friends with them. It just means we have a different playstyle and set of morals IN the game.
Heck i know this one guy... Very nice,wouldent hurt a fly,actually works as a prison guard. But he loves blowing up noobs left and right

My point is...An ******* in Eve does not mean they are an ******* in real life. The whole point with an online game is that you can act how you want,be what you want,and get away from the pressure you normally have to deal with.

And this is getting a bit to long so i will just end it here. I hope some of this could help,and good luck with your project

Regards,
NightCrawler

Can you break down your post into simple easy to read English please?

I tuned out after the first 30 seconds.
I also tune out when nerds attempt to hold serious debates regarding Star Trek.

Also, how do you plan on receiving answers to your questions once your trial period is up?

Cyprus Black,

Well, could you specify which part is confusing? Would you like it with bulletin points?

I don't think I can break down the definition of Discourse communities further.

However, for the portion that was about what I was interested in learning I can just list the questions out. I just put the general description of the overall topic for those who would like to expand outside of the questions listed.

However I would like to know if you would be really motivated to respond after I do all of this.

As for the Star Trek metaphor regarding this post I would like to clarify that I prefaced that this post would be a discussion of the Eve Community rather than the actual game. Using your Star Trek metaphor: If we were to hold a discussion on Star Trek it would be a discussion about the community over the franchise, not an attempt to form a literary analysis over the series itself.

As for your question about my trial period...I really don't know... I might pay for a few months until this project is due

Can you just pay for a few months of Eve and then terminate? I can't really pay for a year of Eve because I'm on a budget at the moment.

The quote function on this (and many other) forum is not so good. You can't have more then 5 quotes per post. If you can be bothered to copy paste brackets around.

1) Why don't you add numbers in front of your questions. 2) Don't you think that would make it easier to reply? 3) And what is the answer to the life, the universe and anything else?

How very interesting.

Eve-online is a huge and ever evolving community. The players form communities within the larger game as a whole. For instance most corporations and alliances have a forum outside of this where they discuss, plot, plan and live or die depending on leadership and membership.

Think of eve as a world unto itself, with several 'Tribes' living in that world, each with a unique culture of it's own. To truly experience this world you will have to become a full fledged member of the world (pay for a subscription) and join a corporation.

To further your research you should in fact spend a great deal of time with several corporations. Try out the Carebear uniform for a while, then move on to Sov holding alliances or even faction warfare or pirate groups.

Eve is a reflection of our own world where people can become what they cannot in the real world. From sadistic psychopaths who kill for the sheer joy of hearing their victims cry, to multi billionaire industrial tycoons to modern day Ghengis Khans or anything in between.

EVE-Online is NOT possible to experience or understand on a trial account. To try is to do us all a disservice. Why do some of us stay around after even after 7 years? You will need to live the life of a capsuleer to truly understand.

There have been many epic events throughout the years. Do a search for the 'Guiding Hand Social Club' who perpetrated the largest heist and assassination for hire on April the 18th, 2005 (largest to that date) or research the downfall of BOB or the Russian Juggernaut that crushed all in it's path. Our community has a long and proud history full of myths, legends and REAL PEOPLE doing unreal things because in a sandbox full of friends anything is possible.

The learning curve is steep, and if you have the brains and the guts to survive it, you may then begin understand our community.

Too give you my personnal appreciation fo the game, i would say that it's greatest strenght is the fact that most of what's happening in eve is player generated.

PvE is of course generated by the game itsef. But the rest involves the action of other players. You can't buy an item and post it to your buddies mail box. You need someone to haul that item to his station. Almost everything you buy or sell in eve is made by other players. PvP can take many forms depending on what the players do about it, they no arenas or battlegrounds in eve. Everything is user generated.

The downside about it : Sometimes you just float around your ship, and nothing happens. For many things aren't straight forward enough.

The upside : When you get some action, it's 10X more enjoyable. Because every fight in eve as conscequences for you, your ennemy, your corp, you alliance. While many MMO's are more action paced, you never trully win or loose in them, because death as no meaning. It's just an brawler. In eve, everytime you blow up a ship, you know that this kill as meaning in this world. And every time you die, you learn something and analyse so you don't repeat your mistakes. This is something you won't find in other popular MMO's.

Yeah I was considering that as well. I really do need to play to really understand, if nothing else then the terminology will stick better. Plus, your whole post made me want to play Eve even more

I will definitely look it up! Sounds really cool. By the way, is there anyone acting as a historian on Eve and recording what happens within Eve? That would be kind of neat...as nerdy as that might sound...

Here is a (hopefully) simplified repost of what I originally sent. The definition For Discourse communities as well as the last paragraph are not included....

However, I am not just interested in just the language of Eve Online as a community, but the interactions and values of the community as well and how this affects the language.

I am interested in how one’s values from the real world might (or might not) affect how they interact with others or how they play on the game.

Also, if one feels that Eve is their priority community in life or secondary priority in life.
1) How much do you think the real world affects you in Eve Online, or how much do you think Eve affects your real life?
2) Is the real world more important to you than the community or does it serve simply as a monetary means to allow you to play the game?
3) Do you consider your community more real than others' despite the lack of physical aspects of communications or the anonymity of others?
4) Does your community serve as an escape from the real world? Do you think your community is just as valid as other real world communities?

I am also interested in how old citizens and new Citizens feel about each other.
1) How do new citizens try to become part of the community?
2) Do old citizens help?
3) When does a new citizen feel that he has become part of the community or even an authority in the community?
4) What are indications of one’s authority in Eve Online?


You can expand upon these question if you like

I will try to address at least a few of these particular questions. I have played Eve on and off for the past 7 years. Even when my account has not been active I have still been active on our corporation forum and with the members of that corporation. Some of us even have a normal relationship outside of Eve where we have gotten to know about families, personal issues etc, but as usual I am going off on a tangent.

Question 1 - the only way to become part of the community is... well to become part of the community. Interact with other players, become part of the various teams/groups/corporations and participate in group activities.

Question 2 - YES. I would say that most older players will help new players. I have personally run battle schools and basic training camps to help new players get into real meat of the game. (0.0 or Null Sec) I am by no means an expert in all things combat related, but I firmly believe that even a brand new player such as yourself can be a useful member of a 0.0 Sov holding alliance. Some veterans will disagree with me, however I would challenge them to take a brand new player under their wing and guide them. The rewards gained are more than what can be measured in ISK.

Question 3 - a difficult question to answer. But I would think that once you begin to pass on what you have learned to another newer player, that is when you are truly a member of the community. As for an authority, well that depends on your definition. In game that may mean that you have become a leader of a powerful corporation or alliance. Or maybe you are just a respected FC or maybe you have become a specialist in whatever it is that you are good at. Your peers are the final judge on that.

Question 4 - In my opinion, those you fly with with give you authority if they feel you deserve it. Those who claim authority through force of will end up with their paper empire crumbling before their eyes.