Personally my fondest memories of EVE (as someone with a 2009 character) are when we managed to get the drop on someone and absolutely ruin their day. Someone flying around with a $300 ship who should not be out there in the depths of space. There’s something deeply satisfying about getting hate mail from someone who says they’re going to find you and kill you because you blew up their internet space ship. Perhaps from a different time on the internet, I’d imagine you’d get in trouble for sending such an EVE mail these days.

But for each moment like that there were countless hours where we were just sitting around being bored doing nothing. Or mindlessly grinding. It was fun because it was subversive and one of the few places where you could actually be aggressive in a way that had consequences. And trust me, I lost a lot too. It felt super bad. But that was what made it fun!

I’ve got a family now and no way I can play EVE anymore. But I’ll remember the crazytown I played in.

The game is much, much different now. If you require matchmaking, its the wrong game.

There is nothing in it that is stopping anybody from choosing the worst and most boring activities, unfortunately.