You could argue that Eve's attraction is the lack of regulation, the lack of protection from scams, the lack of a police force. All things you get in the real world, more or less.

Eve has just the right mix of reality and unreality to hook its audience.

How it is a counterexample? Doing anything fun in eve requires a group that talks through headsets. That's exactly the leisurely socialization aspect of it. I am hard of hearing and left eve because I can't do that. Playing torn.com[1] instead.

That unlike jumpgate you often leave space station (or safe space) is just a detail cuz death/loss of a ship isn't a big issue.

[1]https://www.torn.com/2658150