Last year went from existing as an Alpha and barely making enough Isk to a few intense months trying to make my paid subscription worthwhile and then back again to poor Alpha.
Looking back it reminded me why I let the subscription lapse in the first place. If I pay for something I feel an unhealthy urge to get value for money which means being online and getting the most out of the accounts. Ship spinning doesn’t happen when I have an Omega account. What does happen, more often than not, is thinking I will do one more Abyssal or line up a few more Burner missions when I really should be doing something outside the game such as, I don’t know, maybe the dishes?
I feel driven to make some sort of meaningful gain, I hate loss and get quite angry when it occurs especially if it is my fault and yet none of that happens when the account is Alpha. There is some physiological or psychological driver that makes an Omega account feel as if it requires more effort in the often incorrect assumption that it will provide more reward. Having been Alpha for a few weeks now I am just as happy as I was when the account was Omega and more importantly the dishes have been done.
Sure, Omega unlocks a bunch of things that just make the Isk roll in like there is no tomorrow. My Corp account got fatter than it has been in a long time and actually doubled in size. A nice healthy buffer going into the future, but I have to wonder if it is worth it and I don’t mean monetarily either.
Eve is an enormous time sink and always has been. I remember years ago listening to a Corp mate proudly announce his alarm settings that allowed him to change skills and never miss a single SP (back in the days before the skill queue) and thought he was a bit mad. Why would you go to that length and what was the reward? I never really understood that level of commitment and yet here I am 16 years later allowing my skill queue to lapse while the old Corp mate is long gone. Something keeps me logging in, and just between you and me, I don’t really understand it.
I enjoy Eve and at the same time I hate it. There are so many good components of the game, so many changes over the last 16 years that have enhanced game play and at the same time there have been changes that almost killed it, destroyed the economy and saw a mass exodus of veterans and new players alike. Eve lives on a razors edge and I doubt we will ever see the same enthusiasm and participation as those golden years between 2008 and 2013. Sorry, but I have no idea how it could return to those days or even re-invent them. One thing I do know is that the average Eve player has changed. They want more for less effort and cry loudly when they don’t get it.
I wonder what this year will bring and whether I will still be playing at the end of it.
Only time will tell,
Fly Safe,
Yad.
Yadot 
I think I kept paying for an Omega account for months after I had, essentially, stopped playing, as a ‘just in case’ I went back to the game. Since turning off the account, I don’t think I’ve been back (even as an Alpha), and certainly don’t recall the last time I opened the launcher – pretty sure I’ve uninstalled the game from my machines as well.
I do recall the Golden Era, it was bloody good fun, but it was the corp mates that made it worthwhile. And I also remember a certain player years ago who was more than happy to help a noob who’d made it into NPC null and found himself well out of his depth… 🙂
Whilst you keep playing, please keep updating your blog – I may no longer be in the game, but I do enjoy reading your exploits 🙂
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