In a period of two weeks, I have indulged in a virtual world of the internet in order to expose myself to the conditions and also to weigh its effects on me and possible other individuals in society. I specifically partook to playing a game of Eve Online for six hours every day. I not only enjoyed playing and interacting with different avatars there in, but I also learnt a lot from the interaction. Eve online is a hugely played online amusement game (MMORPG) whose setting is placed around about 20,000 years from the current time in a galaxy found to the very far end of space/the earth. On signing up for Eve, the player assumes the position of a newly graduated Capsuleer. A Capsuleer is a comparatively small group collection of influential pilots who fly spaceships and are capable of manoeuvring powerful spaceships without external assistance within their respective capsules. In addition, Capsuleers are also known as “˜The Immortals’ since they are vastly advanced capsules that are bonded from the inside hence their capability to download their consciousness instantly to a clone of their own in the event of a physical destruction of some sort.
Distinguishing Characteristics of Eve Online. As a single shard in the virtual world, Eve makes it possible for members to become part and parcel of a homogenised world and community. The standard for running a MMORPG is running the game in a condition facilitated by numerous miniature servers that are known as shards. This makes it possible for each player to interact with a couple of thousands of other members in the community irrespective of how many players are there, even if they are millions in number.
Chances of affecting over 250,000 players in a way if not another are high due to the availability of a persistent universes capacitated by one of the most powerful servers for gaming. One is also free to make a choice of what destiny they follow in the virtual world. One starts out as a character from one out of four different races, then inhabiting the universe of Eve. There are different starting expertises that one is at will to take with their character and in whichever direction they may wish. Members are also not restricted to a particular character profession or class.
Activities such as trade, mining, marketing fighting and mercenary skills, piracy, and espionage with the intension of making a living are well facilitated. There is also an evident widespread of infiltration of the territory, research concentrating on manufacture of new products and also performing profitable missions that are not player controlled but are run and controlled by the system in EVE. Like I discovered, a player has the choice of deciding what to do on a day to day basis.
One is able to play alone or with the contribution of other players to come up with a corporation that is equal to a guild or clan that constituted a group of close friends or even by seeking to join whichever one of the big existing corporations and alliances that are run by players. The universe within EVE consists of a total of 5000 solar systems that are all unique in their different ways at the disposal of players to conquer and explore. This huge variety creates a challenge for players to explore new “˜lands’ everyday as they will always be preparing to encounter new aspects of the universe they live and interact within. Unlike the situation within other games, EVE allows players to purchase skills instead of moving up in levels after challenges are completed successfully. A players skill in purchasing make it possible to train in real time even when the player is offline until they are exhausted. With these skills, the player acquires a wide array of abilities such as flying different kinds of space ships or using particular weapons. Each skill bears up to five levels of competency within the different levels of the game and the kind of effect they bear. I discovered that, with increase in level, it becomes much harder to train on the ability gained hence spending more time to master.
Making Money on EVE. Players are able to make money on EVE online. There is an unlimited number of ways to make money within this online game. This includes performing tasks that are provided by game options. Such include mining of asteroids for sale, hunting down pirates using social and business skills in enterprise and also running missions that are provided by the system. Players can also start their own corporations that will enable them to create products that are in demand in the market. In addition, some may buy products and sell them at a higher price to make a profit. This means that members are allowed to come up with different services that may be valuable to the EVE society that will make them profits.
Learning EVE’s Complexities and Everything Else. I learnt that in as much as one cannot learn everything in the EVE world; one does not need to discover everything at once. This is because the environment comprises of utmost intricacy and depth that bears a lot of content that one can only learn through experiencing bits of what they discover to be existent. The game offers tutorials that are found while playing. In addition, there are weekly forums available on different forums on top of a Wiki that is online based is available to interested players. These tools allow players to indulge in forums that allow them to go through the hurdles they come across while playing.
This also creates a platform for interactions between the different players who may assume their avatar names or not as they wish. This is a positive platform for social exchange that may lead to positive influence between gamers depending on the angle of interrelation they assume. EVE also runs a volunteer enabled rookie assist channel that gives help to beginners of the game. I personally found this to be a great jumpstart to my gaming days as I had initially considered myself a poor gamer. Within no time, the help I acquired from this help channel and the discussion forum saw to it that I enjoyed gaming and interacting with fellow gamers within the social arenas.
I discovered that despite the ability of different help channels, players learn more from other players than they do from the tutorial and other help materials offered by the game. This is because, attaching a “˜human face’ to information serves a more satisfying purpose than sights or sounds from an unfamiliar source. This is evident due to my rise in proficiency levels by the end of the first week, which saw my active participation in help forums and discussion in there. This is why I would recommend new players to join forums that are run by players which promise better results.
My avatar has advanced my online transactions with other internet users as she has opened my mind to a whole new world of educational possibilities and social exchange. Now more than ever I believe in positive gain that is derived from interacting with people from outside your physical social circle. In addition, a lot of information out there could be exchanged through online forums that allow contributions from different global citizens that are facilitated by the internet. I feel the need for the internet to be improved to accommodate more social platforms that are laid in the internet. It is not possible for every person in the world to access social games or even forums due to the charges associated there in. EVE charges a monthly fee of up to $30 depending on the different packages customers may be interested in.
Should internet and game access services were made more affordable, social exchanges would be made easier across nations. EVE has made me experience a great amount of interaction with people I did not know. At the same time, it has introduced me to a great world of indoor entertainment without creating antisocial behaviour. In addition, I believe my social interaction skills have been improved as a result of my gaming activities.