Eve player, C4w3 has been dealing with medical issues for some time, which means he attends hospital every two weeks. In a recent forum post C4w3 explained that on his regular visits to hospital he often has to find ways to pass the time, so he plays Eve. This is something that the teenage patients on the ward didn’t fail to notice.
One day, as he was in the recreation room of the hospital, he noticed an up to date installation of Eve Online on one of the computers. So he put up a flyer to see who else was playing the game and discovered that around 5 of the teenage patients at the hospital did so. With the help of the flyer, and the others who he met, he quickly gathered a group of 14-20 people who were involved in all aspects of Eve including PvP, PvE, mining and so on. Eve has become a welcome distraction from the various problems life throws their way.
C4w3 was inspired – With the help of his wife, they set up the ‘Care For Kids‘ Corporation and the ‘Care for Kids Empire‘. They then began seeking support from other players to get the program off the ground. It didn’t take long to find a number of willing donors, including IWANTISK, Eve Bet, EOH, Reikoku to name but a few. This allowed them to put together gift packages containing a PLEX, implant sets and ISK .
But it didn’t end there, C4w3 and his wife wanted to give something physical as well. They began with printouts of the items they were giving out in the in-game, and then boxes with various Eve-related designs and ships printed on them containing sweets.
I took some time out to interview C4w3 about the project:
- Xavier Muvila: How are the kids doing?
- C4w3: Well, at the moment, they are doing as expected, Eve-wise. We are getting there. It’s hard to plan, since I attend the hospital every two weeks, but finding it so rewarding seeing our community reaching out in that way.
- Xavier Muvila: How are things getting on in the corp at the moment?
- C4w3: At the moment, we are all gathering resources and friends for fun stuff to be had.
- Xavier Muvila: Can you tell us more about the inspiration behind starting the project?
- C4w3: Well, it started when, as in the post, I had some kids interested in Eve when I was playing, and I started to tell them the lore behind Eve and CCP as a company, and the 13 years we have had this love affair. Also, since I’m quite ill, I normally tend to play during nights and some of them started to do the same. Actually, it was my lovely wife that came up with the idea of care packages, so she makes the IRL with some imgage of Plex, ships, notes etc, all home made. Then we fill a box with sets and cool stuff. These days we normally do 1 x Plex, a full set of +3 implants, and some ships, but it’s the donors that actually control what we give. Last week, I reached out to a player via twitter that is a retired Navy veteran and sent him a care package on behalf of 1ronbank and @EVEbestofus. RKK, my corp, supported the idea, and when I presented it, and some friends shared it, we had some great donations, making it possible to run it. Also I found the kids getting on the train, and when we come visit, it’s an awesome break to their boring days- a change, a smile, and being part of the great Eve Online community.
- Xavier Muvila: Thats’s awsome. What effect have you noticed, if any, among the kids?
- C4w3: Well, first off, when a dude with dreads halfway to his ass walks in, they tend to laugh at just the sight of me. When getting introduced to Eve, we find common ground. Age does not matter, and they get sucked into this lovely atmosphere we call Eve, taking troubles off the minds of (in some cases) really sick kids.
- Xavier Muvila: What obstacles have you encountered so far?
- C4w3: Within the hospital- the unwillingness to use MMO’s as a passive help to boredom, and how small things can help the kids be a part of something great. Also, my health issues take me to a humble level with them, and we are now pretty stubborn in our ways. Initially, the hospital management thought they would have to pay some sort of fee, and it took me numerous visits to explain EVE, CCP, and MMO’s in general, and how games can let them enjoy some awesome gametime.
- Xavier Muvila: What is the main thing people can do to help?
- C4w3: We are 100% dependent on donations- Plex, isk, ships, and pretty much whatever else. We are more then grateful for anything, but at the moment, we do the care packages, which are about 1.5 billion isk, and then I try to provide a smooth introduction to Eve and the community.
- Xavier Muvila: Would mentors be helpful?
- C4w3: Yes. It would be awesome. We have a few in Taylor Swift Empire, So_suiMe from Reikoku and a few in my corp. They have been a great help but more mentors are MORE than welcome.
- Xavier Muvila: What’s the main point of contact for anyone who wishes to donate or teach?
- C4w3: They should contact characters M1sty or C4w3 in game.
- Xavier Muvila: Do you have anything else you would like to add?
- C4w3: To make a long story short, what makes me do this, is that I believe that giving to the ones that can in some way be helped, as I do, when for example I’m attending the hospital, and we play as a group (everyone from terminal ill to extended stays), it’s not the platform. But, in this case, Eve became that platform, and it gives us the possibility to drift away from pain, sadness, or even grave sorrow. Why I do it is that, seeing the smiles, hearing the comments, and seeing the Eve community reaching out as they do keeps me fighting on ….. also seeing the project grow from 5-10 players being gifted to, well, I have a goal of extending this as much as I can, but the idea is solely funded by donations, and giving them less grinding and more Eve, due to limited playtime. I want to do a shout out to you guys picking up on the story, 1ronbank for supporting the idea, RKK for being so generous. Also to EDU G meetup. Well, the list can go on and on. In other words, thanks EVE players for being the greatest community out there.
