As a long time eve player, you are most likely familiar with player-organized meetups. And you are most likely familiar with the largest of player gatherings organized by CCP themselves FanFest and EVE Vegas.
Now this year will be a strange year since for the first time in recent memory there will be no Fanfest. No massive party on the remote island known as Iceland. No party at the top of the world, not going to the Harpa convention center. Luckily CCP did not abandon the convention route. They came with a new concept at least for this year it seems. Where CCP games will support player initiatives for eve meetups and basically take fanfest on the road. For more information click here https://www.eveonline.com/article/pjzslc/eve-online-world-tour-2019
Players were recently getting anxious because of CCP’s lack of communication around the subject. But it was all for nothing, a few weeks ago CCP games released the schedule for EVE Online World tour and first up is the Amsterdam meet Evesterdam. The Evesterdam meet up from its first iteration was a great success and since then has become one of the world premiere meetups for EVE Online. So it came as no surprise that Evesterdam is the first up on that world tour. And placed in a slot very close to the traditional Fanfest event to kick off the world tour.
I have played this game since 2006 but I must admit I have never attended an EVE meet. This has come about, because of various reasons. One reason is monetary, never having had the disposable income to attend one. Another is the horror stories I have heard about neglected personal hygiene standards during these conventions by its attendants. These two reasons have withheld me from going attending one in the past and most likely in the future.
However, the concept of an EVE meet is something that I applaud. Like any convention, Evesterdam or fanfest or a comic-con it brings its fans closer together. You get to meet new people, hear new ideas, experience new things. This is what drives a community to keep advancing its hobby or the lifestyle that has developed around it. It is something that I have yet to experience myself when it comes to this game. But I think it is a vital part of this community. It creates friendships but also rivalries, which can, in turn, lead to ingame content and even wars as is evident by our past.
I am excited by the prospect of this year’s increase in events supported by CCP games. It is an opportunity for them to keep showcasing EVE Online and continue building a stronger bond with the community. EVE Online till this day has been CCP’s only commercially successful game and fostering that community will keep it going just that little longer. Or it might even give EVE Online a boost. Because a passionate person will try and bring other people in on his hobby. And a passionate community will be far more stable longterm.
I think 2019 will be an interesting year for our beloved game. I am still on the fence about attending evesterdam myself. Mostly because of the reasons mentioned earlier in this article. But I think I would not forgive myself if I never attended one before this game is either dead or I quit playing.
Fly dangerous, and be nice at the events fellow capsuleers.
