EVE... why must you be so tempting?

Here's the thing. I'm a geek. I like computer games. One game in particular has stood out over the past few years for me more than any other. That game is EVE Online. The reason this game stands out so much is that of all the games I have ever played, and especially of all the MMORPGs I've tried, this is the only one that has continually held my interest... even after months or even years away from the game.

To say that EVE is unique is, quite frankly, an understatement. I have yet to see a game that came anywhere near what EVE is. For those of you who have absolutely no idea what I'm talking about, EVE online is a space based MMORPG which takes place almost entirely in starships. In fact, up until this past summer, it was nothing but starships. The cool thing was, you could own as many as you could afford to buy. I had a small fleet of my own at one point. It's a heady feeling, knowing you have that much raw firepower at your fingertips. Though to be honest, I was a very small fish in a very big ocean. In fact, I'd liken myself to something the size of a krill in that game.

Why, do you ask, am I posting about all this? Well, it's simple. I've been bitten again. Earlier today I watched an in game video which covered a conflict between two corporations which, while not massive, was still extremely impressive to behold. After watching it, all the ideas I'd had in the past as to what I could do with a character in EVE came back to me. Things like how I would train my character, a corporation I'd like to start, and so on, that I wasn't able to do because, frankly, I couldn't afford to keep playing. And therein lies the heart of the problem. I would love to get back into EVE, but it costs money. It's well worth it, but at the moment, I have more pressing matters to attend to.

Then there's the matter of commitment. The more involved you get in the game, the more committed you have to be to spending time online. Problem is, that takes away from my already scarce time with my wife. I will not put a game above my married life.

And finally, there's boredom. In EVE, you can run missions, mine, or otherwise perform random tasks to your heart's content. But in all honesty, if you don't have a group of people to hang out with in game, it gets very boring. And if you can't commit the time to the game, it's almost not worth trying to join up with a corp because you won't be all that useful to them.

And yet here I am thinking I'd love to get back into EVE sometime soon. *sigh* I'm such a glutton for punishment.