Some of you probably know me best as “The most punchable face in New Eden”. It was on every billboard in the game for about two years. But where I’ve been most active is on the streaming side of EVE. Through my efforts in producing an EVE-themed variety show on Twitch and Youtube, I’ve been invited by CCP to collaborate on multiple community-focused projects. This includes co-hosting the opening and closing ceremonies with CCP Guard at Fanfest 2017, (I was the first player ever asked to do so), as well as being brought on to co-host EVE TV at Fanfest and EVE Vegas on multiple occasions.
I feel I have a particularly strong understanding of the type of game EVE is, the types of personalities that EVE tends to attract, and what that means for EVE in the MMO genre as a whole. I feel this puts me in a good position to bridge the gap between CCP’s now-much-smaller community team, and the EVE community itself.
I’ve been playing EVE since 2009. Prior to that I was heavily involved in The Matrix Online, and was one of the first players accepted into its volunteer Live Events Special Interest Group which mirrored many aspects of what the CSM is intended to be.
I love EVE, and I want what is best for this community and the game. I like to think big when it comes to EVE’s ongoing development. That’s why I’m running for CSM, and I hope I have your vote!
If you want to chat, you can reach out to me here on the forums, or on Twitter, or on my Discord.
EDIT: For the sake of transparency, Xenuria and I have agreed to a bit of cross-promotion. If you vote for me, I encourage you to cast a vote for Xenuria after me. I personally believe he served well during his tenure in CSM 11. For example, if you are excited about CCP Karkur’s UI pointer tool, that was partially his idea.
I promise to do everything in my power as a member of the CSM to push for more communication and transparency, something that I feel they’ve been faltering at in recent months. EVE’s position in gaming is due in large part to the unique relationship between CCP and the playerbase, and bad things tend to happen when that relationship is taken for granted.
I also think that transparency should be addressed as a priority. I can’t help but wonder if that’s what your entire campaign will be all about, of if there’s some other significant gameplay change you would advocate for. I’m not familiar with your streams, so apologies if that’s something you’ve made public already.
I’m not campaigning for any playstyle in particular, other than the broader picture of keeping EVE a hardcore PVP sandbox, with many incentives for conflict. EVE is most interesting when people are butting heads, and while I don’t participate in the sov/null meta, I get the impression that things have been relatively quiet on that front. Hell, maybe this will force me to engage a bit with that side and learn a thing or two.
But yes, I’ll be pushing hard for more community interaction and improved communication from CCP. Again, strengthening that relationship between CCP and the players, because I feel that is ultimately the core of EVE. If that relationship weakens, it affects all other aspects of the game.
You may have the most punchable face in New Eden, but you also have my vote. It’s always nice to see someone stand for community matters, and I genuinely wish you the best of luck, as this is an issue that matters to me!
Q. Where do you stand on CCP and Reddit…do you think CCP should endorse and engage players on forums such as this outside these forums, if so why? (two-part question)
I’ve always been impressed with the level of autonomy CCP seems to have when engaging with the community on unofficial channels. The fact that they do it so frequently, especially when the discussion is not particularly glowing, is good. I think the EVE subreddit is a particularly unique case, just due to the way reddit functions as an echo chamber.
I think CCP should engage with players wherever appropriate, but it takes a certain attitude and resolve to do it effectively. CCP Falcon and CCP Guard are obvious good examples. You need people who can read and understand the “vibe” of the community, and read between the lines of what people are saying.
One of my biggest regrets as a CSM was not using my media platform more to create some kind of “this month in CSM” update for players, or to hold some kind of video townhall to solicit feedback. You can obviously do what you want, but as a content creator you have a unique capability to demystify the CSM and add value for the broader playerbase.
I was thinking about this last night. If elected, I will bring it up with CCP and the CSM. It could be very beneficial for the CSM to earn back some needed goodwill from a portion of the community.
I’m onboard. The EVE community is a draw, it is just one the best community of any MMO I’ve played. We’re seen as bitter and harsh from outside but god forbid anyone turn on the game or the most minor of players from somewhere outside. The problem is the same as the rest of EVE, the learning curve. In an environment where new player retention is key, how will you endeavour to get those new players into the community you want to represent?
I actually did a presentation on this at EVE Vegas 2016 where I spoke on the “learning cliff” of sociability in EVE.
As far as outreach goes, I think CCP is good at marketing to existing players. Which is great for us, but not ideal for onboarding new players. I was recently part of a marketing video along with Rahne and Johnny Splunk for the Abyss expansion. It was a lot of fun to do, but when I showed it to friends and family who don’t play EVE, they had no idea what they were looking at. But they all said that the enthusiasm from everyone was pretty infectious.
To be completely honest, I think overturning EVE’s longstanding reputation of being simultaneously ruthlessly hardcore and mind-numbingly boring is as much the communities responsibility as it is CCP’s. If we want new players to come in and stick around, then the onus is at least partially on us to upend any misconceptions they have about the game.
CCP’s marketing really seems to shine when it’s done in collaboration with the players. “This is EVE” remains the single most successful EVE video of all time, and I consistently see it brought up in reddit threads when people inquire about joining the game.
TL;DR - CCP and the EVE community should be working together on bringing in new players. I’d like to push to make this happen more frequently.