Hello @Kaely_Tanniss ,
I am not sure if I can answer specifically to “winning” EvE, but I can tell you my story.
In 1998 i first read of EvE as a concept for an upcoming game in a PC Gamer Magazine whilst I was deep into the Honor Harrington novel series. Past that I forgot about it over the next year or two. Joined the Military in 2004, and soon enough started my 1st combat tour in Iraq.
Fast forward to late 2009, fresh home from my 2nd deployment, no family to greet me home unlike my first home coming. At the time my estranged wife was even more mental since the death of my one and only child back near the end of my 1st tour of duty. For the first time in my life I was going to be completely alone for the Holiday’s. I happened upon a boxed purchase of EvE in the Local PX of the base, and instantly remembered the article i read years ago. I picked it up and bought it, installed a few days later…and barely got past the character creation before having put the game and most other things on hold due to a whirlwind of RL stuff over the next few months. To which i will spare the details, as i dont want to talk about it.
I picked the game back up around Christmas 2010, and damn near quit within 7 days of frustratingly being told to “get fuqed”, “get good”, or most of the time…just crickets having lost several ships to NPC’s just trying to figure out how to do missions and fit the stupid ships. I was lucky to have met my 1st mentor and CEO for the game around this time. I remember the first and most important question he asked of me, “What do you want to do and be in this game?”.
My immediate answer as the inspiration for me wanting to play EvE flooded from my memories of the Harrington series when reading that article in 1998: “I want to be an Arms Dealer.”
Since then I have completed every Epic Arc at least once, been a career ganker for nearly a 3 yr stint, been a Security Director and spy handler for an Alliance, lived in Nullsec, Lived in Jspace, Lived in Losec whilst participating in FW, participated in several HS wars over the years, trained mentored 42 players from their day 1 moment in EvE into successful players that lasted for a few years each until they got bored or RL caught up to them.
My crowning achievement(s) however, completed with and without assistance, as I must admit would never have been done so quickly on my own is: 4.2 Trillion ISK worth of fully researched BPO’s, hundreds of other not fully researched BPO’s; the ability to build anything in this game if I so choose on demand; A few yrs back having been told my corp was in the top 3 suppliers for the entire Caldari FW main Alliance/Coaltion at that time; been the primary supplier for a HS group of T1/T2/Faction gear and ships while it lasted.
I am an Arms Dealer, marked that on the bingo card long long ago. I am space rich, in assets, liquid ISK, game knowledge, friends and adversaries both past gone and present still.
I have been called many things, Palpatine, Darth vader, a**hole, space squirrel, a dictator, a teacher, a filthy ganker, a greedy capitalist to name a few labels.
My go to answer these days for why i still play the game… “It is the players, cause ive reached my destinations already, I have achieved my personal goals and EvE has ruined my will to play other MMO’s, I do not need to play EvE, i just do and until you guys give me a reason to have another personal goal then i shall sit here and just bide my time…because i can.”
Have I won EvE? If so, am I still winning EvE?