Learning to pull the trigger in EVE Online
Not a day goes by without someone in EVE Online being cut down by the guns, lasers, missiles or drones of another player, given how PvP-centric the game is. Only in EVE, you don't just respawn and all's well. There's often more... drama... involved. A ship lost, implants obliterated, screams of it being unfair or "Whyyyy?!" echo in Local or on the forums. This can be a brutal game at times, and most every player in EVE learns their lessons the hard way. Much of what's said on this is typically from the perspective of the victim. But what about the person behind those guns? Is it always easy for them to pull the trigger?
EVE Online blogger Black Claw addresses that sense of regret that carebears go through when turning towards piracy in "Feeling guilty?" After all, many pirates were once the 'innocent' victims of someone else when they were starting out. Black Claw writes about what it's like to make the transition from a PvP victim to a killer.
He writes: "Without hardship, there is no growth. We provide them with the hardship that they need to grow... if they can't find it in themselves to grow from their experiences, then we have helped them learn their limits. They will either return to the safety of CONCORD, living fearful lives, or they will find their strength and carve out their place in this harsh galaxy."
While some of his victims may not see it quite this way, those who stick with EVE Online long enough may very well come around to this way of thinking, likely as Black Claw himself once did. See his full train of thought on the importance of learning to pull the trigger in "Feeling guilty?" and why he feels that "we help them more than they will ever realise. We help them become us."
