EVE Evolved: How do you handle burnout?
Burnout is something that affects all MMOs and most players experience it at one point or another. Your favourite game stops being as fun as it used to be and you don't feel like logging in. We all handle this in our own way. As a long-time MMO gamer, I've faced burnout many times in games ranging from EVE Online to Everquest 2 and World of Warcraft. I've quit the latter two games several times due to burnout but somehow even after playing EVE for five years (five years exactly on Tuesday 24th), it has never made me quit even when I've burned out. So how do you handle burnout and what makes EVE so special?
In this short article, I discuss burnout in MMOs and the different ways I've handled it over the years in EVE Online. Read on as I explain why EVE is the only MMO that has never made me quit.
What makes EVE different:
We all handle burnout in a different way. Some people will quit their game for good and be thankful that they've finally broken a sort of addiction. Others might switch to a new game for a few months or find something else to do with their time. What's interesting is that how a player typically reacts to burnout varies substantially from one MMO to another and this is something that I think EVE handles very well. EVE gives a few more options than usual for players that are getting bored of the game, the most important of which that really helped me over the years are detailed below:
1 - Change of career:
EVE Online doesn't have many linear progressions. While in other MMOs you'll be levelling up and moving from one zone to the next, the entire EVE universe is open for practically all players. As a result, a player who is bored with their current gameplay can switch to something else whenever they like. When you're getting jaded with mission-running, there's no reason you can't suddenly turn pirate, join the faction warfare fight or turn your hand to working out trade routes. When I was getting burned out running a POS reactor farm as part of a massive public investment scheme, I knew I always had the option of switching career. I ended up liquidating the entire business and switching to mission-running, faction warfare and a few days of piracy on the side.
2 - Change of scenery:
Flying though the same solar systems with the same group of pilots every day can lead to burnout. EVE has 5000 solar systems (soon to be 7499) and most players tend to pick a spot and settle in it permanently. Relocating to another region helped me avoid burnout in my earlier days. It helped again much later when I found moving into a lucrative area of 0.0 with an alliance drastically improved my game experience for a while.
3 - Wait for the next expansion:
Unlike most MMOs, EVE Online's expansions are free for all players. And that doesn't mean they're any less impressive or come with any less content. CCP, the game's creators, believe that players are entitled to receive the expansions as part of their monthly fee. Twice a year, during the summer and winter months, large expansions hit the game carrying new content and game mechanics. If you're suffering from burnout, it's a good idea to wait for the next expansion and try out the new game mechanics it brings. The next expansion is scheduled early for March 10th and includes wormhole exploration and tech 3 construction.
4 - Train skills:
Because skills in EVE accrue automatically in real-time even when your character is logged off, it makes sense to keep your account active even if you don't fancy playing for a few months. Whether you're waiting for the next expansion or just hoping you'll be interested in playing again soon, you can train skills in the mean time. That way you'll be able to use a few new ships and modules when you get back to the game.
Summary:
Everyone has ways to tackle burnout, from quitting or taking a break to just making a new character. I myself have a habit of switching between World of Warcraft and Everquest 2 every year or so when I get bored of the other game. EVE Online is the only game I've never felt the need to quit even when I've gotten burned out on it and I believe that's a testament to its open-ended game design. So how do you cope with burnout?
