New Eden Pilot

So, a few months ago, I started flying in EVE Online. Gradually, and over time, I have developed real world emotions for the people I play with. Friendships, excitement, pity, anger, schadenfreude, relief - all very human emotions, but evoked over pixels on a computer screen.

For me, the stages have been as follows

1 - Human vs AI
At first, all the server controlled spaceships and human controlled spaceships were just the same. But gradually I started to like the human opponents due to the simple fact that they were human. Even though we didn't interact, chat or speak, I liked knowing that there was another guy (probably) in the other end. Their actions were less predictable, and the honor involved in winning or losing was greater.


2 - Steady group
After joining EVE University, I started to meet the same guys again and again, and over time we developed aquintances and to some degree a friendship. Not deep friendships like with people you knew from kindergarden, but somewhat likely to friendships developed between regulars at a bar. You walk into the bar, people recognize and greet you, you continue the chat from yesterday and everyone has a laugh. Good times.


3 - Sharing the common goal
Surprisingly, maybe, after a while I started caring for these drinking mates. At the time EVE University was under a barrage of attacks, and I increasingly found myself concerned about the other guys. As I progressed in skill and knowledge, I felt responsible for taking new guys out for a spin, for helping out, for being there besides them when the shit hit the fan. On the way home from work, I felt real concern. It both amused and surprised me, but the feelings where real. Of course I knew it was all a computer game, and all conflict resided in a server in London, but vritual or not, relationships between humans can span such small hindrances.

4 - RL != RL
Finally, I have lately come to realize how the real world is not so real after all. Before you take this as metaphysical voodoo or me smoking my socks let me explain to you my professional life. I work as a financial consultant in a multinational company, serving clients on all continents, across all timezones and cultures. Over the years my team which is spread all across the globe, have worked together on multiple projects, collaborating on both email and telephone, but rarely in real life if at all. A typical delivery can be to a client in one country, produced by a trio of consultants in two to three others. Over time relationships develop. I always mock Dan when Manchester United lose a game, I chit-chat with Jackie about her travels and the wather around Chicago is nice to drop in a line about to Tom. But at the end of the day these people are just an email adress with a voice on a phone. Slightly Truman show'ish, and very virtual, but that is how real life is for many of us.


So to sum it up - Virtual life is more real and real life is more virtual than people seem to think. I expect this trend to continue in the years to come.