At Fanfest this year, I had the pleasure of sitting next to Neville Smit, a member of EVE University, during the alliance panel presentation. After the presentation ended, CCP began quickly ushering us out as the panel had reached its outer limit regarding time. But before we all got pushed out of the door, Neville suggested I contact him about doing a talk with EVE University. Hey, now that's a good idea!So, Fanfest ended and I contacted Neville but wasn't able to get anything going due to our schedules. However, I was pointed in the direction of Kivena who was able to help me set up a time and date for an interview and Q&A session, hosted on EVE University's Mumble server.
I'm really excited about this opportunity. It's vital that we as veteran players reach out to newer members and help them bridge the gap between trying the game and getting absorbed. Playing as a mercenary in EVE is exactly what got me hooked to the game. While I certainly understand (especially from my time as Noir. Academy's CEO) that not everyone who is interested in being a mercenary ends up enjoying it, if I can increase the number of people who try it out, I'll be happy. Even if only one out of ten people that give mercenary work a try end up in it for the long haul, that's still a worthwhile effort.
I'm going to try and do a lot more outreach like this. I've found that a lot of people don't really understand how mercenaries work in EVE, how to get in touch with them, or what it's like to be one. Hopefully I can do a small part to shed some light on a career that's dark by nature, but seriously fun.
(Also, my internet cuts out on my every few minutes at the apartment my company has put me up at. I may have to go to a coffee shop for this to make sure I don't cut out all the time on them! Not exactly great for gaming either...)
