Blog Banter #49: What is Rich?

I've not taken part in a Blog Banter since January. I figured I should get off my lazy arse and write something for this one. This month's blog banter topic comes from a few sources and focuses on that most important of measurements of an EVE Online Pilot: how much money do you have?

What is "rich" in EVE? Is it simply having more ISK than most everyone else, is it measured in raw numbers of some other ethereal quality? Can you actually be poor? Have you ever lost nearly everything and had to claw your way back? If you are rich, how do you know and how did you get rich?

ISK fixation is rife in New Eden. This likely applies to the native currency of any consumer based society. You need currency to buy things; you need currency to do things; life is full of people focused on getting more and more currency to spend on more and more things. So who is rich? The person with lots of currency or the person with lots of things? And what about the enlightened individuals who don't covet all that they see? If the people with lots are rich does that mean the people with little are poor?

For me, being rich in EVE is all about enjoyment. When I was a new player this meant a Friday night with some beers or wine, listening to EVE Radio and running L3/4 missions alone. Later on in my EVE career my definition of rich changed to include hanging out with a friendly bunch of people in wormhole space running sleeper sites or mining, with solo stuff being relegated to when strictly necessary. These days the idea of playing EVE solo is not a riveting concept and I'd rather not play. The stuff I do do solo is generally administrivia which revolves around making my corp a better place for the other members to enjoy. I am happiest, and feel richest, when I have a small fleet of people clearing sleeper sites, noising up someone else's wormhole, or giggling like schoolkids on comms after we just did something really dumb yet enjoyable.

So, what is rich in EVE? For me, to be rich in EVE is to put yourself in a friendly environment with people you like flying with. If you can log into EVE when you want to and go enjoy yourself then you too are rich in EVE. Of course you need some ISK. Maybe money can't buy you happiness but the total lack of money rarely makes you happy either - if you don't have a ship how can you play? But it's having friends that is most important. And where else but the harsh environment that is EVE could that be more true?