Being Civil

One thing I've noticed while playing games over the internet, heck even since I got on the internet.  Which is that people will do strange things when hidden behind the veil of anonymity.  It is just that for some reason previous normal values (that they live by on a day-by-day basis) don't seem to apply.  Eve online is no different.  By providing a veil of anonymity it will breed this type of person.  There is no cure and trying to find one will be wasted effort.  But I find that the Eve online community is actually fairly decent and that there are more people willing to help you if you need it than not.  Having played in other online communities a few good examples of viciousness among the player base include League of Legends, Dota, and Dota 2.  Though I find playing these games very fun, dealing with the players is a long arduous journey of frustration.  Hence why I mostly don't play these games unless I have a few friends who are online at the same time.

Having to interact with random people sometimes makes the process of playing more arduous and causes you to consider whether or not you would rather keep playing or do something else which you would enjoy more in your free time. 

Though being a pirate I will try to engage pretty much anything whether a mining barge, another combat ship, or a cargo hauler.  I try to keep the same courteous attitude I hold in real life.  The other day I engaged someone and he blew me up, getting hit by a lag spike I was unable to warp my pod out before he blew that up too.  After which he convo'd me to inform me of the current Jita prices for some of my implants, during which we chatted a bit and went our separate ways.  I could have done a lot of things behind the veil of anonymity.  But instead we had a pleasant conversation and discussed various things about the game.

Eve online allows the opportunity to shoot at everyone.  That is just the way of things, but even though I may shoot and blow you up that doesn't mean I'm not willing to be a decent person about it. 

The other day a few members of our corporation were hunting a Venture that was mining in the belts.  He is in a non-combat oriented ship just trying to get some ore.  But he underestimated the determination of a pirate and got blown up.  During the whole process he had a really good attitude.  Though the encounter could have swiftly derailed into an insult match with nasty words flying every which way.  There was no need for it.

So just remember that in a game of social interaction like Eve online, you aren't the only one who deserves to enjoy the game.