Blog Banter 39: Home
“Some say a man’s home is his castle. For others it is wherever they lay their hat. The concept is just as nebulous in the New Eden sandbox.
In EVE Online, what does the concept of “home” mean to you?”
Probably unsurprising given the name of this blog, I have hermit inclinations. While the practical realities of being married with children regularly force me out into society, I am generally not all that relaxed, and as soon as possible I scurry back to the sanctuary of home. I work from home. I play from home. Home is where I am most comfortable, familiar, ordered and safe.
Given my strong understanding of what home means to me and its importance, I thought this would be an easy question to answer.
I have spent lots of time in Derelik, Catch, Providence, Syndicate, Kador and Devoid. Out of those I am most familiar with Derelik. It is however a long way from anywhere, and I haven’t lived there for years. I am probably fondest of Providence – but again I haven’t visited it in years either. The reality is that I enjoy my time roaming and living out of an Orca or Carrier more than any one particular region.
I have always had a primary station in game where I keep all my collectibles, gift ships, curios, spares and so on. Across the life of my main I have had 4 locations that have fulfilled this role, three in Derelik, and the current one in Devoid. My industry alts tend to congregate around the same station, and any POS I anchor are usually nearby. That is probably as near as to what constitutes a physical home I have, except for the fact my Main rarely bases himself out of it.
The concept of Home is of course objective, and for many it is not the where that is important, but whom with. I looked at my employment history *, but as I went down the list of Corporations, none stood out as being like a home. The first half of my EVE life was more collaborative and engaging, the social interactions being more motivating. However the core of people I played the game with were generally not all in the same Corporation at the same time. As they have slowly left or gone dormant, and my personal circumstances changed (having children), I no longer invest in the game in such a way that would cultivate a social home.
In the end I was a little perplexed by this supposed simple banter. Given how long I have played the game – why can’t I pin point my place within it?
The logical answer is that EVE does not provide me with a home as I already have one of those. EVE is an escape, a distraction, an indulgence, a source of entertainment.
The more honest answer though is that it is not safe to have a home in EVE. I would have liked there to have been a place I could call home. I’ve anchored my own POS, I’ve watched a number of Station eggs being anchored and marveled at the notion of having a home patch. But there is no permanency or safety in EVE. I was shown that as a new player when I undocked in my brand new Cormorant to have it promptly suicide ganked. I watched as Providence was steamrolled and purged of the CVA and its holders the first time. I watch now as CCP continue to change the rules and so the very landscape of the game.
I don’t have a home in EVE as I find it too dangerous to invest in one.
* I have spent 4% of my EVE life in NPC Corporations, 34% in Personal Corps, 20% in Corporations run by RL Friends, and 42% in Corporations I’ve gone through the recruitment process to join.
Evehermit 
Ahoy, thanks for the comment on my BB39 post – it prompted me to come have a peek at the Hermit’s lair. 🙂
I think we’ve lived in a lot of the same areas – though I haven’t spent much time in Derelik. Your penchant for storing trophy ships in a separate station made me laugh out loud – I do the same thing. Or did, until in a fit of largesse I donated a few of my faves to an old friend who helped me out of a jam.