Eve Online
I’ve considered trying out Eve online as soon as I upgrade my graphics card. However, reading Tobold’s description and Rossignol’s paean to the game convinces me that it’s not for me.
For me the social part of MMOs is akin to shopping at the mall. There are lots of other people there and that’s a key part of the experience, but my shopping experience is not really shaped by what the other shoppers do. The biggest interplay is along the lines of someone buying the last copy of a book I was going to buy. In a game setting, schemes like those described in Rossignol’s article are for people who get their kicks out of making others miserable. If you want interaction like that, go join any given real-world organization - you’ll have all the scheming you can handle and you’ll have real-world benefits if your scheme goes through.
From the comments on Tobold’s post, “The problem with any MMO where you can be a predator to other players is that someone, somewhere, is paying $12 a month to be your prey - Michael” I’m prey, not a predator so I’m going to take my $12 elsewhere.
I may check out Eve at some point, but I’m in no hurry at all to do so.