Don't play me: EVE Online, new players and rhetoric

Abstract

Among successful MMOGs, EVE Online is an oddity, as it thrives in spite of a punishing learning curve. In EVE new players are assaulted with massive amounts of information and successfully making it through the first few days of play is an accomplishment. In effect, EVE instructs new players not to play it, to go back to other, easier games instead. Using rhetorical analysis, this paper analyzes the impacts of EVE's design and the discussion surrounding the game to articulate how EVE demonstrates a counterintuitive route to developing a successful, long-lasting niche game with a vibrant, committed community of players.