If it wasn't all about virtual stuff EVE wouldn't be suffering right now.

CasualGamer

In my opinion EVE suffers from the same tired old MMO gameplay dynamic that most other current MMOs suffer. Boil it down and EVE is just another MMO about endless grinding away for uber virtual stuff and having a XX level uber character. The game pretends to be story driven but the minute you actually undock the storyline goes out the window. The economy is pure military industrial complex with an endless supply of resources and immortal player characters creating a never ending and quite meaningless cycle of loosing/gaining virtual stuff. There is nothing positive to strive for because everything is centered around a war machine that exists purely for the sake of itself, not unlike Counter Strike. The four playable factions are rigidly static, their space is static and players, no matter how much they RP, are merely regulated to dancing on the surface never having any profound impact on anything.

 

With a lack of being a part of something more profound, like a story, current players are merely slaves to the ownership of vitual stuff and trying to achive the most high level character possible. Anything that CCP does that seems to impede players ability to have uber stuff and an uber character causes a backlash. Anything that seemingly boosts new players ability to become more uber over that of the already uber playerbase causes a backlash. However, if the game was more story driven, if there was positive goals to strive for that had nothing to do with having X uber character/stuff, then things like micro-transactions for virtual stuff and boosts to new players wouldn't matter so much.

cosy

if CCP dint go and develop WOD EVE wouldn't be suffering right now.

if CCP allocate 50% EvE income to EvE instead of WoD, EVE wouldn't have bad implemented features and broken features

 

virtual drama was the tipping point