The following was written by one of our members, Hippla Tsero, who wanted to share their experience of the University:

It started in the Expanse

Five months ago, I returned to EVE after watching “The Expanse”, an amazing modern space series available through Amazon Prime. I remembered having tried EVE several years back but never really getting the grip of it.

What was about to follow completely blew my mind. I’ve been an avid gamer since I got my hands on my first Atari in the late 80s and as one of the first people in my school to have access to the internet I enjoyed playing different MMOs like Dark Age of Camelot, Anarchy Online and of course World of Warcraft, to mention just a few.

I had found great communities in many of those games but what EVE has offered to me throughout the past 5 months is utterly unique and I would like to share my appreciation with you, the community.

Then came the Learning Cliff

After only a few days back in the game, I realised that what appeals to me about this game is its infinite complexity, unfortunately it’s also that complexity that can make it seem difficult to ‘survive’ as a solo player.

I realized quickly, If I wanted to seriously learn the game, I would need help. And help I found! After quickly looking through a few videos on YouTube and reading the EVE Online forums, it became clear to me that EVE University, a dedicated Learning Corporation, was the perfect choice for me.

I found several other beginner corporations, but EVE University offered neutrality within the EVE Universe. This was super important for me. If I ever want to join another corporation, I will be able to join whoever I want without any repercussions due to early-game decisions.  And being 6 months down the road on my EVE journey, I realise even more how important and controversial the politics of EVE can be.

Time to get my further education sorted

So here I am, a complete newbro, ready to learn! So, what does EVE University have to offer?

As a “University” I found it very fitting that EVE University is organised into several campuses. These are learning communities in different parts of space, which allow any new player to experience the different facets of the game – High-Sec, Low-sec, Nullsec, Mining, Wormhole space, Incursions and even somewhat of a “hardcore” mode by joining the campus in Solitude, where new players live pretty much isolated from the main trade hubs in the game and thus need to show self-sufficiency.

EVE University also offers a wide range of public classes, which cover core game mechanics such as exploration, fitting, fleets, missions, EVE careers and many more. Furthermore, they regularly invite guest speakers, like the incredible Jurius Doctor and Ashley Traynor, to share their wisdom with us new folks.

Like most new player corporations EVE University provides a looooong list of programmes and services – Ship Replacement, free beginner Skillbooks, Corp hangars with ships, modules etc., a mentor programme and a whole bunch of other things.

The Best Ship is Friendship

What surprised me most about EVE University though is the community. In my 30 or so years of playing (online) games I have never met such a helpful group of people. As a new player I had quadrillion questions, many of which were probably very stupid. However, I always found someone willing to give an answer, explaining it in a way that a new player like myself can understand it.

But that is not all. As someone who is rather annoyed with the vulgarity of most gaming communities, I found a level of maturity in EVE University that I had honestly given up on in the world of games. Being able to hang out in Voice-Comms (EVE Uni uses Mumble) and chat with likeminded people about EVE but also about everyday issues has just been such an enormous pleasure for me. I can truly say that I have found friends from all around the globe in an online game.

I have rambled on about this fantastic experience for way too long already. But I would like to just take a few moments to thank all those that make EVE University such an outstanding community to be part of. Everyone I have met in EVE University has just made my return to EVE such an outstanding experience. No matter whether it is the CEO Laura Karpinski and her management or other grunts like me. Thanks for giving me an often-needed escape from real life and for all the volunteer work that goes into running such a complex and wonderful community like EVE University <3