Last week I had the opportunity to have dinner with CCP's Mike Read and a few other EVE Capsuleers! Suffice to say the conversation quickly veered towards anything and everything EVE, for our own selfish pleasure! At one point we all focused our attention on Mike with the well known "When will CCP host a Fanfest in North America?" The questioning and commenting went back and forth and eventually moved on to other more important, more pragmatic topics.
But that conversation stayed with me throughout the whole week and kept popping up in my head. Now, if you've been reading this blog for a while, you'll know that having a Fanfest in Canada or in the States has always been a big wish of mine.
But the more I thought about it. The less sure of that statement I was. And after giving it some more thought, I've come to the conclusion that there should only one EVE Fanfest, and that it should be held in Reykjavik, permanently.
Hear me out.
EVE Online is as much a virtual world as it is a Community. Let me repeat myself: EVE is "a" Community; as in one group, one entity. We all play the game in this one world, which affects all of us. And nothing is more the embodiment of this Community as the yearly held Fanfest is. This is the time of the year where players from all over the world get together and share a common real-life experience. It's where players from Europe, from North and South America and even as far as New Zealand come together to share their common love and interest for this most exotic world we call New Eden.
Splitting the EVE Fanfest into 2 events, one in Iceland and one in the States (as an example) would be like splitting Tranquility in two. Blasphemy, I know. Which is why I believe and sincerely hope that there will always be only one EVE Fanfest, held in Reykjavik once a year.
Which doesn't prevent CCP from ever having a WoD Fanfest in Atlanta though... wink wink...!
Fly safe, and see you all at the next EVE Fanfest!
8 comments:
Hey there. Forgive me defacing your comments like this, but I have been enjoying reading your blog for a while now, and have decided to dive into the EVE blogosphere myself. I consider it game-based fiction, i.e. It is in character, and wholly derived from my EVE experience. I hope you like. :)
http://lifeincombat.blogspot.com/
i think you are absolutely right on this one, CK. as much as i would love to have a fanfest "closer" to home, it feels like it would cheapen the experience. i see it as a Hajj, perhaps (one i have yet to partake in because i am a poor white boy, fanfest donations accepted through paypal ;) ). also, how can you have a party at the top of the world unless you are AT the top of the world?
Krispy
new zealand represent!
and as much as i hate to admit it, you are right. fanfest should always be held in iceland and i wouldnt have it any otherway, even if that means ill never get to go (unless they move iceland closer to nz)
I hope some day to make it to Iceland and attend, but I doubt that'll happen. But I agree, it should stay there, it's one of the things that makes it unique.
I think having FanFest in Iceland contributes immeasurably to its 'exotic' charm. I hope never to see that change. Besides that, it's a lot easier for the organizers to conduct it from "home base" rather than having to orchestrate and pay for taking that show on the road.
I guess I'll be the lone voice of disagreement here. A North America Fanfest would be... well, not "better" than the current ones, but at least different. Granted, at least half the Fanfest experience, from what I've read, is going out at night and seeing Reykjavik. But still, I'd rather see one in North America than leave it in Iceland forever and all time.
Most of it may well simply be purely selfish; I doubt very much that, past winning the lottery, I would ever be able to go to a Fanfest. I have to scrimp and save for a couple of years to even go to DragonCon in Atlanta. Iceland? Forget it. A North American Fanfest would be the only way I can see at the moment for me to be able to even possibly make one.
Plus, there's the added benefits of new sights to see and the like at night, but that's a secondary benefit.
Okay, yeah, my reasons are mostly selfish. Hell, I'd settle for an out-of-game meetup happening in Michigan. Nothing ever happens here. :-P
Fanfest is about the fans, wherever they happen to be. Having Fanfest in different places doesn't cheapen what it is, nor who it's for. If anything switching it around would make it more exotic and far more inclusive, not less.
The reason Fanfest is in Iceland isn't to maintain some sense of purity, just simple logistics. Same reason BlizzCon is in Anaheim. Also, it's a good excuse to get the whole company back to Mothership Iceland for a few days - which I'm sure is very useful.
I'd like to see FF move about a bit, but so long as the beer is cold and we get to see what's coming up, I'm easy.
@James - Believe me, you're not alone in thinking this!
@Zapatero - You Sir, are an easy man to please - a good pint and you'll agree to pretty much anything! :p
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