I realize, however, that if you're actively playing and immersed in the gameplay, it will be difficult for me to reach you. All cults are too good at keeping their followers. Perhaps, when I start playing actively again, I won't believe my own words! Oo
"Eve - One Game for a Lifetime" (c) 2025 Fanfest Iceland
Why EVE is a cult?
It indirectly falls under all the criteria of a cult or sect due to the methods it uses:
1. They create their own language, incomprehensible to outsiders and very understandable to those inside. This is done so that members can communicate freely with each other and to protect the sect's adherents from outsiders.
Examples: what do the words capstab, cyno, cta, capacitor evoke in you? For us, these are understandable things, but for outsiders, it's some otherworldly language. A common practice among cults.
2. A physically or psychologically exhausting 10-hour workday. This is done to put a person into an altered state of consciousness, where values are subverted: the game is more important than real life, CTA is more important than family, farming is more important than real-life work. In this altered state of consciousness, you can take money from people and impose false values. Think of any farming in the game: on the one hand, you have a large profit, like at an event, but on the other, you have a degree of burnout from it and a sinking consciousness.
One of the most real psychological tortures in real life is handwriting wedding invitations 100 times; it's emotionally devastating. In Eve, all the content is just as repetitive, isn't it?
3. Meditative music is another cult practice used to better immerse adherents in altered states of consciousness. This can be achieved through monotonous noise or repeating music. Think of the ambient music in the game client.
4. Guilt and shame. This is also what cults typically instill in their followers. For example, if you speak negatively about the cult, engage in critical thinking, or don't attend, you develop feelings of guilt and shame for it.
Think back to yourself: did you ever feel guilty if you spoke negatively about Eve or played other games? Did other Eve members make you feel guilty or ashamed by mocking your critical words?
5. Destruction of family and health. The greatest harm cults inflict is the destruction of family, so that it has no meaning for its members. This is achieved through 10 hours of difficult physical and psychological work and the substitution of values.
There are also real-life examples of people suffering from health problems as a result of this lifestyle. Or psychological trauma after losing something in EVE. You can find examples from the game; they exist, I just can't say where exactly.
6. Propaganda and information overload. Cults do this to ensure constant control and belief in what their elders say, eliminating critical thinking and doubting their words. Think of the endless guides and streams on Twitch; that site also has a wealth of information about the game.
How to leave a cult on your own
I'm sure you won't believe me while you're playing the game, and I don't really care. It's your life. I wouldn't believe myself either. But I suggest you conduct a little experiment for yourself.
Try one of the options below for 30 days. At least one:
1. Do not listen, watch, or read anything about Eve online.
2. Don't grind out 10 hours of daily farming just for ISK, even if it means you're locked into alpha.
3. Play games other than Eve that aren't related to it. Spend $15 one time, not on a subscription, but on a game like Starsector, for example.
4. Play with your own music that you like.
5. Watch videos of other games that you like.
6. Compare Eve with your other favorite games on Google Trends. While you're inside, you don't realize it's the greatest game ever, only in your own head.
You won't be punished for this and it won't be tracked by any external factors.
I can't write more because cults are good at monitoring criticism about themselves 24/7 and the reaction to it, so that no one even thinks about leaving, because any cult dies without new followers. o7
The danger of cults and the occult is not only that it harms your mind, but it can also destroy your soul. (C) Christopher Lee
A random review from one of Eve players
Crazy? I Was Crazy Once. They locked me in a room. A rubber room. A rubber room with rats. And rats make me crazy. Crazy? I Was Crazy Once. They locked me in a room. A rubber room. A rubber room with rats. And rats make me crazy. Crazy? I Was Crazy Once. They locked me in a room. A rubber room. A rubber room with rats. And rats make me crazy.