I spent some time talking to the EVE Online people at PAX; I was just starting to suffer from the early symptoms of H1Nerd1, so it was a bit hazy, but it’s the third year I’ve stopped into the booth and been intrigued.

The EVE threads on the Penny Arcade G&T forum make it clear: EVE isn’t easy and it can be flat out cruel. That said, it looks like there’s a strong community there. Shortly after my trip to the EVE booth I found myself in line, waiting for a Guild Wars art book; the chap behind me in line noticed the EVE magazine I was reading and commented that he played. He spun a tale of a game thick with political action that was a masticatory machine, spitting out those who couldn’t hack it.

He got my attention.

Steam has a 21-day trial, so I’ve downloaded it on both my MacBook Pro and my gaming rig. It’s time to see what this is all about.