Harry Saq
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I have spent my days in Eve exploring all facets of the game (including spreadsheet mastery of all types). The game has an almost mystical pull that always brings me back. Part of it is likely the game play itself, and other parts are likely the desire to see the game develop to what it can be.
The single shard universe has a tremendous appeal, and the game has enormous potential beyond where it is now. We have all had grand visions of what we see this game as, and have undoubtedly been face to face with the ugly facts of what it really is (B-R was tremendous on paper, and even in my memory, but the reality is a sad tidi fest of unrealized potential).
I am running for the CSM in hopes to get more direct access to the development team to aid in development of the game I love, and help provide player feedback and perspective. In RL I have run my own business and helped develop training programs for complex unmanned systems, I feel both my in-game and RL background/perspective can help CCP realize both their and our vision for Eve.
...the CSM is in dire need of a Harry Saq ...(hmmm...that sounded better in my head)
Perhaps it would be better if I started with introducing myself.
My name is Harry Saq and I have been playing Eve on and off since the game was first released. I have quit and renewed my accounts for similar reasons most do (mix of RL and just grrrrr EVE), and have a special place in my heart/excelspreadsheets for this wonderfully frustrating MMO. The thing that has always intrigued me, and continually brought me back was the enormous potential this game has. The reasons I have left and disavowed all loyalty externally was for that potential being squandered (not necessarily intentionally or maliciously).
In other words, I have been through the cycles of love and hate, and made all the mental proclamations and conspiracy claims imaginable to account for the greatness and shortcomings of this game similar to what I am sure most seasoned and even new players have. So instead of offering a litany of nuanced stratagems or wild fantastical hopes and dreams I might have for this that or the other thing this game could do, I would rather like to offer my services as a player facilitator and advocate for quality game change, that focuses on a better experience for us all.
Eve is only a game, however it is a game that dares to throw us all in one universe and offer us the tools to both shape the places we reside, as well as hang ourselves most embarrassingly and painfully. Over the lifespan of Eve CCP has taken many funky steps in various directions to do everything and nothing in an attempt to both commercialize their product to a broader customer base and fulfill all of our wacky idiosyncratic desires (and theirs as well...and some of their desires are kind of scary). Of all that has been said about CCP, it cannot be said that they haven't produced something worthy of attention, and as of late, it can also not be ignored that they are starting to grasp how to actually release the potential this game so promises, through incremental change.
I have seen several topics over the effectiveness and use of the CSM, and I feel some of the more recent trains of thought simply miss the point. Any change process has a development life cycle, and alot of the time catalysts to change are incredibly subtle in their origin and sources of influence. Some see the CSM's place in that lifecycle as the final check box in approving some upcoming release, or an entity that must be listened to during backroom talks and strategy meetings. Some have even lamented over their influence being overshadowed by bloggers and popular websites. Regardless of any stated purpose or intended role the CSM has, implementation of any process always settles into places not planned due to human factors, both in usefulness of those involved and how their messages are carried.
The CSM has been around for awhile, and quite frankly is only as effective, active and useful as those in it. What I plan to bring to the CSM, if elected, is an active reasoned/rational voice whose agenda is to facilitate the change process so that the game remains challenging, engaging, and worth logging into (regardless if my personal preferences are catered to or not). The CSM is as useful as we make it. If we are not included in the conversation, than we must be proactive in seeking out and engaging in the conversations that matter. So rather than lament whether I am being listened to, or whether a release was approved by a council I am on, I will seek to actively represent the player base by presenting the perspective of those that play when the opportunity is there, and creating that opportunity in as many ways as possible.
IN OTHER WORDS, both the player base and CCP have unique and sometimes conflicting perspectives and motives that need to be navigated through in order to make a product that continues to capture the imaginations of those that play while drawing in many more new peeps to play with! <-- that sounded slightly dirtier than intended...
Elect me, and make CCP reason with your Harry Saq!