While it is near impossible to boil down our desire for gaming into a few simple words and explanations; you can not deny that the immersion factor plays a huge role in almost all forms of media. From books to music, first-person-shooters to documentaries; we live in a world where our mental state is constantly shifting and adhering to the media we choose to consume. Without getting into the psychological, physiological, or philosophical implications behind all of these "mental states", I believe it is safe to say we all possess a degree of control over our varying immersion factors.
When it comes to EVE Online, there are many ways we can do this. I see it as an arbitrary spectrum: At one end we have the hardcore role-player that never leaves character; this person has read every EVE chronicle and novel ever published, they have also written some of their own fan fiction. They are fiercely loyal to their faction and can be seen shouting proclamations in local chat. At the other end of the spectrum we have the ultra meta-gamer. This player spends more time using third-party tools and spreadsheets than they do in-game. They are heavily involved in EVE politics and scrupulously research the market and game mechanics to ensure their in-game superiority. I am not saying their is not any cross-over between the two ends of this imaginary spectrum. I know numerous people, including myself, who partake in multiple parts of the game. Although, as diverse as our interests may be, we tend to get comfortable in our play style. It can end up becoming too routine. This can lead to disinterest and the inevitable "break" from the game.
I believe to fully appreciate all that this game has to offer, each of us should expand our horizons and try the different facets of EVE that have never held much sway over our gameplay choices. By exposing ourselves to these different areas we will get a well-rounded experience that will increase our immersion, and thus result in more enjoyable gameplay. I encourage you try some of these different areas of EVE. Join an RP channel, tinker around with EFT, read a chronicle, go exploring, put a chunk of ISK towards some risky investments; whatever you do, try something different. Wherever you fall on my arbitrary "immersion spectrum", know that all of us have a commonality in our interest of science fiction and internet spaceships. If a person enjoys one aspect of this game, chances are you will at least be able to appreciate that aspect and gain some knowledge along the way.
One last thing. If you haven't heard the old EVE soundtrack in awhile, or have never heard it before, I think it's well worth a visit. I played the whole thing while on an exploration session the other night and it was pretty awesome. You can find it on SoundCloud here.
