An idea …

Our story begins a long time ago back in 2003 when the word spread about a new world with such an incredible degree of freedom that the only limitation there would be the imagination of the inhabitations. This world still exists with a larger population and greater freedom than ever before; this world is the game universe of EVE Online called New Eden.  

Back then someone heard about this exciting world too, but lack of access to the interesting sandbox gameplay elements made him stop playing. Several years later, another visit to New Eden happened, but the idea of a conventional strategy to get later to the supposed “fun” parts of the game wasn’t appealing and so that visit was also rather short.

The whole time, however, a nagging feeling was present (which we know too well all ourselves) that out there a world was waiting with pure freedom and unscripted behavior where everything is possible for those who would just dare to dream and seize the chance.

So a third visit was inevitable and this time everything came together, even though none of this was supposed to happen according to our protagonist. All he wanted to do was to reach out and to share a little story about the exciting moments he had in EVE Online.

This time everything was different. Jump right into the game, bypass the traditional approach of grinding your way up to get to the “good” content, and just enjoy the moment with the available resources and some fellow new players of the same attitude; maybe ten at best. So quickly a corporation was created, a low tax rate was set in the hope to attract the odd ten people and stories about EVE Online were spread to see if other, like-minded players out there would want to join.

“I had no idea what I was getting myself into.”

… to have fun …

An eclectic mix of new players flocked in by the dozens and hundreds; new hopefuls like our protagonist, experienced veteran players steeled in, but also tired, of year longs wars in the outer, lawless rim of the New Eden universe, and just people who don't want to grind towards exciting PVP game play somewhere in the future, but just want to have the fun right now. Some people come with loads of generous gifts gathered during years of gameplay; some people have to ask how to complete the introduction tutorials.

As to why all these people joined this corporation? Well, they just take New Eden as it is: an opportunity to set your own rules of existence and to have fun doing so! Take a look at Brave Newbies Inc’s subreddit presence to discover some of the sparkling ingenuity which is present in this group.

The goal is to inspire all those that have tried EVE Online or are thinking about trying it but are put off by the slow start. It doesn’t have to be this way and Brave Newbies Inc. seems to be determined in proving that to everyone who joins. One result of such attitude is an increased interest by grizzled veteran players when they see all the enthusiasm and jolly.

… because we can! The sandbox gameplay

As more players joined Brave Newbies Inc., they started to generate their own awesome stories from their PVP adventures and even started to create amazing propaganda posters which have been well received by the community.  Or they created videos from their brawls – for example, a video of about 70 corporation members dying to a battlecruiser fully fitted with smartbombs while merrily laughing and having incredible fun.

All of that is completely player-driven; nothing of that is part of a large, pre-written and determined quest – all of this happens and only happens because of the players. You might call it the butterfly effect or sandbox effect, but in the end it is the players that create their own fantastic and exciting universe.

How do you catch that butterfly? The founder of Brave Newbies Inc. advises to create a place where people want to be, not where people feel like they have to be. Reach out to others!

Matias Otero

But who is our protagonist, the person behind Brave Newbies Inc.? What is his motivation and what are his plans? Let’s get a first insight by directly asking the initiator of this amazing phenomenon:

Hello, this is Matias Otero, CEO of Brave Newbies Inc. I've never flown in anything bigger than a cruiser. I've never fitted a T2 module. I've never done a level 2 mission. Until yesterday I had never had to upgrade a clone. I am also the founder of a 6-day old EVE corporation with 400 members.

These astounding words cannot describe better the astounding degree of freedom available in EVE Online and the incredible opportunities everyone has – Matias Otero bravely seized his chance!

While he might not be a fresh player and has a cursory understanding of most subjects in EVE, he can be considered far from being experienced. With EVE Online having the notorious reputation of being very intimidating for those who just start off due to potential overwhelming potential, the player community can be very helpful answering questions and giving advice.

For example, it might be difficult to hand out roles when you don't know what the roles are. But people offered Matias Otero his own mumble server, to set up a website, to start rooting out spies, to organize a fleet doctrine, to start mining and to get a manufacturing base… So many things, so much help! Sometimes even the CEO doesn’t understand what everyone is talking about and then he just encourages his members to take initiative and to self-organize in the best EVE Online manner.

Certainly there are also hurdles to overcome and when asked about them, Matias mentioned his priority number one: accessibility. He considers EVE Online having by far the most complex game interface he has ever seen, and he wants things to be much more intuitive. Also he wants to see sandbox elements which certainly exist within the game to be more easily accessible, as they seem to be difficult if not even nigh-impossible to find for a new player.

At dawn in Hek … let's go fighting!

What have the Brave Newbies Inc. archived so far? Was it worth joining this corporation and if so, for whom?

The reaction from the corporation members after a few days seems to be quite enthusiastic, even if being shot down seems to be rather common at this point of time according to public records: 1640 of their own ships were lost and only 81 hostile ships were destroyed; however, the damage inflicted was almost 10 billion ISK while less than 6 billion ISK were lost – an impressive record!

The corporation also seemed ecstatic when they got into the fight in the Egghelende solar system and Pandemic Legion moved in super-carriers. Some players, just a few days old, kept jumping into the fight and zipping out with millions in named modules while a massive supercapital brawl went on all around them. That's the kind of reward Brave Newbie Inc. wants to give out.

Events are not structured yet, everything consist of gathering any random night, be it a 10- or 70-man gang, and going to look for trouble and treasure. Little resemblance might be seen to a efficient and disciplined fleet, some bystander might even see one “fail” after another, but the corporation members seem to have incredible amounts of fun doing what they are doing.

Wonders and miracles – the heart of EVE Online

The EVE Online community can be harsh sometimes, but sometimes it can also be very generous. In this case, Matias received resources and ships from all directions or just messages simply telling him that people are appreciating his actions. During harsh times, when things are not working out the way he envisioned them to, he remembers that he made a lot of people very happy already.

With an interesting and enthusiastic group of people, one might wonder where this will end and if one day this corporation will venture into the vast outer rims of the New Eden universe and compete with the large alliances which have ten thousand members and more. Let’s hear the CEO of Brave Newbies about this topic:

I have no idea. What is the end-game of EVE? Does it have to be nullsec? Listening in on the chatter coming out of big alliances and talking to some of my more experienced recruits, it doesn't sound like everyone is having that much fun out there. The main concern seems to be money for money's sake. Sovereignty and economic mechanics seem to have led to political stagnation. I don't know. It's a question I'll have to face in the future.

Enthusiasm is more important than experience or wealth. The sandbox can be fun if you manage to forget for one second about optimal ISK-per-hour and just go out there and do something crazy that you do not fully understand and can't predict. You might lose your ship. You might double your net worth. You might bring down an expensive Legion with a fleet of frigates, or get picked apart by a cleverly kiting Drake. But you've had an amazing experience with good friends.

Forget ISK for a moment. It's a fictitious currency in a digital universe. What's your fun-per-hour rating?

An unwritten future

Matias would like to get all the people out there which ever have dreamt about a free and exciting world like the New Eden universe of EVE Online, he would like to collect all the people who shared his experience in the past years when he tried EVE Online and always tried in vain and frustration to get to the “good” content while in reality all the best things were already right in front of him already.

Now Matias Otero took his chance and he cannot foretell the future. Will our brave newbies thrive and still exist in a week, month, year or decade? The future is an unwritten story and everything is possible. Considering the energy and chutzpah of the Brave Newbies Inc., their CEO is confident that they will still be there.

Thank you, Matias Otero and Brave Newbies Inc.

7o

“No man made a greater mistake by doing nothing because he felt he could only do a little.”

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