Up to now I had spent a lot of time on my main character playing in low security space learning a lot about PvP and doing what I could to survive. But that style of playing Eve is very demanding. You need to be fully alert and focused 100% of the time and lets be honest. There are times when low sec can be very quiet with not a lot happening. I found myself wandering around some evenings seeing nothing and certainly not being able to engage in a lot of fights because I just did not have the tools at hand to do so. I started Sisters of Eve missions in low sec which was fun and helped make a little bit of ISK on the side and living out of one ship eventually became my focus. I could not afford to throw ships away too much and whilst I could make enough ISK to stay afloat I had to be careful. Eventually I began to think about starting an ALT.
Now when I am talking about an ALT we are not talking about something that was going to make the game a job. I have always felt that far too many people play Eve like it is a second job. I wanted to start and ALT and play the game in a very different way. Something that was almost the diagrammatical opposite of what I was used to playing. So I started a mining ALT.
Just to clarify, this ALT was started back in 2012. Back then mining was just as legitimate as any other profession in Eve. Since then, in my time away from the game, something has changed. I had no idea mining would become something that was hated by a section of the player base. I still have no idea why this happened but back then I just wanted to experience another aspect of the ‘sandbox’ that is Eve.
Since that time a small but very vocal section of the player base, seems to have grown to really dislike mining. Although I am not entirely sure that is even true. But nonetheless if you like to read a lot like me then you would be forgiven, if you follow the forum hype alongside some of the stuff that you see on the internet (You Tube etc.). Reading all of that stuff you might be forgiven for thinking that mining is at the bottom of some sort of food chain. That it should be discouraged at all costs.
So I rolled another Minmatar character of the name Karen Sokarad and started training mining barges with a major focus on lasers and eventually crystals. First up at that time the big choice was choosing a barge that suited my style of play. I was working on this blog and so I wanted something I could play on one screen whilst composing my posts. The obvious choice at the time was the Retriever with the larger ore hold. I did not want to have to do fiddly stuff with a hauler. Don’t forget Moriarity was in low sec and to be frank I needed downtime from worrying about always paying attention to the game.
I settled on skilling into a Retriever and found a home called Alakgur which is where I started mining. Back then everything was simpler, you could skill into a Barge like the Retriever relatively easily. Within a few days I would be out on the belts mining, blogging and reading about eve. The eventual changes to mining barges were released and I thought this was a great change to the game. Allowing more choice as well as freedom. This was before I decided to quit Eve because of real life. 
It was when I got back – everything had changed. Miners seemed to be some sort of hated figure for sections of the player base. Something to be frowned at and looked down on. I had no idea what exactly had happened. That could be a good topic for another post maybe.
Everyday Eve 