Interview with Jezaja: Once around the EvE world

Hello everyone,

I had the pleasure to do a little interview with Jezaja. Most of you know him through his blog “Giant Secure Container“.
Without much preamble, let’s get right to it. Read to the end too, it’s worth it.

Sendriss

Hello Jezaja, first of all thank you for taking the time for this little interview. You are known in the German-speaking community for your blog, which is now very old. How did you get into blogging back then?

Jezaja

Nerevar Dwemor, the blogger of NERE: SCHWERELOS UND PLANLOS was sort of to blame. After I won his short story contest on the former eveger.de forum, he approached me and told me to blog. That’s when I started blogging. That was 11 years ago and so far I haven’t stopped.

Sendriss

Except for the current break, which every blogger has, 11 years is a long time and there are a lot of topics. Are there any topics, apart from Broadcast 4 Reps which I would like to talk about later, that have accompanied you throughout the entire blog and that are important to you personally?

Jezaja

I think the theme of “do it yourself” runs through the whole blog. EVE is a sandbox and that idea excites me. You can literally do whatever you want. Especially when I hear someone complaining that EVE is boring and they are NOT talking about the game mechanics, but the content, I usually turn on. In my opinion, these people just don’t understand the game. EVE is not a game where it rains epics and everything is presented on a silver platter. EVE is a hobby that is challenging and should remain so in my opinion.

Sendriss

You are still one of the few bloggers in the German-speaking world, but you also offer your content translated into English. How do you assess the current situation of content creators around EvE, especially in view of the fact that streaming is becoming more and more relevant?

Jezaja

Phew, where to start. It’s a very multi-faceted question. Basically, the current situation is very saddening from my point of view. Carefully prepared content is becoming increasingly rare. Instead, simple gameplay videos are uploaded…or gameplay is streamed live and people call themselves content creators. I rather call these people entertainers. A creative creation process doesn’t really take place there. Yes, streaming itself is entertaining, especially because of the direct interaction, but it doesn’t convince me. It’s just not something unique and rarely has a personal touch. “If you know one, you know them all,” I almost want to say. Maybe it’s also a zeitgeist thing. Upload bandwidth is inflationary available and many creators don’t have to think anymore if the one hour video upload is worth it now or not.

Sendriss

In other words, you consider that above all the personal touch in a blog post is clearly more important and usually also better recognizable. Do I understand this correctly? What would you advise one to do if one wants to join EvE as a content creator?

Jezaja

Right. And most importantly, readers can always “hit back” and maybe see how an opinion can change over time. I find you follow a blogger more, whereas with a streamer you can only experience it until it shuts down. Content creators who are new should think about why they are doing this beforehand. Would they read themselves or watch or listen? I think that’s important to enjoy it for as long as possible. And you should think of it as a long journey, your own development. In the beginning, nothing has to be perfect or totally professional. But you should be honest with yourself, and maybe as a streamer not first set up the donation button or start a blog with the goal of becoming an EVE partner, because then outsiders also notice relatively quickly what motivation is behind it….

Sendriss

Then we hope that we before that new people also once again decide to start a blog. We could use new blood well.

Jezaja

Yes, absolutely. It’s just unfortunately “slow” content that doesn’t give much feedback. I think that is what is very off-putting. There are no likes, or chat interaction. With luck there is once a comment in the blog. If you want to try it out, you can maybe ask a blogger if there is room for a guest post. 

Sendriss

The majority of German-speaking content creators are on Twitch and have come together under the banner of the DEUCOMM community. Soon the 5th anniversary celebration with a streaming marathon is coming up. Will you be following this event?

Jezaja

I’m on call this weekend, so I probably won’t actually be watching. From what I’ve seen there are also rather only the streamers who stay there among themselves. The program unfortunately neglects other German-speaking content creators who don’t stream, but still contribute valuable things to the whole EVE Online community and I don’t just mean the bloggers. Perhaps this is once again a bit symptomatic of the German community, that again only in their own pot is stirred, without even looking beyond the edge of the plate.

Sendriss

That means you would like the organizers to specifically address other content creators and, as they say nowadays, to involve people outside their own bubble. Would you also include, for example, that English-speaking creators should also be involved, in order to draw more active attention to the community there as well? The German-speaking pilots are usually very scattered and mostly in international corp or alliances on the road and not as for example in RHP in an alliance concentrated to find.

Jezaja

Jaein, outside the bubble definitely. There are so many German-speaking players who are closely linked in the international community, and not just solely in the German one. But they are only visible if you look closer. In my opinion, you have to do the work if you claim to represent all facets of the German-speaking community. Concentrated Germans in an alliance has always worked only temporarily. Therefore I would not take RHP as a prime example. There have been good alliances in the past with a high percentage of German-speaking players. The drama that is now unfolding around RHP was only a matter of time. The players around NeoSerenity Virpio are not laughed at because they mainly make industry and don’t manage to press F1 at the same time, but because they are fed a constant stream of false information. With the attack on VOLTA, RHP has burned its fingers and we will see in the coming weeks how much is worth the Blue standing they have bought over the last three years.

Sendriss

So, similar to most, do you anticipate a slaughter and a quick exit of RHP from Nullspace rather than a protracted battle?

Jezaja

No. RHP is not going to fight. I believe that through additional levies and tax increases, RHP members will be asked to pay to compensate for the bad decisions of the Alliance leadership and RHP will buy their way out as they always have. RHP is clearly a renter alliance, they always have been, even if they insist on holding their own space. Peace in the Mining Belts will be maintained by ISK and VOLTA will also be paid off with ISK. That is the language RHP speaks. Only when the coffers are empty does it become dangerous for RHP. But even if the income from 0.0 breaks away, there are still the HighSec Corporations.

Sendriss

Then I would say let’s sit back and enjoy the show. But let’s move on to the penultimate topic. We’ve talked quite a bit now about the world around New Eden. But what about New Eden itself? What are you currently doing in the game and what are your current goals?

Jezaja

Currently I’m in Faction Warfare and doing a lot of exploration on the side. I get asked every now and then if I would like to get into the wormhole. As much as I admire this style of play, I have to say I don’t have the balls for it. I need stations to dock and the security of knowing that I will still be in possession of my items after logging out. We’ll see, maybe I’ll be more FC in the next few months, after all we need to recapture the Gallente-Caldari warzone.

Sendriss

That definitely sounds like a lot of work. You mentioned it briefly above, you have to create and find your own content in that sense. What was the last thing you did that was completely new for you in terms of content?

Jezaja

Definitely Pochven, the Triglavian area. I farmed Standing there and learned some mechanics. Unfortunately, there were also a lot of bugs there, so that it virtually came to a meltdown in my head and I quickly lost interest. Or how exactly can you explain Triglavian shooting at Triglavian?

Sendriss

Internal fights happen all the time.

Let’s get to what I consider the most important topic: Broadcast 4 Reps. You are very active there and have also been awarded ingame by CCP. How did you get involved back then and what does B4R stand for you?

Jezaja

Actually, a Broadcast4Reps emergency call led to me getting involved there. Additionally, I already had experience with the topic. Fortunately, not through my own experience, but through my part-time job at a funeral home. There, unfortunately, I have regular contact with this issue. Logically, we always came when everything was too late, so the contact with the “survivors”, i.e. the bereaved, was a significant impetus for me. At some point I slipped into the Broadcast4Reps team and in the meantime I am one of the administrators there. Broadcast4Reps and also the alternative offerings, like Sixth Empire, means to me a promise from the EVE community to every single EVE player: Hey, we are there if you need someone to talk to.

Sendriss

That’s basically a noble thing. Do you guys have a lot to do? Every now and then we read some blog entries where you, kindly approved by your interlocutor, are allowed to report.

Jezaja

We have expanded the team in the last few months. There is a constant demand for this offer. Of course, we are not a professional help and we always refer people to it. But the Broadcast4Reps chat is a very low-threshold entry and help offer and I think that’s what makes it so successful. I think it’s important to talk about it in my blog posts from time to time, of course completely anonymously and with the permission of the person I’m talking to. Often there are still thoughts and ideas that are worth thinking about. I find this very enriching and it encourages philosophizing.

Sendriss

I see it similarly at this point and it is important that there are constant contacts here. I think as you said in by the low threshold of entry for those seeking help quite well. Let’s hope that this will continue to be actively used.

But now the very last question: Jezaja’s Giant Secure Container. What is this ingame item all about? Would you like to tell us a mythical story about how it could be?

Jezaja

Oh, there are different variants in the meantime. But the secret will remain one, even if the only person who knows about it doesn’t work at CCP anymore. That’s why I have to put you and everyone else off “…but I’ll tell you the end, my dearest, the next night.” One day the story of Tyrannis Child will end, just like the story of Prince Kalendar ends. I hope that was enough fog bombs now!

Sendriss

Is there a favorite rumor about this?

Jezaja

I like the rumor where people say I bought CCP shares.

Sendriss

Then continue to use your good influence. Thank you for taking the time for our little interview.

Jezaja

Thanks for the interview!

_______

Among all comments we will raffle some skins from the partner program. Many thanks to Jezaja who provided us with these skins.
So please also give us a name of your capsule pilot.