Bob: Difference between revisions

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'''Bob''' is a fictional, player-invented deity that supposedly holds sway over wormholes and J-space. The character is often used tongue-in-cheek as a means of justifying players' actions, desire for PvP, or luck/unluck.

[[File:wc_c1_to_c6_wh.jpg|thumb|400px|Bob is the patron deity of wormhole space]]

'''Bob''' is a fictional, player-invented deity that supposedly holds sway over wormholes and J-space. The character is often used tongue-in-cheek as a means of justifying players' actions, desire for PvP, or luck/unluck. While CCP recognizes and embraces the concept,<ref>[https://twitter.com/HilmarVeigar/status/1631727080445710336 CCP Helmar and the official EVE Online twitter account reference Bob]</ref> Bob is not canon to the EVE setting.

== Origins ==

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As with any folk meme (in its dictionary sense), the origins of "Bob" as a wormhole deity are murky. Often, as an idea is shared, its history is eroded, lost, and reinvented. Sometimes the idea is claimed as invented by several parties, and given the drift of storytelling, this isn't always far from the truth.

There are several competing origin stories, but ~~we'll focus on the ones with the most~~ surviving ~~documentation (perhaps~~ a ~~"history is told by the victors" bias, but we work with what we have)~~. What is generally agreed on is that the notion of Bob as an EVE-specific deity of wormholes probably arose around 2012, a few years after the introduction of wormholes in the Apocrypha expansion in 2009.

There are several competing origin stories, but surviving documents and evidence are limited to just a few. What is generally agreed on is that the notion of Bob as an EVE-specific deity of wormholes probably arose around 2012, a few years after the introduction of wormholes in the Apocrypha expansion in 2009. By the mid-2010s, use of Bob was widespread amongst J-space residents.

One of the earliest surviving references to Bob is a primarily audio recording of a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDQZfVXH8tw&ab_channel=HerrBert Prayer ~~to Bob~~]:

One of the earliest surviving references to Bob is a primarily audio recording of a prayer to Bob<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDQZfVXH8tw&ab_channel=HerrBert The Prayer], by player Herr Bert</ref>:

{{Quote|

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In 2015, gaming news site The Verge picked up the story and ran this article: [https://www.theverge.com/2015/3/31/8313011/eve-online-religion-bob EVE Online has a god named Bob] which gave an oral history as described by a player named Proc Diadochu. This article is still one of the only mainstream references to the wormhole god and is still widely referenced today.

Several amateur Internet archeology attempts have been made at pulling together the history of Bob~~, like~~ [https://forums.eveonline.com/t/bob-the-deity-of-wormholes/112807 ~~this one~~ from 2018]. Most have been met with mixed success, mostly due to the inherently chaotic nature of meme history and propagation.

Several amateur Internet archeology attempts have been made at pulling together the history of Bob.<ref>[https://forums.eveonline.com/t/bob-the-deity-of-wormholes/112807 Bob-the deity of Wormholes], forum post from 2018</ref> Most have been met with mixed success, mostly due to the inherently chaotic nature of meme history and propagation.

== Mythos ==

[[File:Frozen_corpse.png|thumb|180px|Sacrifices to Bob almost always involve player corpses.]]

Because of the decentralized, oral nature of its evolution, Bob has had many variations. Still, several strong themes are held in common:

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Sacrifices to Bob can take a number of forms. Most are variations on the "corpse at the sun", for instance, "self-destruct [ship type] at the sun" or "duel at the sun" (when used explicitly in a gladiatorial sense where the loser is seen as the sacrifice in Bob's name, since duels at the sun are commonplace in Eve and do not implicitly have any connection to Bob). Many times, inadvertent failures or spectacularly bad losses in PvP can also be referred to as a sacrifice to Bob, usually post-hoc and often as a humorous attempt at brushing off a bone-headed mistake, poor decision, or just bad luck. For instance, rolling out a HIC on a crit wormhole (a very low-probability event that is attempted frequently in J-space) could be referred to as becoming a sacrifice.

Some wormhole corporations, often those with a strong role-playing lean, have taken the 'Bob' idea much further. In these cases, Bob might become the justification for fleet action. Some have even made it part of their corporate or group identity.

Some wormhole corporations, often those with a strong role-playing lean, have taken the 'Bob' idea much further. In these cases, Bob might become the justification for fleet action. Some have even made it part of their corporate or group identity, like the wormhole mercenary corporation Bob's Watch.

Some players adopt similar themes (a glorification of wormhole space and a preference for PvP over PvE) while avoiding the association with Bob. For instance, role-playing corp [https://whpd.space/ The Wormhole Police] claims a mandate of archeological preservation over Sleeper sites in J-space as a real-life motivation for their PvP playstyle. They use similar language and themes to Bob's preference for PvP and exploding ships, but do not frequently use Bob as a figurehead nor justification.

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Player-invented religions have a long history. Some are more directly parodies of existing religions ("RNGesus", for instance), while others (Bob included) spawn their own mythos and lore.

In the case of "Bob" specifically, the name is also associated strongly with the fictional character [~~https~~:~~//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/~~J._R.~~_%22Bob%22_Dobbs~~ J.R. "Bob" Dobbs], the primary persona of the parody religion [~~https~~:~~//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_the_SubGenius the~~ Church of the ~~Sub-Genius~~]. This blending and sharing of names and themes is incredibly common and likely had some impact on the inspiration and evolution of Eve's version of Bob, whether consciously or subconsciously from cultural influence.

In the case of "Bob" specifically, the name is also associated strongly with the fictional character J.R. "Bob" Dobbs,<ref>Wikipedia entry for [[wikipedia:J.R. "Bob" Dobbs|J.R. "Bob" Dobbs]]</ref>, the primary persona of the parody religion the Church of the SubGenius.<ref>Wikipedia entry for [[wikipedia:Church of the_SubGenius|Church of the SubGenius]]</ref>. This blending and sharing of names and themes is incredibly common and likely had some impact on the inspiration and evolution of Eve's version of Bob, whether consciously or subconsciously from cultural influence.

== References ==

[[Category:Fiction]]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-'''Bob''' is a fictional, player-invented deity that supposedly holds sway over wormholes and J-space. The character is often used tongue-in-cheek as a means of justifying players' actions, desire for PvP, or luck/unluck.
+[[File:wc_c1_to_c6_wh.jpg|thumb|400px|Bob is the patron deity of wormhole space]]
+'''Bob''' is a fictional, player-invented deity that supposedly holds sway over wormholes and J-space. The character is often used tongue-in-cheek as a means of justifying players' actions, desire for PvP, or luck/unluck. While CCP recognizes and embraces the concept,<ref>[https://twitter.com/HilmarVeigar/status/1631727080445710336 CCP Helmar and the official EVE Online twitter account reference Bob]</ref> Bob is not canon to the EVE setting.
 == Origins ==
@@ Line 5: / Line 6: @@
 As with any folk meme (in its dictionary sense), the origins of "Bob" as a wormhole deity are murky. Often, as an idea is shared, its history is eroded, lost, and reinvented. Sometimes the idea is claimed as invented by several parties, and given the drift of storytelling, this isn't always far from the truth.
-There are several competing origin stories, but we'll focus on the ones with the most surviving documentation (perhaps a "history is told by the victors" bias, but we work with what we have). What is generally agreed on is that the notion of Bob as an EVE-specific deity of wormholes probably arose around 2012, a few years after the introduction of wormholes in the Apocrypha expansion in 2009.
+There are several competing origin stories, but surviving documents and evidence are limited to just a few. What is generally agreed on is that the notion of Bob as an EVE-specific deity of wormholes probably arose around 2012, a few years after the introduction of wormholes in the Apocrypha expansion in 2009. By the mid-2010s, use of Bob was widespread amongst J-space residents.
-One of the earliest surviving references to Bob is a primarily audio recording of a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDQZfVXH8tw&ab_channel=HerrBert Prayer to Bob]:
+One of the earliest surviving references to Bob is a primarily audio recording of a prayer to Bob<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDQZfVXH8tw&ab_channel=HerrBert The Prayer], by player Herr Bert</ref>:
 {{Quote|
@@ Line 24: / Line 25: @@
 In 2015, gaming news site The Verge picked up the story and ran this article: [https://www.theverge.com/2015/3/31/8313011/eve-online-religion-bob EVE Online has a god named Bob] which gave an oral history as described by a player named Proc Diadochu. This article is still one of the only mainstream references to the wormhole god and is still widely referenced today.
-Several amateur Internet archeology attempts have been made at pulling together the history of Bob, like [https://forums.eveonline.com/t/bob-the-deity-of-wormholes/112807 this one from 2018]. Most have been met with mixed success, mostly due to the inherently chaotic nature of meme history and propagation.
+Several amateur Internet archeology attempts have been made at pulling together the history of Bob.<ref>[https://forums.eveonline.com/t/bob-the-deity-of-wormholes/112807 Bob-the deity of Wormholes], forum post from 2018</ref> Most have been met with mixed success, mostly due to the inherently chaotic nature of meme history and propagation.
 == Mythos ==
+[[File:Frozen_corpse.png|thumb|180px|Sacrifices to Bob almost always involve player corpses.]]
 Because of the decentralized, oral nature of its evolution, Bob has had many variations. Still, several strong themes are held in common:
@@ Line 41: / Line 43: @@
 Sacrifices to Bob can take a number of forms. Most are variations on the "corpse at the sun", for instance, "self-destruct [ship type] at the sun" or "duel at the sun" (when used explicitly in a gladiatorial sense where the loser is seen as the sacrifice in Bob's name, since duels at the sun are commonplace in Eve and do not implicitly have any connection to Bob). Many times, inadvertent failures or spectacularly bad losses in PvP can also be referred to as a sacrifice to Bob, usually post-hoc and often as a humorous attempt at brushing off a bone-headed mistake, poor decision, or just bad luck. For instance, rolling out a HIC on a crit wormhole (a very low-probability event that is attempted frequently in J-space) could be referred to as becoming a sacrifice.
-Some wormhole corporations, often those with a strong role-playing lean, have taken the 'Bob' idea much further. In these cases, Bob might become the justification for fleet action. Some have even made it part of their corporate or group identity.
+Some wormhole corporations, often those with a strong role-playing lean, have taken the 'Bob' idea much further. In these cases, Bob might become the justification for fleet action. Some have even made it part of their corporate or group identity, like the wormhole mercenary corporation Bob's Watch.
 Some players adopt similar themes (a glorification of wormhole space and a preference for PvP over PvE) while avoiding the association with Bob. For instance, role-playing corp [https://whpd.space/ The Wormhole Police] claims a mandate of archeological preservation over Sleeper sites in J-space as a real-life motivation for their PvP playstyle. They use similar language and themes to Bob's preference for PvP and exploding ships, but do not frequently use Bob as a figurehead nor justification.
@@ Line 49: / Line 51: @@
 Player-invented religions have a long history. Some are more directly parodies of existing religions ("RNGesus", for instance), while others (Bob included) spawn their own mythos and lore.
-In the case of "Bob" specifically, the name is also associated strongly with the fictional character [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._R._%22Bob%22_Dobbs J.R. "Bob" Dobbs], the primary persona of the parody religion [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_the_SubGenius the Church of the Sub-Genius]. This blending and sharing of names and themes is incredibly common and likely had some impact on the inspiration and evolution of Eve's version of Bob, whether consciously or subconsciously from cultural influence.
+In the case of "Bob" specifically, the name is also associated strongly with the fictional character J.R. "Bob" Dobbs,<ref>Wikipedia entry for [[wikipedia:J.R. "Bob" Dobbs|J.R. "Bob" Dobbs]]</ref>, the primary persona of the parody religion the Church of the SubGenius.<ref>Wikipedia entry for [[wikipedia:Church of the_SubGenius|Church of the SubGenius]]</ref>. This blending and sharing of names and themes is incredibly common and likely had some impact on the inspiration and evolution of Eve's version of Bob, whether consciously or subconsciously from cultural influence.
+== References ==
+<references />
+[[Category:Fiction]]