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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. | 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 | 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 prayer to Bob<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDQZfVXH8tw&ab_channel=HerrBert The Prayer], by player Herr Bert</ref>: | 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>: | ||
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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. | 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. | 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. | 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 J.R. "Bob" Dobbs,<ref>Wikipedia entry for [ | 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 == | ||
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[[Category:Fiction]] | |||