EVE Online's great annual gala hasn't begun, but it's already a blast.

"So, why are you flying to Iceland?"

It's very interesting the looks you receive while explaining Fanfest. Sitting next to a spry grandfather and a middle-age nurse, I understood that their years of wisdom had no place for EVE Online – I only have a few months of gametime myself. With multiple Fanfest attendees in earshot with decades between them, I tried my best not to butcher the complex universe it celebrates.

After a brief explanation, they were fascinated. The nurse cautiously asked if it was anything like World of Warcraft; the grandfather brought up Second Life. I seized the opportunity to compare parts of EVE to the few games they knew. By the end of our discussion, it was clear they knew how massive EVE is. They knew how much meaning it has in people's lives.

This real-life importance of EVE Online was on full display today. Among a group of hundreds of Reykjavík locals and EVE Capsuleers, the Worlds Within A World monument was unveiled. Celebrating the incredible players of EVE, the stoic structure with a gleaming core is a beautiful, fitting monument to some of gaming's most dedicated. Basking in the crowd's collective pride, it dawned on me that this is the start of something special.

This is Fanfest 2014.