To what? there's plenty already...

In some ways, I am glad that i got addicted to eve and not something else. In my personal observation, eve has the ability to sensitise us to many RL failures. I learned not to blame the fc or game mechanic if i lose something in eve and that helped me have a good perspective on things. Eve is very harsh and unforgiving and the nature rubs off on us that when something goes wrong for me in RL i start thinking about what i could do better to avoid that next time and spend less time blaming it on others.

I am sure everyone learns this at some point but i think eve forced me into that way of thought much sooner than i couldve done on my own.

I am still unsure if that is an advantage or disadvantage though.

It's a hobby. The interest can wax and wane depending on RL.
Long term players learn to account for this.

whether they play "too much."

EVE has been really tame in comparison. It goes on and on and on, it's just crazy. I hear it all the time in indie dev circles and some mmo news sites that report it at times. Shoot, early on I thought it was crazy for UO castles to sell $1k+ on ebay.
...no don't shoot! heh

I think the difference is not in logged in hours or style of play... Just ask yourself this question:
You have finally fleeted up for a great roam/battle you've been waiting ages for... FC says "Jump", significant other says "come to the hot-tub"...
In that answer you'll find whether your obsessive or normal :)

It is never "too much" when it comes to something that you enjoy. Unless you've reached the point where you can't live anymore, be it because you don't have a job, or because you're forgetting to eat.

My family take the view that my even having a Eve account means that I play a 'silly kids game' too much.

I sit around and wait for a frigate fleet broadcast, or if I need money I set aside a couple of hours to shoot at space pirates.

99% of this game is sitting inside a station. If that's a lifestyle for you, you're not playing this game the right way.

Compared to other MMOs this game is hilariously low-effort once you get past the steep learning curve. CCP didn't even pretend the grind was about anything other than money, letting you train skills passively. That alone means this game is actually less of a black-hole for my life than anything else. I sit around and wait for a frigate fleet broadcast, or if I need money I set aside a couple of hours to shoot at space pirates.

99% of this game is sitting inside a station. If that's a lifestyle for you, you're not playing this game the right way.

I'm sure this has been said about any obsession: but obsession itself is not healthy.

Eve is an obsession if you do it to the exclusion of your own health, relationships, or happiness.

In short, if you aren't forming good relationships around you, because you have to go fleet, or you are not eating because you can't pull yourself away for long enough than to cook yourself a meal, or you simply are playing but feeling like you are getting knowhere, then you are on the unhealthy side.

There is nothing wrong with playing 100 hours in a week per se. Just remember that in years to come, when Eve is dead and buried, you'll look back on your life and consider what you've achieved...

Me personally, I play about 10 hours a week. I have a beautiful 7 month old baby girl, and I love her to pieces. She is the best thing I've done in my life. If I where to wake up one morning and realise that I'd rather be playing Eve than with her, I know something is deeply wrong with my head. That's an extreme circumstance, but put it in context. Have you considered what you want from your life recently? Do you have a '5 year plan'? Is Eve-time getting in the way of that?

On that note, I'd also like to point out that I used to play a lot. But then I decided I wanted to do something else. Let me tell you - You can't achieve much in 10 hours a week in Eve BUT, its still hella fun. I think a lot of people miss a key point - I've used it in another thread today. Eve isn't about being the richest, or having the biggest ship. It's about the journey. That journey can be taken with 1 million in your wallet, or 1 billion. That journey can be taken with 10 quality hours a week, or 100 hours. It's just as fun. Trust me.

So my question, I assume, is pretty straight forward; At what point is it to much?