What are people fighting for?

I realized this weekend that the primary difference between alliances like -A- and alliances like Goons is the answer to this question, "Why are you playing the game?"

-A- likes fighting. They like blowing things up. They own Sov to provide a safe space to make some isk (because then they can replace losses and buy new shinies) and because it creates a focal point for fights. Ultimately, they're only slightly different then RvB. They play to blow things up.

Goons, on the other hand, are playing to change things. They want to put their stamp on the game. They want to change things. Taking huge swaths of Sov is the major thrust but things like Burn Jita and Ice interdiction are every bit as important. They talk a good game about "Harvesting Tears" but ultimately, I think, it's all a means to that end of "I want to matter!"

Listening to the Makalu soundclouds for -A- drives this point home. The fleet members are perfectly happy to dock up for the night when it's 800 vs. 100 because blowing their fleets up is not their idea of a "fight". They lose ships and destroy almost zero of their opponent's. Likewise, while the Goons like to fight, shooting structures is a morale boosting event for them because it's meeting their goal.

And the BIGGEST difference in all of this is that I get the distinct impression that the Goons fundamentally get this difference and -A- do not. Goons (and TEST) have created a war strategy specifically designed to keep their own morale high (by constantly having extra space being gained) while keeping their opponents from getting anything resembling a fair fight. Goons come out in force for strategic operations (those designed to take or defend sov structures) while smaller stuff is skirmish stuff with their FCs flitting about and refusing to engage. It's the warfare equivalent of trolling the forums and they're very, very good at it.

Listening to the comms, I don't think -A- gets this difference. They feel like the CFC and HBC are going to get burned out shooting structures "any day". The problem is that they're almost playing two different games.