Eve is a unique game, its incredibly complex and also quite boring most of the time but its a huge sandbox with a lot of different types of gameplay mechanics. When I first started the game myself and several other new players started a corporation and focused on mining and hauling and we ended up growing to about a hundred people at which point some corporations started going to war against us, presumably just for target practice, but we learned how to fight back and it was a really satisfying experience. Later on I joined null sec alliances in big wars, pirate groups leeching off anything that moved in low sec, noob corps mass recruiting and engaging in factional warfare. I haven't played in more than a decade but I'm always thinking about getting back into it - I love the style and complexity of the game but its hard to get much out of it if you don't put a lot of time into it.

I think the game is more or less free to play until you get to a certain point with skills. If you give it another go I recommend getting yourself into a corporation where people will show you the ropes and help you explore different aspects of the game.