Right off the bat, please understand that Eve Online is a niche (small audience) type of MMO. So what works as a game for a regular Eve Pilot might not be for other regular MMO players.
The learning curve is referenced as many things. Sheer vertical wall of face shredding. Cliff of struggle not to jump offline and never return. Hard to learn and impossible to master. The players are fleeting up with and against everyone. That means Everyone, there's one shard/server for the entire world (excluding China and probably North Korea) so yes, you Will get cussed at in languages you probably can't comprehend. There is no standard 'leveling up', your abilities are based on Skill Levels, what you can afford, what you build, and how well you can use the interface and your brain to out-think your opponents.
Everything is PvP in some manner. There's the usual ships vs. ships, but then there is Regional Market PvP, quality pilot nabbing from another Corporation (the game's version of guilds or tribes) awoxing (nabbing stuff from a corporation as a double or triple agent), and even competition for such things as certain types of asteroids, ice, and combat sites. And yup, there are the standard 'ninja' looters out and about, ready to take your hard earned results from blasting NPC pirates or another player's ship. Since this is an open sandbox, other than a few relatively small things (in comparison to what is possible) like missions, you come up with your content, your goals, and your expectations on what you want to accomplish. From hard core pirating, the industry junkie life, exploration, wars upon wars, taking your claim at a chunk of space (Sov!), and more, you make your paths. Eve Online will not hold your hand to some top ranked nirvana. You undock your ship, you are a potential target. There are two actual safe places in Eve Online. Docked in an NPC Base. Logged out while docked in an NPC Base!
So far sounds like a horrific game, impossible to enjoy, right?
To the right gamer, in the right mindset, these challenges are not some insurmountable wall between enjoyment and us. Where some might see impossible, others can easily see amazing opportunities. And yeah, the pew is very pretteh... You are challenging others, yourself, the game's mechanics, everything is against you and you are against it. Will you be a solo pilot, following the leadership of only yourself in an NPC corporation or one you made for just you? Will you join up with player run corporations, their alliances, lie cheat and steal your way to infamy, grow up to be a carebear or a guardian of newer players, make friends or pile on the enemy lists, strike out in your own way or follow along with war buddies that are true to each other no matter what? Build it, break it, sell it, buy it, give it, steal it, or just meander around viewing all the systems, no particular place to go?
If you can think it up, it's probably in New Eden. If not... then make it! And pass along the new idea so others can expand their own sandboxes.
So if sci-fi space faring with a difficult learning curve that later pays out in ISK (the ingame currency, InterStellar Kredits) and reputation (good or bad!) along with that satisfaction of pulling off the impossible against others further along in their own sandbox journey of New Eden, this might be the niche you've been looking for. If you are looking for a type of MMO that has a 'login to win!' setting, you probably should look elsewhere for your online gaming fix.
And seriously, don't ask for directions to the Auction House. You'll get them... right to your ship's ganking.