Runescape's Addicting Grasp

If you have played Runescape you probably know that it has what is considered often as “bad graphics” and an immature community. It is also a very competitive game full of people calling eachother games. There have been many cases of Runescape addictions. A teen has even sued Jagex, the makers of Runescape and won $5,000 for two years wasted. He didn’t even go to school because of this so called addiction. What the answer I am trying to answer today is: Is Runescape truly addicting, if so why is there such an obsession with it? And finally, Is Jagex to blame?

There is often almost two hundred thousand people playing this game simultaneously all over the world on over a hundred servers. Jagex claims that there are nine million accounts active and one hundred and thirty five million created! This may sound like a lot, but it isn’t. If you have never played this game, let me explain it to you. You are an adventurer who can go do almost anything you wish, there is a paid version known as “members” which gives players access to new areas and content and new ways to get money which Is used in almost anything. Runescape relies heavily on people known as “alchers” who cast a spell known as high alchemy on thousands of yew and magic longbows, once at a time to create money. There are many other ways to make money but this drives the runescape economy.

In runescape if you walk around you will see people often called “noobs”. People of all levels and experience are called “noobs”. Often when they aren’t even new players. People any where from level 3 (the starting level) to level 90 I have seen been called “noobs”. It takes a very long time to achieve a level as high as 90. (the maximum is 138 but it is very hard to achieve!) This is considered in many people’s opinions the reason Runescape is addicting. It is a simple cycle that I will write down under this paragraph in a sort of cycle so you can understand better. Basically it is when you start playing Runescape you are often called a noob and just want to have fun. The character gains levels, makes money, but they are still called a noob. Often this results in fighting in the game in very immature ways. The person will then often work on their skills for severals months in hopes to no longer be called a “noob”.

Sometimes without even being called a “noob” people will want to level up their skills to boast about them one again leading to not being called a noob. Here is a diagram representing this.

Early days: Not serious playing, just for fun à Called “noob”à Person gains frustration and decides to train their skills or gain large amounts of money taking many hours à Person believes that they are no longer a “noob” and stop their vicious training cycles and settle down and have more fun while playing à player is called a noob again, cycle continues until character is essentially higher then all others, no matter what sorts of levels or money a character has in the game they still can be called a “noob”.

This cycle shows how Runescape’s cycle that was not intended do be created this way to keep people addicted. I want to make it very clear: Jagex is not part of this, it is the player’s themselves creating this never ending scheme. Many new features have been added to Runescape because players are playing much more often than expected. At one time the strongest monster in runescape was level 27. It is now a joke and one of the weaker monsters in the game. Now the strongest is level 785 and there are quite a few rather new monsters in the 600’s and above.

Also, another part of Runescape’s addiction is that people want rare items that have been discontinued several years ago and almost all of them will never be owned by a player.

I fully support Jagex’s current actions with regards to Real world trading and the lending update which will both make Runescape less addicting and a happier, more friendly, less competitive enviroment. The Real World trading update essentially ended a large part of gold farming, the act of selling runescape gold for real world cash which is strictly against the rules and companies have been sued due to this. This was the most controversial update in the game’s history and many people were quitting and getting rid of their prize possessions. This update almost completely wiped out “player killing” the act of killing another player to get their items in an area known as the Wilderness. This place exists but it is no longer the same.

The lending update is in my opinion Jagex’s best choice ever. Now people can lend their best items to other people such as discontinued items so that people can keep them for several hours so they can have fun with them without having to purchase them for unrealistic amounts of money.

I hope that Jagex continues to make Runescape less and less addicting like this so it will no longer be a hazard as it is. Remember, never play for too long, take breaks, always keep school and life first before video game