Oh Runescape. The evil of all evil. The destroyer of all social lives! The accumulation of fat and deterioration of muscle. That's a little too dramatic. One of the things I'll never understand are the online games such as Runescape. My brother played Runescape for two years straight. He'd go to school, then come home and play the game well into two in the morning, sometimes later. He had his station all set up: his headset so he can talk to his Xbox Live buddies on his big T.V., his widescreen monitor, his Monster and Dr. Pepper cans lining his desk, and the house phone on three way.
(He only wishes this was his room)
When I came home for Christmas break and saw the vampiric state my brother was in, I tried to intervene. I rushed into his room announcing that we were going out to get coffee (as if any added caffeine would do him any good). He started to complain, but I did my usual sister thing. I kept talking until he shut up and did what I said. I FINALLY got him out of the house after much poking. So you can imagine how that went. He looked like a zombie. He was wearing holey clothes, he was squinting because of the sun, and his neck had a pinched nerve so he walked the whole way with his head tilted to the far side. It was quite entertaining from my end. I'm sure it was then that he realized just how unhealthy his extreme gaming was, because he started playing Runescape less.
(This is what happened to my brother)
So what's the big deal about Runescape? I've watched my brother play it numerous times, and I've even pretended to understand what he was talking about when he tried to explain it to me. The graphics are terrible and people constantly steal your stuff and kill you! And you have to perform repetitive acts for long hours in order to get silly things like a pink party hat (My cousin was excited about that. He's older than me). So, about my cousin...apparently he's worse than my brother. I don't see him often, but he calls the house every day. One day I decided to talk to him. You would think that since I haven't seen him in about a year he'd tell me all the exciting things that've happened to him since then. No. ALL HE TALKED ABOUT WAS RUNESCAPE!
So what's so addictive about Runescape? I found a list of the top six reasons why the game is so addictive:
1. There are 24 apparently awesome skills that require 4 months of gaming to level up...each!
2. Runescape envy. When Runescapers see other Runescapers with awesome stuff, it motivates them to get the same stuff.
3. There are 160 apparently awesome quests that require A LOT of time to complete.
4. Competition. Skill versus skill. When a Runescaper sees another Runescaper with a higher skill, then they see that as a challenge.
5. There are several fascinating worlds for Runescapers to visit and explore.
6. They like to show off.
I'd like to add another. It creates a confidence that they lack in real life. In virtual games, you can be anyone you want and master in anything. You can be the chosen one of your own story! After playing Skyrim for a short period, I could see the lure games can cause. Yet some people form a dependency on video games, which is unhealthy. I see the beauty of video games and I appreciate the art and hardwork that goes into them. But anything in excess can be bad for you.
http://gameolosophy.com/games/online/runescape/why-is-runescape-so-addicting/
http://www.runescape.com/
http://runescape.wikia.com/wiki/RuneScape_Wiki
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