Runescape Exposed - Article

[qeltar]

 

 

 

So basically, qeltar, you're blaming Jagex for letting kids under 13 yrs old play, by not giving accurate information to the parents?

 

 

 

 

 

 

No, I am blaming Jagex for -- among other things -- deliberately marketing this game towards those under 13, then pretending that they have no players under 13 because you have to answer an age question when you sign up for a new account.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's called "turning a blind eye", and corporations that do this need to be held accountable for their dishonesty.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cheating, scamming, lying, taunting, bullying are due to the community.

 

 

 

 

 

 

And the state of the community is a direct result of Jagex's actions: the way they advertise the game, the ability to create disposable accounts, the target marketing towards young kids, the lack of supervision, the abysmal customer support. That's all why Runescape has increasingly a reputation as the worst community in the online gaming world.

 

 

 

 

 

 

There was a rise of those acts after Rs2 came out, thatÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ã¢ââ¬Å¾Ã¢s when more kids started to play. Thus, this tends to prove it is the KIDS who caused this problematic, which totally eliminate youÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ã¢ââ¬Å¾Ã¢re principal argument.

 

 

 

 

 

 

On the contrary, because one of my principal arguments is that Jagex is trying to expand its game by appealing to the very kids their lawyers claim they don't want playing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jagex didnÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ã¢ââ¬Å¾Ã¢t make it that way to attract children, youÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ã¢ââ¬Å¾Ã¢re simply doing an interpretation of their actions. Things have been like this since the beginning, way before Runescape was filled with kids. Saying that Jagex have deliberately done this to attract kids is a lie.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I didn't say they did that specifically to attract children, I just said that it DOES attract children.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If anything is a lie, then, it would be your mischaracterization of my comments.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Easy access to the game has also always been part of the marketing technique of Jagex, this has nothing to do with kids.

 

 

 

 

 

 

It has everything to do with kids, because easy and free access appeals to kids far more than it does to adults.

 

 

 

 

 

 

You made a whole page about the wilderness. Mentioning luring as legal. For the time being, it is not legal nor illegal, Jagex didnÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ã¢ââ¬Å¾Ã¢t say anything about the issue yet. But believe me, it is not going to stay ÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ãâ¦Ã¢â¬ÅlegalÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬ÃâÃ

[Duke_Freedom]

I started disagreeing with the article when it started mentioning party hats more or less as the cause of much of the item scamming and mentioned that because people seek after these items some kids see the need to merchant which he brought like "oh my gosh isn't the worst thing the world?" - while the idea and concept of merchanting is one of the few things kids may actually learn from this game. :roll:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the rest - the world is not all fluffy, good and colourful, perhaps it's not that bad that kids learn about that in an early state in their life as that will lead to a smaller disappointement when they actually figure out that the world is not all fluffy, good and colourful later in their lifes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On the other hand, it is worrying that kids are being confronted by this on such a early age, as, like the article pointed out too, this leads to copy-cat behaviour with those kids acting just as bad as the rest of the world because they don't know better.

[highlanders]

No, I am blaming Jagex for -- among other things -- deliberately marketing this game towards those under 13, then pretending that they have no players under 13 because you have to answer an age question when you sign up for a new account.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ItÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ã¢ââ¬Å¾Ã¢s up to the players to read the user agreement and to be 13 years old or older to play. You seem to make a different thesis every 5 minutes, decide already. "Jagex is evil" sounds like a good thesis, that's all you've been saying from the beggining.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And the state of the community is a direct result of Jagex's actions: the way they advertise the game, the ability to create disposable accounts, the target marketing towards young kids, the lack of supervision, the abysmal customer support. That's all why Runescape has increasingly a reputation as the worst community in the online gaming

 

 

 

 

 

 

The way they advertise the game? How humoristic. Let's see how "bad community appealing it is": "RuneScape is a massive 3d multiplayer adventure, with monsters to kill, quests to complete, and treasure to win. You control your own character who will improve and become more powerful the more you play." Wow, how stunning.

 

 

 

Disposable accounts? Further you're idea.

 

 

 

Target maketing towards young kids? Prove it.

 

 

 

Lack of supervision, on that I have to strongly disagree. There is a lot of player mods in-game, and Jagex is always adding more and more, they are doing efforts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The customer support is as good as it can be with the immense many messages being sent to them. As Eccentric mentioned, it's already good that Jagex is trying. It's a hard task with such a huge game.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On the contrary, because one of my principal arguments is that Jagex is trying to expand its game by appealing to the very kids their lawyers claim they don't want playing.

Yes, you keep saying it. Prove it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I didn't say they did that specifically to attract children, I just said that it DOES attract children.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You deliberately skipped, or, didnÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ã¢ââ¬Å¾Ã¢t understand my point at all. The simple fact that they did not specifically did it to attract children removes them the blame you are putting on them, which makes your whole argument invalid.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It has everything to do with kids, because easy and free access appeals to kids far more than it does to adults.

 

 

 

Easy to and free access appeals to EVERYONE, kids and adults alike. That's how they make money, hello?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Apparently you need to educate yourself. Jagex has made luring into the Wilderness legal, it's been that way for over a month now. You probably don't know, because Jagex has deliberately covered up the ruling.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yet again, you make another statement without any proofs, which seems to be your speciality. And it is you who need to educate yourself. Just you watch, with all rants going on right now, luring is NOT going to stay legal for very long, and you know it, yet you state it in your article. Someone professional would not have put something that controversial in their article.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

False. They are not. I've talked to countless lure victims who never wanted to go into the wild and were tricked there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jagex provides no information on luring or how to avoid it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

They are. For all the lures victims out there, there are 20 times more people who did not bite the hook. The community talks a lot about it, not many people don't know about luring yet, and honestly, just knowing how luring works is enough to be able to avoid it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You expect Jagex to go: "Be careful of luring little kids, blah blah". Not a company in the world would go do something like that.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You didn't comment because you have no rebuttal. What I said is absolutely true -- Jagex constantly adds content to the game to try to get people who have no interest in PKing to go into the wild.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I didnÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ã¢ââ¬Å¾Ã¢t make any comment, because your argument is not worth commenting on, do not assume, arrogant comments wonÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ã¢ââ¬Å¾Ã¢t get you anywhere.

 

 

 

It is a ridiculous argument, plainly and simply. ÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ãâ¦Ã¢â¬ÅOh noes, Jagex makes clue scrolls that makes us go to the wild, they want to get all the honest players killed!ÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬ÃâÃ

[Mechwariorx]

 

Some consolation can be found in the fact that after a creature is killed, it will reappear ("respawn") a few moments later, which some players use to assuage their guilt. But does this just cheapen the concept of death further? And is a 10-year-old really mature enough to know?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I wanted to stop reading there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Mom, where did Dad go?"

 

 

 

"You Father is in a better place now."

 

 

 

"How long does it take for him to respawn?"

 

 

 

ÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ãâ¦Ã¢â¬ÅÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬ÃâæÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬ÃâÃ

[Doomster]

Laughed at the mention (in the THG forum thread) of "being featured on MINICLIP", as in the opinion of many players from before that time, Miniclip has been a significant route for immature and disruptive players, while "immature" may or may not necessitate being under the minimum age.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Similarly, MTV Arcade probably brings many low grade players, who turn to the dark side of begging for items.

[Made0f12une]

 

 

 

 

A ridiculous argument, completely ridiculous. It is not even worth commenting on.

 

 

 

 

 

 

:lol: You didn't comment because you have no rebuttal. What I said is absolutely true -- Jagex constantly adds content to the game to try to get people who have no interest in PKing to go into the wild.

 

 

 

[~q

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's risk vs rewards, not being forced into the wilderness

[King_Peter18]

It seems very few people choose to look beyond the words of the author and ask questions such as... What is the authorÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ã¢ââ¬Å¾Ã¢s motivation? Why is he focusing on the negative aspects?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It seems most are quick to judge. ItÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ã¢ââ¬Å¾Ã¢s the parents fault! ItÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ã¢ââ¬Å¾Ã¢s not Jagex's problem! It can't be fixed! Players should be over 13!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well perhaps the author would like Jagex to work in unison with the parents, to make this game as they describe it or at least offer and unbiased view of the game the way it actually is. Personally I feel Jagex created the game therefore they (along with the parents) must assume some responsibility. Which they have done in part. But they could do so much more.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So why shouldnÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ã¢ââ¬Å¾Ã¢t they? If they have the power to create a healthy playing environment, why donÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ã¢ââ¬Å¾Ã¢t they? Why do they allow the scamming and the cheating to go mostly unpunished?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I feel RS would be a much nicer community to be involved in if rule breakers actually had some fear of consequence. But they donÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ã¢ââ¬Å¾Ã¢t. Rule 2 is ignored if you are in or near the wilderness. It is all but encouraged by Jagex or dismissed with weak excuses.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It really does surprise me that so many people find argument in something that was so obviously designed to open some eyes and hopefully create change for the better.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I for one donÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ã¢ââ¬Å¾Ã¢t want much. I want Jagex endorsed scamming stopped. I want the rules to apply to everyone. I want unruly players to feel as if there will be consequences to their actions. Not some pathetic excuse for a report function. I want customer support to actually support customers. I want Jagex to listen when serious issues are raised by the paying parents and not dismiss them like 13 year olds whining about a strength bonus. Is this so much to ask from a multi million dollar company?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If the only way to get their attention is to throw the negative aspects at them and amplify them to the extent that people sit up and take notice, then so be it. I am all for anything that might make Runescape a nicer place to play.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just a quick note Greedom1 the author is a male.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

=D>

 

 

 

Couldn't have said it better myself.

[qeltar]

 

 

 

ItÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ã¢ââ¬Å¾Ã¢s up to the players to read the user agreement and to be 13 years old or older to play.

 

 

 

 

 

 

And of course, kids always read mile-long treatises written by lawyers when signing up for a free game. :lol:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There are no protections against kids under 13 signing up for this game. They do it because their friends are members, and because Jagex makes the game kid-friendly and aims their ads at them. The "user agreement" is there to cover Jagex's butt, and for no other reason.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If they really didn't want players under 13 they would make more of an effort to publicize this fact. Instead, they publish an Official Runescape Guide, have it published by a kids' publishing company, and put an age range on it of 9 to 12.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Explain that, hmm?

 

 

 

 

 

 

The way they advertise the game? How humoristic.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not much of a rebuttal there. I'll assume you are conceding the point; thanks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Disposable accounts? Further you're idea.

 

 

 

Target maketing towards young kids? Prove it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

See above. Plus the websites where the game is promoted, and Jagex telling parents that the game is for "all ages".

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lack of supervision, on that I have to strongly disagree. There is a lot of player mods in-game, and Jagex is always adding more and more, they are doing efforts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

:lol:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jagex tells people that they consider an online presence to be important. How many times, since you started playing, have you seen a Jagex mod in the game?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm level 117. I've never seen one -- not once. Most people I know have seen them only 1 or 2 times at most.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jagex doesn't supervise the game at all. They rely on their barely functional reporting system, which most of the time doesn't result in action anyway. It's a farce.

 

 

 

 

 

 

As Eccentric mentioned, it's already good that Jagex is trying. It's a hard task with such a huge game.

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's even harder when your priority is increasing revenues by expanding your user base, rather than cleaning up the game.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The simple fact that they did not specifically did it to attract children removes them the blame you are putting on them, which makes your whole argument invalid.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Creating a game that you know is attracting a huge base of kid users, and then slapping a disclaimer saying "13+" and then washing your hands of the matter -- that's dishonest.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yet again, you make another statement without any proofs, which seems to be your speciality.

 

 

 

 

 

 

You won't score any points with personal attacks. The proof is in the sticky in the PK-ing room at the Runescape forums, subsequently confirmed by Jagex mods in a lengthy thread in Forum Feedback.

 

 

 

 

 

 

And it is you who need to educate yourself. Just you watch, with all rants going on right now, luring is NOT going to stay legal for very long, and you know it, yet you state it in your article.

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's legal now. It's been legal for over a month. Jagex has refused to address the issue, and has shot down and silenced every attempt to discuss it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you want to gaze into a crystal ball, feel free. What I said is 100% accurate... they have legalized item scamming through luring into the Wilderness.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Perhaps they will change their minds. And perhaps having a lot of people read Part 2 of my article, which describes what they did with this fiasco, will help persuade them to do so.

 

 

 

 

 

 

For all the lures victims out there, there are 20 times more people who did not bite the hook.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Irrelevant. It's still scamming, Jagex does nothing to educate people about it, and has now legalized it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I didnÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ã¢ââ¬Å¾Ã¢t make any comment, because your argument is not worth commenting on, do not assume, arrogant comments wonÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ã¢ââ¬Å¾Ã¢t get you anywhere.

 

 

 

It is a ridiculous argument, plainly and simply. ÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ãâ¦Ã¢â¬ÅOh noes, Jagex makes clue scrolls that makes us go to the wild, they want to get all the honest players killed!ÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬ÃâÃ

[dude_of_war4]

That's why you have to be 13 to play this game...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

now i strongly disagree with you, im only 12, but the age thing is stupid because you can sign up anyway and not all under 13's are immature, like not all over 13's are

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

that article is balls, yes it is addictive and everything, but violent? sound like schools health and safety regulations :evil: its says most people resort to cheating, TOTALLY UNTRUE, how many in 1000 cheat? very few! graphics are "primitive" because its on the internet and requires no disc. stealing is a miniature part of the game which is tedious so not a MASSIVE amount of people do it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

i dont like that article at all

[paulyts50]

 

 

 

Isn't "gambling" in an online game with fake currency better then gambling in real life? I started playing when I was eight. Six years ago. I knew about gambling then, I'd bet a friend 5.00$ [insert Team] would win the Super Bowl. RuneScape hasn't introduced Gambling to thirteen year olds.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ummm as you stated it exposed you to it at an early age and you gamble in real life. That is the whole point. Children exposed to gambling can become addicted. The consequences of that will become obvious the more you do it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You are required to be 13 or older when you register an account as of 2005. End of story don't give us this crap about five year olds it's not JAGeX it's the child's parents.

 

 

 

Instead of blaming the victim? Is it NOT the victims fault for intentionally putting themselves at risk?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You admitted you played when you were 8. Anyone registered before the ruling is allowed to play, even if they are 5 years old. The ruling was reluctantly added by Jagex, as their main target group was always around 10.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Parents that read the one sided comments in the "parent guide" Jagex wrote need to hear the truth about Runescape. The author of this article has managed to do that very well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I also have read other comments by yourself and being you are an admitted lurer who has no regard for other players, your "blame the victim" stance is not a surprise. Jagex has condoned the way you play the game, and has also blamed the victim, but if parents were aware of the lack of adherance to their own rules, many would not let their children play.

[Kiriyama]

Female players in RuneScape are subjected to nearly continuous harassment by the testosterone-overloaded teenaged hornballs

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You'll actually find its more like the ten year olds who do that.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

is a 10-year-old really mature enough to know?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Only an extremely stupid 10 year old won't understand death.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I was stunned to find angry players who objected to the "mistreatment of animals" in the game. Yet these same people had no problem with killing men and women!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That was before it was released, they thought it would be like fox

 

 

 

hunting. Serious problem which many feel strongly about.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Why does Jagex not get rid of these destructive items and all the problems they cause? They aren't saying.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

They added them for fun, they never wanted this to happen. Getting rid of them would make things alot worse.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

he was back staking again. When I asked why, he said he didn't want to stake any more, but he needed to keep staking. He was hooked on gambling in an online game at the age of 14.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

More likely it was the only way he knew to make money.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And to make matters worse, Jagex recently decided to make luring into the Wilderness a legal part of the game, and didn't warn potential victims.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Do you know how hard this would be to enforce? Everytime a player died in the wilderness then would report it as "luring" no doubt.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All of the rudeness, abuse, bullying, lying, cheating, scamming and greed combine to take a big toll on players. The transformation of a happy-go-lucky, innocent new player to a jaded, disillusioned veteran of online gaming is a truly sad thing to behold. It's very sobering to listen to young teens, and even elementary school kids, who are abused and betrayed so often that they have grown to expect abuse and betrayal.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Okay now this is rare, as people level they tend to mature more. I was insulted alot when I started and tended to only talk to people around my level. Now you can ask anyone on my friends list how I am ingame.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My brother is 13 and he steals from people, and had never done this before playing this game

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Look at who he hangs around with, its usually that, not a game.

 

 

 

My cousin steals and he's younger than that. (Okay he don't really know that its wrong)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thought I'd respond to parts of it which stuck out the most to me.

[highlanders]

And of course, kids always read mile-long treatises written by lawyers when signing up for a free game.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There are no protections against kids under 13 signing up for this game. They do it because their friends are members, and because Jagex makes the game kid-friendly and aims their ads at them. The "user agreement" is there to cover Jagex's butt, and for no other reason.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If they really didn't want players under 13 they would make more of an effort to publicize this fact. Instead, they publish an Official Runescape Guide, have it published by a kids' publishing company, and put an age range on it of 9 to 12.

 

 

 

 

 

 

If the kid doesnÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ã¢ââ¬Å¾Ã¢t read it, or lies about his age, then itÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ã¢ââ¬Å¾Ã¢s at his disadvantage. Parents should be there to check those kinds of things.

 

 

 

Putting an age ranged of 9 to 12 was an error, simple, they should fix it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not much of a rebuttal there. I'll assume you are conceding the point; thanks.

 

 

 

IÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ã¢ââ¬Å¾Ã¢m conceding nothing. You didnÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ã¢ââ¬Å¾Ã¢t even take account what I wrote afterwards. IÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ã¢ââ¬Å¾Ã¢m the one that is assuming you have no decent explanation for your inconsistent arguments.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

See above. Plus the websites where the game is promoted, and Jagex telling parents that the game is for "all ages".

 

 

 

 

 

 

The choice of where Jagex advertises their game is not a tissue of evidence; you cannot prove what is the age the people visiting those websites. And again, when they create their account, it is up to them, and their parents, to follow the user agreement.

 

 

 

And Runescape is for ÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ãâ¦Ã¢â¬Åall agesÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬ÃâÃ

[qeltar]

 

 

 

You'll actually find its more like the ten year olds who do that.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Impossible.. we all know that Runescape is only for players over 13. :lol:

 

 

 

 

 

 

They added them for fun, they never wanted this to happen. Getting rid of them would make things alot worse.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cop-out. Fact remains that they could get rid of the senseless pursuit of rare items any time they want.

 

 

 

 

 

 

More likely it was the only way he knew to make money.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm sorry, were you there? I talked to the guy, did you? He wasn't making money, he was losing it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Do you know how hard this would be to enforce?

 

 

 

 

 

 

So it's okay for the people in charge to make lying and scamming legal because they can't be bothered to enforce their own rules? And then engage in a cover-up of the ruling?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

~q

[Makoto_the_Phoenix]

This article does echo a lot of what's going on here. For those of us that simply don't want to believe it, then don't. But much of what the author of the editorial said is somewhat true. Luring isn't punishable, Members is somewhat an immature place, and freeplay is ten times that.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

But let me get down to the nitty gritty and actually make a point instead of a three-liner which I normally do in rants! It's been a while.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

First of all, before I even start this, let me tell you that the article (and my post, for that matter) are opinions, not the Magna Carta. Much of what was said there is neither true nor false; just a representation of how this person felt. Where it becomes true is how a group of people interpret the opinion, and/or if there is actually hard evidence proving that these claims are true.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In-Game Gambling

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yeah, this is true to an extent. Barbarian Assault lets you gamble your items. You have to wager in two various and different games in two separate quests. You can stake your items and glory in Duel Arena. Why doesn't Jagex cover this up or change the way it's done? My question is: why should they? Every game that I know of actually does in some shape, form or fashion, desensitize gambling to the point where it is a side-effect of the game, but albeit on a much smaller level. Each and every person has the option not to participate in these functions (but if you really wanted that quest cape you would be forced to blank it out). Don't make it seem like Jagex is condoning or promoting gambling.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Maturity, Adolescence and Relationships

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I agree that you should be over a certain age to play RuneScape. You should probably be over 13 to really appreciate the community. While I'll agree that most players are immature and just plain dumb, it's neither my place nor anyones to place an age on them. "Oh, they act immature so they're probably nine." "What a loser. He's a no-lifer who's only fifteen. Bet he doesn't have a girlfriend either." You don't really need to classify anyone into those groups at all. Who's to say that the immature person isn't in their adult years, or the "no-lifer" suffered an accident to the extent that RuneScape is all that he has to do for the next six to eight weeks?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

- Addition. Can you please tell me what's wrong with "no-lifing"? Because for most teenagers, the goal of life in this stage is just to have as much fun as possible. What if playing RS is just what they like best. I can only see 3 restrictions; 1. They shouldn't screw up their future. 2. They should at least have some IRL friends. 3. If they keep playing but don't enjoy it anymore, they should stop.

 

 

 

(Note; I'm not like that myself and I set more restrictions to myself)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I can tell you four things that are wrong with it:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. You are denying yourself contact with your fellow friends and family. Who cares if you have fun online? Memories with your family last forever and are not subject to a Trojan or Keylogger ruining them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. You are focusing much of your energies and time into RuneScape and not studying. This has caused many of my friends (whom of which I will never name) to flunk straight out of High School. What glory is there having 99s and not having a High School Diploma?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. You are ten times more paranoid about your computer security than the CIA, and you are much more likely to be devastated by a keylogger or virus attack than the normal user. (Albeit, people that don't trust Linux-based OS's are much more likely to get a Trojan, it doesn't mean that no one is invulnerable to the probability of it.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. People outside of the game respect you far less. No one really gives any care about a 99 you earned or if you spent weeks and months earning that Dragon Chain; people only care about your attitude toward the goal that they want you to achieve. This is very true in prospective interviews; I've seen this (no lie) associates' resumes that they actually did a goal in some online fantasy game and are calling that a skill. (No, I will not say whether or not he got the job; that's for your imagination to figure out.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is true to some extent that males are likely to be attracted to a female avatar than males. That doesn't mean that they don't know the lady in real life or that they don't have a social life period (because clearly, they do). It isn't our place to rule out that they don't know the lady in real life or that they are some lonely desperate soul looking for love online. It's not anyone's judgment call. Period.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There isn't much actual "serious" sex talk, though I am sure a fair bit of that occurs privately. Most of it is the childish variety, often heard when players are doing something boring like fishing or woodcutting. It is routine to hear kids calling each other "gaye" and making taunting sexual references to each others' mothers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sorry I just thought that was downright hilarious.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

/me nods in agreement

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Scamming, luring, hacking, is due to the players, not the game. How many times do we have to say this?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The game also has its own checks and balances to ensure that most of this never happens. Don't you see that there really isn't anything stopping luring? Most reports of the above are usually either unpunished or punished on a minor scale.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Parental Involvement, Online Supervision and Age

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm of adult age; I no longer need anyone to monitor my actions online. Heck, I'm so busy with things that I have to do outside of the game that I'll probably never find time for it again. But that's neither here nor there; I agree wholeheartedly with the fact that parents do need to know what their children are getting into. Some of it can turn tragic and the parents should be there monitoring every step.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Keep in mind that the Jagex ToS also states that parents are encouraged to play with their kids, not just let them sign up and leave them to their own devices. What kind of parent would just let a kid go out into the game like that if they don't *really* know what they're getting into?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Medias keep telling us gambling is wrong. It is, when you're at the casino losing all the money of your paycheck. In rs, the few things that barely resemble gambling will, in the contrary, make the kids learn the dangers of losing when gambling. Also, may I mention, dueling and the high level gamble of barb assault are for p2p, and out of all my p2p friends none are under 13 yrs old.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As a parent, you should be more concerned about ur kids going on [Forbidden] websites, and going get laid at 12 yrs old(and a lot do at that age) at parties.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You bring about an extreme variable into the equation: a promiscuous 12 year old doing things that no parent would ever permit. Tell me, what the hell does that have to do with anything? That's more of a matter for Social Services than this forum, in my opinion.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

None of your Member friends are below thirteen? Yeah, that's a really accurate representation, given that your list can only hold 200 people, and that all 200 people are online at the same time, and that you talk with all 200 people on a regular basis...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For those that thing player moderators are an important or secure presence in game: You are wrong. They provide no more security for me online than my baseball bat would during an avalanche.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jagex as a Company

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: These are opinions, not libel. Thanks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jagex, as most other companies, has a responsibility to earn as much money as possible. What they do with this money is practically up to them -- spend it on workers, resources, Customer Service, various aspects of the game, whatever they want. I can believe only to an extent that Jagex is slightly more concerned with gaining money than they are with improving Customer Service. But then again I can't really say; the last time I reported someone for item scamming was back in January and I haven't found out what happened to them or if that report ever got through.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I realize that Customer Service needs some much needed T.L.C. And anyone can definitely say that -- after all, what are we paying for?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

------

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm going to go ahead and cut this post to a short close. Much of what was said here is either reiteration or reinterpreted opinion -- it's up to each and every one of us how we want to interpret it. Besides that, there isn't anything wrong with having both sides of an issue presented before the consumer. I'd prefer it if a more thorough investigation was conducted instead of writing opinions shared by the masses, but it is still a good read.

[highlanders]

You bring about an extreme variable into the equation: a promiscuous 12 year old doing things that no parent would ever permit. Tell me, what the hell does that have to do with anything? That's more of a matter for Social Services than this forum, in my opinion.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

None of your Member friends are below thirteen? Yeah, that's a really accurate representation, given that your list can only hold 200 people, and that all 200 people are online at the same time, and that you talk with all 200 people on a regular basis...

 

 

 

That hardly matters anymore, I posted that before I had precised my opinion. Parents should worry more about about their kids "doing things that no parent would ever permit" than getting worried over their kids being traumatized by Runescape, but this is a totally different matter.

[King_Peter18]

Considering the last player moderator I saw was yelling at a newbie for asking help with a quest. Yeah, the community is bad because alot of player moderators don't show any respect to anyone. No offense to the good moderators, but this is what I see with other player moderators. [/b]

[Kiriyama]

So it's okay for the people in charge to make lying and scamming legal because they can't be bothered to enforce their own rules? And then engage in a cover-up of the ruling?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Okay.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Luring is hard to enforce because most take place on a changed world OR happened over 60 seconds after the orginal convo.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All Jagex would see is you going in the wildy with alot of cash.

[qeltar]

 

 

 

If the kid doesnÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ã¢ââ¬Å¾Ã¢t read it, or lies about his age, then itÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ã¢ââ¬Å¾Ã¢s at his disadvantage. Parents should be there to check those kinds of things.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well gee, parents might go to runescape.com and load up the Parents' Guide. And there they can get their fill of distortions and false claims to make them feel that kids are perfectly safe playing the game.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Of course it says there that the game is for "all ages".

 

 

 

 

 

 

Putting an age ranged of 9 to 12 was an error, simple, they should fix it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

:lol:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is pure apologetics. You have absolutely no way to know that it was "an error, simple".

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The book's been out for what, three months now? So why isn't it "fixed"?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And tell me, was it also "an error, simple" for Jagex to choose to publish the official guide using the "largest publisher and distributor of children's books in the world", one that is also "the largest operator of school-based book clubs and school-based book fairs in the U.S"?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gee, I wonder why kids might start playing Runescape, hmm?

 

 

 

 

 

 

The choice of where Jagex advertises their game is not a tissue of evidence; you cannot prove what is the age the people visiting those websites.

 

 

 

 

 

 

You sound like a lawyer for Big Tobacco in the 1980s, trying to defend Joe Camel.

 

 

 

 

 

 

And Runescape is for ÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ãâ¦Ã¢â¬Åall agesÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬ÃâÃ

[highlanders]

Considering the last player moderator I saw was yelling at a newbie for asking help with a quest. Yeah, the community is bad because alot of player moderators don't show any respect to anyone. No offense to the good moderators, but this is what I see with other player moderators.

 

 

 

"Bad" players mods are rather rare. I have to agree a lot of them like bragging. But we have to give Jagex the credit for trying. If player mods do their job right or not, no one can do anything about it. And Jagex does enforce to report player moderators who are abusing of their powers, and things of the sort.

[highlanders]

And yet for all your accusations, you have not come up with a single example of anything I wrote that is false.

 

 

 

Now that angers me. Are you blind? I explicitely gave you an example.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There's no point in arguing with you, you are a blind fool that listens to nothing. I am right, I have proven it numerous times, yet you overlook what I say. Since you have to respect for anything that I say, I see no point on continuing this. You have fell very low, and I will not follow you there.

[qeltar]

highlanders, you seem to be unable to differentiate between disagreeing with my opinions and finding something I said that was false. I have as much right to my views as you do, and the mere fact that you don't like my views in no way makes them "false".

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'd suggest reading the beginning part of the post by Makoto_the_Phoenix (which was excellent, incidentally -- thanks very much for your well-expressed thoughts, Makoto.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

~q

[Trade_With]

Posted on behalf of Sworddude198. Not my views.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The book's been out for what, three months now? So why isn't it "fixed"?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And tell me, was it also "an error, simple" for Jagex to choose to publish the official guide using the "largest publisher and distributor of children's books in the world", one that is also "the largest operator of school-based book clubs and school-based book fairs in the U.S"?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is untrue, it was never endorsed by Jagex. Someone wanted easy money - they published the book and called it official.

[Aresgodowar]

can 5yrolds even spell runescape. or even have the coordination to use a mouse and keyboard??

[qeltar]

Posted on behalf of Sworddude198. Not my views.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The book's been out for what, three months now? So why isn't it "fixed"?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And tell me, was it also "an error, simple" for Jagex to choose to publish the official guide using the "largest publisher and distributor of children's books in the world", one that is also "the largest operator of school-based book clubs and school-based book fairs in the U.S"?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is untrue, it was never endorsed by Jagex. Someone wanted easy money - they published the book and called it official.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Uh, no, sorry. That's not true. (If someone tried that they'd get sued so fast their head would spin -- assuming a publisher would even agree to publish it without permission from Jagex.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Do you have the book? I do. Open it up and look at the copyright notice.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

~q

[Kiriyama]

 

Posted on behalf of Sworddude198. Not my views.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The book's been out for what, three months now? So why isn't it "fixed"?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And tell me, was it also "an error, simple" for Jagex to choose to publish the official guide using the "largest publisher and distributor of children's books in the world", one that is also "the largest operator of school-based book clubs and school-based book fairs in the U.S"?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is untrue, it was never endorsed by Jagex. Someone wanted easy money - they published the book and called it official.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Uh, no, sorry. That's not true. (If someone tried that they'd get sued so fast their head would spin -- assuming a publisher would even agree to publish it without permission from Jagex.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Do you have the book? I do. Open it up and look at the copyright notice.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

~q

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*Sigh*

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There was a topic here about it before you joined. We found out it was not endorsed by Jagex. They have it on the RuneScape website for gods sake.