Runescape Anon

[ArmadylArcher]

I see this a lot on this board and in runescape, from walking around and talking to people.

 

 

 

Game addiction.

 

I was reading in this thread about "Your biggest Mistakes" and people were responded they had internet/runescape addictions.

 

 

 

viewtopic.php?f=10&t=791021&start=40

 

 

 

And it makes me ask the question: How do you think jagex feels? Are they even aware that people may harmfully get addicted to their game and if they are...how do you think they feel about that?

 

 

 

Do they try to exploit it :twisted:

 

Or are they trying to help it?

 

 

 

I've met and seen some kids when I used to work as a youth coordinator. A lot of their hobbies (these kids are 10-18 years old let me say) were pretty standard but a big theme especially amongst the 10-13 year old age bracket was playing on Runescape more than 3, sometimes more than 6 hours. In one case I encountered a 12 year old boy who would play through the night and it started to really affect his schoolwork and life. He explained the kids in town just didn't get him and his friends online did.

 

 

 

I thought it was interesting to make a discussion about it to see what peoples thoughts and feelings are towards the issue.

 

In china they had a nationwide policy that limits people from over-gaming on the internet. A lot of American themed websites are blocked off because they are pro-capitalist and anti-china, so the government believes.

 

 

 

Is that what should be done? Government moving in to regulate internet use for certain families or age groups?

 

 

 

Should it be the gaming company's issue ?

 

 

 

Or is it personal?

 

 

 

Thought It'd make for some interesting discussion on this forum

[Riku3220]

It isn't the companies job to stop addictions to their product, in fact that's kind of the point of most companies. Basically it's the kid's fault for doing nothing else and the parent's fault for not intervening.

 

 

 

JaGeX Doesn't have to do anything except provide these addicts with their game.

[Giordano]

People are over-exaggerating on their addiction.

[Racheya]

People are over-exaggerating on their addiction.

 

I'm not. I'm not particularly addicted to Runescape, but the internet in general... I spend every single day at least 6/7 hours here... :wall:

 

 

 

I don't think it's any of the companies fault and I DON'T want my internet regulated. It's the person's responsibility. If they wanna do nothing with their life but complain about it on the internet like I do, then they have that right.

[ArmadylArcher]

I spend a lot of time on the internet, myself, but my work encompasses needing to network with other professionals online as well as my own e-mail and business is greatly aided by the assistance and networking available on the web.

 

 

 

I wouldn't say I am addicted to it, though, I really enjoy browsing and reading as much intelligent conversations as I can. Learning new techniques for myself, how to do something, asking for help or assistance, networking with models...the list goes on

 

 

 

I play online games like runescape to relax and have fun; and they really do help me chill.

 

 

 

Not sure if you guys heard but there was a 14 year old kid that ran away from home after his parents took away COD4 (Call Of Duty 4) and his xbox gaming system. He died in the woods and a lot of people believed it was suicide, though, most believe it was accidental and just chance that he died. The trigger was taking away the call of duty 4 game, however, and the makers of the game were under fire from the press for a bit.

 

 

 

Another popular case study was the Chinese kid that killed himself after WoW

 

http://www.techspot.com/news/19487-chin ... craft.html

 

 

 

Do you guys forsee this happening with runescape, sometime in the future?

[Giordano]

[hide=]

 

Not sure if you guys heard but there was a 14 year old kid that ran away from home after his parents took away COD4 (Call Of Duty 4) and his xbox gaming system. He died in the woods and a lot of people believed it was suicide, though, most believe it was accidental and just chance that he died. The trigger was taking away the call of duty 4 game, however, and the makers of the game were under fire from the press for a bit.

 

 

 

Another popular case study was the Chinese kid that killed himself after WoW

 

http://www.techspot.com/news/19487-chin ... craft.html

 

 

 

Do you guys forsee this happening with runescape, sometime in the future?

[/hide]

 

That can happen to anything that somebody loves/enjoys. Love, money, RuneScape, pet, car, drugs, etc. Call it addiction or not, but it can happen to anything.

[warren211]

Thank god, when I saw "anon" in the thread title I was afraid we'd have another 4chan thread on here poisoning our beloved forums.

 

 

 

Anyway, Jagex, to some degree, has taken some small measures in preventing total addiction. If I'm not mistaken there is a 6 hour limit to playing runescape before you must log out, at least for a few seconds. There are plenty of knowledge base pages that emphasize doing some activity more than runescape and stopping for a break every 15 mins, and that Runescape will always be there when they return. Obviously Jagex is not going to go out of their way to prevent addictions. There are companies and advocate groups that do that job. And they're not going to ruin their business by warning constantly of addiction and taking extra measures to prevent "no-lifers". But it's not like they're promoting that you play for hours on end. That is a choice the player makes to spend extra time to make their character better.

[killerbeer0]

He explained the kids in town just didn't get him and his friends online did.

 

I can understand that.

 

 

 

And unless the manual section was removed Jagex promotes healthy gaming. The make-X things are an example of them trying to combat carpal tunnel or RSI.

 

 

 

Oh, and wrong forum.

[Sbrideau]

Jagex does try to warn and prevent peole from getting addicted. I know there are texts somewhere (in the chatbox perhaps after a few hours) telling them to take a break after while, and I know it autologs out the person if he's on the game for more than 5 hours.

[Zierro]

I'd say a combination of both. If they didn't care at all, I doubt we'd have a thorough "Balance Your Playing" manual or whatever it is on the site. But then again, they're a company and their incentive is to profit.

[sohkmj1]

Jagex does try to warn and prevent peole from getting addicted. I know there are texts somewhere (in the chatbox perhaps after a few hours) telling them to take a break after while, and I know it autologs out the person if he's on the game for more than 5 hours.

 

Really? I've done RS for 6 hours in 07. Must be really recent... :wall:

 

But I overheard games like maplestory (obscenely popular here :wall: )and other grinders do produce such messages.

 

Now, where the hell does this fit in? This is more on video gaming in general, yet runescape is mentioned explicitly.

[Furah]

You asking if the Government should be obliged to try and limit people from too much internet has made me think, and it wouldn't work, and if they did do it then I would move to a country where they won't, limit it, as I would never pay tax to a government that wants to tell me how to use the internet. As for me being only 17, I could get taxed if I got a job paying me over $500/month which I could easily earn if I got a traineeship.

 

 

 

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Listening to: Metallica - The Shortest Straw

[Omar]

Just before quitting, I realized how I really didn't like Runescape at when I played it. It was boring, it felt useless, but it killed time. If you ask me, those "addicts" just need to find something interesting to do.

[Deiophobus]

Just before quitting, I realized how I really didn't like Runescape at when I played it. It was boring, it felt useless, but it killed time. If you ask me, those "addicts" just need to find something interesting to do.

 

 

 

That's a good point, but people start playing for different reasons. They may have had nothing to do, or maybe stopped doing other things to play runescape. Although jagex does warn against unhealthy playing habits, and advises activity, they are really doing the bare minimum. I doubt anyone reading their suggestions will change their playing habits. But that is understandable to some degree, they want people to play, they are a business.

 

 

 

Wouldn't they make the same amount of money if someone who had members played 1 day a month, as opposed to everyday for 9 hours?

[Housepig]

What idiot's gonna pay £4.50 to play once a month? They want people to play enough to buy membership, but they don't endorse no-lifing. Of course, it's somewhat difficult to get 99s or whatever without no-lifing, so in a way you could say it's their fault.

[BlackDawn]

 

I'm not. I'm not particularly addicted to Runescape, but the internet in general... I spend every single day at least 6/7 hours here... :wall:

 

 

 

 

This sounds a hell of a lot like me, I'm on here from morning to evening without stopping :wall:.

 

 

 

I suppose it's not jagex's fault really, they just created a fun game for people to play, it's more the players fault as their the ones who gained the addiction.

[Dexek]

I believe it is up to the person to take control of their life and decide what is best for their health/career. I see enough warnings on the site to have no reason to pull them into the mess.

[scootlaboot]

Anything can be addictive. This is a fact of life. The fact that someone gets addicted does not make them a sob story, its their life choices and they have no one to blame but themselves. Furthermore addiction is not a disease, it is a self created dependence and nothing more. But why does anyone get addicted in the first place, because they like it. If you don't want to get addicted to anything, then you need to live in a protective bubble of boredom.

[Kaida23]

It's not up to Jagex or the government to control how much time people spend playing RuneScape. It's up to the person. If that person happens to be a minor, then it's up to the parents. How parents can let their kids play video games for 6 hours a day is beyond me. I certainly wouldn't, and don't, let my kids do that.

[bloodyhatchetbear]

How parents can let their kids play video games for 6 hours a day is beyond me. I certainly wouldn't, and don't, let my kids do that.

 

 

 

This whole thing actually started back when television was first introduced. Instead of actually watching their kids themselves, parents would plop a kid down in front of a TV and let them watch for hours. It doesn't surprise me that with the times, there are new ways of babysitting.

 

 

 

 

 

As far as my own gaming addiction goes, I try to do other things with my spare time. I go for walks throughout my day, and I just try to not over-do it. I'm in the process of beating one addiction (cigarettes, got the patch ^_^ ), I'm not ready to go off of the video games.

[Pawn]

There was some dutchy who killed himself when his friend hacked his account. But anyways, it's up to the person to stop playing and control themselves. But either way, you just outgrow your addiction which is inevitable with RuneScape.

[Mr_Adam]

It's their problem. People are addicted to alcohol, but do we blame the millions of people who drink for one person who couldn't control themselves?

 

 

 

 

 

Also, the 14 year old kid who died was not of the age suggested by the ESRB as mature enough to play CoD4. So the ESRB wins that one.

 

 

 

 

 

Internet addiction is actually a problem in China though. I can't explain it... but I saw it in a Nat. Geo magazine. Maybe you can find it on the site.