Would Runescape still be here without Fan-sites?

[Ginger_Warrior]

This isn't a debate, there is no need to make it one. You need to relax and just let things go. It doesn't matter about the details as this isn't a serious thread. Instead of questioning the question, answer it to the best of your ability.

To be fair, most of his and Obts posts have been doing exactly that - it's just that you've not agreed, and they've been coupled with seem pretty needless and nasty retorts that drag a civil discussion into full blown rowing (and you've not exactly avoided making the odd snipe yourself).

 

It's the latter phenomenon that this board really needs dealing with. Sometimes, reading this board is like watching the House of Commons during PMQs, and it's unsavoury.

 

Expanding on Kimberly's point, when I started to wind down from RuneScape two years ago on my old, now banned, account, I stayed around Off-Topic and was involved in the Mario Kart Wii and SSBB threads. When I decided to make a new account earlier this year, the first thing I thought about doing was finding the old HYT chat and getting back in touch with some old Tip.Iters I once knew. Then again, this is only one story of the millions upon millions who play RuneScape, but undoubtedly wanting to return to the HYT clan chat - a part of the wider Tip.It community - was influential in making me return to the game.

 

The original question was "Does RuneScape rely on fansites?" which clearly is a given 'no', but it does add to the gaming experience unquestionably, though maybe less now than Tip.It used to many years ago.

[Zaaps1]

Tbh, if there were no fansites, I'd probably stop playing, or play far, far less.

[Youmu]

Sonikku. PROVE IT. Thats my point. If there weren't fansites, would there be something else? Would there be groups on skype, facebook, IRC, MSN? Would IRL friends play RS together? We don't know, and can't prove it, because there ARE fansites. What Danz is suggesting is basically "What would RS be like without the internet as we know it". If he is trying to say that fansites keep RS alive, that is the biggest exaggeration since Al Gore invented the internet.

Should have reworded myself better. It's the FANS that make Runescape so popular today. Whether or not it's those internet/irl group or fansites, there are fans everywhere that will spread word of the game.

 

Without these fans, Runescape won't be so successful, and would probably be another one of those obscure Java games.

 

Of course fansites just add to this fan popularity factor. I'm in the same boat as Zaaps, if it wasn't for fansites I would probably play way less, and have far less knowledge of the game, best methods, etc. What I DO agree on though, is that fansites are not the starting source of Runescape's popularity. There has to be something else before fansites... what that "something else" is though, we may never know what that is.

[stonewall337]

I think given the need for fansites (at least for quest help among some other things) someone would eventually come up with something. Your question of would RS be here without fansites doesnt make sense, because given the need for fansites someone would make one or an equivalent of one eventually.

 

So a help site in its basic form would exist, most likely in the form of a wiki if people did not make fansites prior to wiki's becoming popular. Of course as far as help goes there would be a need for forums that you can post pictures and have more detailed guides then RSOF would allow for boss fights and/or quest fights. Perhaps that could exist on a wiki, or on editorial Youtube videos.

 

Basically what I am trying to say is that fansites exist because of the demand for them. People join fansites for the same reason they join clans - the community, as much as some of the efficient players may hate to admit this, they ENJOY arguing with other scapers on here.

 

Fansites fulfill a gap in the gameplay experience, a strong community/help so people dont have to reinvent the wheel every time. And if they didnt exist in the present form they do now I can guarantee they would exist in some way.

 

Now would runescape not exist if it wasnt for these fansites? very likely it would - someone would make some equivalent of the help these sites offer, because there would be a demand for it, and it is simply too easy to make an equivalent of what the fansites offer as far as help goes for it not to exist. For a sense of community, clan sites would likely be more popular if fansites didnt catch on

 

Edit: I know im rambling but I hope I made my point clear

 

 

Which was somewhat my point, fans would have moved to something else if not fansites.