What's wrong with playing RuneScape, honestly?

[Barney.S]

As long as you are healthy about it (say 1-3 hours of game time per day) There's absolutely nothing wrong with playing RS and if any of your 'friends' would make you feel ashamed about that then that might be a good time to reconsider your friends.

 

I am 24 years old, been playing this wonderful game off and on since 2001. Me and some of my friends started together, I was the only one who stayed on it though. Managing to mix my social life, sports and RS all together. Some of my friends had a good laugh a year or two ago when my wife told them I was playing again, I told them to go [bleep] themselves and that I don't give a flying [bleep] about what they think, afterall, how I choose to unload my daily stress is my personal choice. And that was the end of the dicsussion, they are all very good friends of mine, they expressed their opinion, I expressed mine rather feverently and that's all.

 

In the end everyone has their own form of recreational time, some prefer porn for unloading (yes, pun intended), some prefer watching sports, FPS games, old games, new games, PS, Xbox, in the end it makes no difference as long as it works for YOU.

 

In my opinion playing the newest GTA, RSC, FIFA 2013 or AoE2 are all absolutely equal - they give the same end result and can all be taken to an unhealthy level. Moderation is the key.

[Marduk_God]

I disagree, it was still lame when I was 12. It was just associated with geeks, I think, and well, kids will use any pretext to pick on each other at that age.

 

With whom do you disagree?

[Donnie]

As long as you are healthy about it (say 1-3 hours of game time per day)

 

The normies all sit on facebook for 6+ hours a day. If you limited your playtime to just 3 hours a day you would be even more social then the average joe, let alone the average scaper

[Omar]

I disagree, it was still lame when I was 12. It was just associated with geeks, I think, and well, kids will use any pretext to pick on each other at that age.

 

With whom do you disagree?

You.

[Sy_Accursed]

I find the idea, in this day and age, that being online automatically equates to not being social quite absurd.

I mean if I'm in runescape talking to clan mates and friends how is that unsocial?

Yes I'm not socialising with people face to face, but I'm still socialising.

 

Just like if your sitting on facebook or skype for hours as long as you are chatting to folks you are socialising.

Heck in many ways I'd say these things are more social than some activities deemed as being 'social' eg going to the cinema - whilst you go with friends and it is fun how is sitting in the dark, in silence watching a film deemed to be more social than actually talking to people, even if they happen to be in a game or online rather than face to face.

Or the number of people I know who won't talk whilst eatting - how is them being there for a meal out but not talking more social than talking to friends on fb?

 

Of course neither example is remotely anti-social, but I don't see why they are deemed more social than being online and chatting via websites or games when the entire core of sociability relies on interacting and talking with other people.

[Omar]

Geek conventions are very social, but you'll probably raise an eyebrow if you're going to one. Same thing with Satanic cults. Stigma has nothing to do with how social an activity is.

[Ginger_Warrior]

In most social situations, there exists a need to physically express tolerance and affection towards other people in that same social group. Sitting next to someone while you eat dinner is a small example, but it demonstrates that you're at ease with that other person being inside your "personal space". Body language is also an immensely important part of communicating, which is obviously a key skill in being able to socialise with other people; that's why people use "smileys" even in text-based communication, such as a forum like this. If you're in a relationship, try going a day without being physically able to tell your partner how you feel about them; it becomes very difficult and a lot of the meaning gets lost. Just to underline my point, ask any salesperson about how effective subtle touches are at establishing rapport with prospective clients, whether it's a handshake or a hand on the shoulder--it demonstrates trustworthiness and a mutual respect to the other person.

 

Physical displays of affection are obviously impossible to replicate in RuneScape, hence why it's generally not an appropriate substitute to interacting with people in reality. We all have a need to communicate ourselves properly to other human beings, and also have other people communicate with us in return.

 

Additionally, most of what Facebook is all about isn't actually talking to people online necessarily, it's actually more about organising social activity with people you would otherwise know in reality anyway. So things like arranging to meet up in a cafe, going on a night out with friends, or classmates supporting each other through assignments. If I talk to people over Facebook, it's either an odd comment as opposed to a full-blown conversation, or it's talking to people I can't physically talk to (due to geography, cost etc.).

[Platinum_Myr]

We think that communication over text, or video is the same as being physically in the same room with your full attention and focus on someone but it is not.

 

When I'm chatting with a clanmate neither of us can be sure that our full focus is there. I can't tell if the other person is having more conversations, or whether they are fully focused on me. Also, without body language a lot of levels of communication are lost.

 

Even in person it has become difficult because it is becoming (or has already become) socially acceptable to pull out your phone and get on that even in the middle of conversations with people. That continuously decreases the level of intimacy of communication.

 

Personal face to face communication is important, but we are getting less and less of it.

[Sy_Accursed]

Don't get me wrong, I wasn't claiming you get all you socially need from online interactions.

I just disagree that being online is automatically deemed anti-social because in modern world much of what is online is a social experience.

 

Plus the need for intimacy through being near people and such is entirely separate from the act of being social or anti-social. Yes as a social being we need the intimacy as well as the pure social interaction, but we are capable of socialising without the intimacy - which is precisely what multi-player games and social media and such offer.

[purpieman2]

As with everything,nothing is wrong with playing a MMORPG or any game unless one allows themselves to have it affect their lives negatively. Like neglect everything else, including hygene.

[Barney.S]

ask any salesperson about how effective subtle touches are at establishing rapport with prospective clients

 

As a salesman I feel the need to highlight that part, I have made a lot of sales just by reading my client's body language or using appropriate physical contact as needed! Nothing is more important than physical contact, which is why face to face socialization can never be compared with internet socialization.

[Marduk_God]

I disagree, it was still lame when I was 12. It was just associated with geeks, I think, and well, kids will use any pretext to pick on each other at that age.

 

With whom do you disagree?

You.

 

You are perfectly free to disagree, of course, but your explanation didn't actually disagree with anything I said - which is why you had me a little confused there.

 

The basic premise of our arguments is to all intents and purposes very similar, if not the same - based on negative associations, and a disavowal of anything 'childish' because of peer pressure. Why do kids pick on each other? To appear cool to their social environment. In this context, trying to 'appear cool' and 'appear serious/adult' is basically the same difference.

[Omar]

Yeah, we agree on the form but not the substance. From my experience though, it has little to do with age and perception of maturity.

[V O R K]

WTF.

 

OP, please don't ever do drugs.

[SnWRifleman]

That's a big wall of text I don't feel like reading...

[Scary Crayon]

There is nothing wrong with playing Runescape. I used to get to mick taken when I was at school, but kids will pick and nagg at each other over anything little thing, its part of being a kid. Now i'm a bit older I don't really play RS as much (altho gonna log on to see what RS2007 is like), I just see RS as any other game.

[swagcake]

there's nothing wrong with playing runescape, but it is a very outdated game and there are much better games out there.

i would rather spend time playing better games and having more of a social life (clubbing, chilling with friends, meeting new people).

runescape was a game i played as a child in elementary, middle school, and early high school. As i grow up, i dont have enough time to spend playing rs, newer games, having a social life, and studying.

[Ammako]

First off, RuneScape isn't anything more than a grind-fest. You do the same thing over and over again, expecting different results each time. The game is basically Albert Einsteins definition of insanity. So, you can say you're insane if you play RuneScape.

I don't know about you, but when I repeatedly kill a GWD boss or when I repeatedly do Clue scrolls, I do essentially the same thing over and over again, expecting different results each time.

And you know what? I get different results every time!

 

Comparing this game to Albert Einstein's definition of insanity is completely bogus, lol.

[Alg]

Comparing this game to Albert Einstein's definition of insanity is completely bogus, lol.

There's also the tiny matter of Einstein not being a psychologist, or that definition being pretty much irrelevant when it comes to gaming, or... well, most things.

[Tui]

Yeah RS is that bad. People that have quit realize this. People that play might not or try and justify why they play it.

[Hedgehog]

Not to mention that Einstein probably never said that.

[Mecakoto]

Not to mention that Einstein probably never said that.

 

He did, in fact, say that. OP is, unfortunately, misinterpreting the quote in order to fill his wanted definition.

 

In Runescape, you don't do the same thing over and over expecting a different outcome each time. You do it as a process to achieve something, such as a level, a drop, etc. Aka a shitty job.

[Hedgehog]

Not to mention that Einstein probably never said that.

 

He did, in fact, say that. OP is, unfortunately, misinterpreting the quote in order to fill his wanted definition.

 

In Runescape, you don't do the same thing over and over expecting a different outcome each time. You do it as a process to achieve something, such as a level, a drop, etc. Aka a shitty job.

Show me the specific text in which Einstein stated it.

[Mecakoto]

Not to mention that Einstein probably never said that.

 

He did, in fact, say that. OP is, unfortunately, misinterpreting the quote in order to fill his wanted definition.

 

In Runescape, you don't do the same thing over and over expecting a different outcome each time. You do it as a process to achieve something, such as a level, a drop, etc. Aka a shitty job.

Show me the specific text in which Einstein stated it.

 

I am far too lazy. And, if you actually cared, you'd be able to google it to confirm it or not. You're just trying to strawman. It's cute. Like a panda.

[J a m e s]

Wow OP, I really don't know where to start. I'm maxed with over a billion xp on Runescape myself, so I've sunk quite a few hours into this game as well, but your post comes off as nothing but a desperate attempt to rationalize the addiction of the last year of your life.

 

Instead of talking about working out and getting ripped, why don't you get a gym membership and actually do it?

 

Also, I seriously doubt Jagex would mistakenly ban someone who just AFKs for botting... What's up with that fabrication, lol?