Runescape is work? Since when?

[forsooth]

SO i was acting bored one day and i found this fun article on the web. It says that Runescape for some, is work, and that they come for the scenery, hmmmm, some poeple need to get out a bit more don't you think. Anyways here is the article. I searched the two players mentioned in teh article and the only highscore between them is 60 mining by katspaw.

 

 

 

Any talk about stupid chinese sweatshops in here will be .... i'll think of something, its frowned upon atleast. So let's not talk about it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This was found on the bbc news website. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4774534.stm

 

 

 

 

 

 

How gaming is all work and no play With young people spending as much time online playing games as they do on homework, Brunel University academics Dr Simon Bradford and Nic Crowe explain how the findings of a three-year study show this is no bad thing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Millions worldwide immerse themselves in virtual worlds

 

 

 

Computer games are central to the lives of many young people. Online gaming, the ability to play against other gamers across the internet, has only added to the form's potency.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A recent UK survey highlighted that 82% of nine to 19-year-olds have at least one games console and 70% play computer games online.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The stark fact is that many young people spend as much time playing video games as they do doing their homework.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Concerned parents reading these statistics may have a sharp intake of breath. To them, this is proof that their children spend too much time being "anti-social" in front of a screen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is not that simple. Having researched gamers for three years, we have found that it is far from an anti-social activity.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Character development

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The complexity and structure of most games means that teenage gamers are actually learning vital skills, which will stand them in excellent stead as they prepare for the labour market.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We just come here to meet and chat, it's nice up on the cliffs looking over the ocean. I meet my sisters and we just hang out

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Katspaw

 

 

 

The focus of our study at Brunel University has been an online java-based gaming world called RuneScape operated by a small UK developer Jagex.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On the surface, RuneScape is similar to its more well-known American cousins, Warcraft, and Everquest, with its Tolkienesque environment and role-play in which the emphasis is on character development rather than special progression.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What makes RuneScape different and particularly interesting as a site of research, is that is not only instantly accessible (you can be playing in under five minutes from login) but it is also free.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This makes it extremely attractive to young people.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Online friends

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We noticed was that, rather than forfeiting existing friendships, teenagers logging into the game environment are actually adding to their group of friends.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This was because they meet different groups in different, virtual, meeting spaces.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"I like to come here and enjoy the scenery," said a 14-year-old player called Katspaw.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some players in Runescape relax by admiring the view

 

 

 

"We just come here to meet and chat, it's nice up on the cliffs looking over the ocean. I meet my sisters and we just hang out."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was surprising to see to the extent to which this idea was taken by the players.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Downtime places in the virtual world were treated similarly to material meeting places - players escape from real life into a fantasy environment where one can simply enjoy the sights and chat to friends.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In RuneScape, however, this is taken to extraordinary extremes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"One of my favourite places on Rune is the Braxton Waterfall," said a 16-year-old player using the name Axegrrl.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"You can just sit back by the river and relax. I could watch the water for hours it's so pretty. Not that many people come here so it's a great place just to be, you know."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Axegrrl wants a place where she can escape from the everyday world and have time to herself and she treats the virtual world as though it was real.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

RuneScape characters are avatars. They cannot really sit and the waterfall is little more than a photo with a few pixels that suggest movement, but for Axegrrl this represents a real location that induces peace, tranquillity and a palpable sense of relaxation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Axegrrl admits she has never seen a real waterfall or sat by a real river, but she uses the virtual experience to imagine how an event in real life might actually feel.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hard at work

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The most interesting factor we found among the gamers involved the other aspect of their online lives - work.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We noticed how they divided their time between work and play - an activity that is largely managed for schoolchildren and is often first learned with the independence of university education.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Those who view teenage gamers with disdain and concern might find themselves surprised to see youngsters who are actually very socially accomplished

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Axegrrl describes how she spends the first part of her gaming session at work, smithing and mining.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is how she generates income with which to buy the things she needs in the RuneScape world: armour, food, clothes and so on.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These work locations, particularly mining areas, often attract many users so she seeks quieter places to chat or wind down from the stresses of work, in the same way she might do after school or work in the material world.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The study showed that players use the virtual world not only to recreate the real world, but to explore all sorts of experiences that would otherwise be closed to them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For example gender, race or class, can be less or more important than they might be in the material world.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We found young men whose online identities are female, young women who control online clans in Runescape and young people who regard their main in-game activity as work.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

RuneScape provides some young people with an arena in which they can play with identity and act out experiences that may be impossible in the material world.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All of these findings have implications for educational work with young people.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

They show that, as well as being enjoyable, the gaming worlds offer young people the chance to develop important social and cultural skills which carry significance for real life.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The act of gaming is a very complex one. Those who view teenage gamers with disdain and concern might find themselves surprised to see youngsters who are actually very socially accomplished.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Post your comments.

[-Legolas8d-]

I saw this article months ago. I read it and searched for katspaw and she only had 50 minning at the time, lol.

[whiteboy1102]

Yeah those dragon trainers in the wildy that look identical? chinese gold farmers trying to make a living... so it's work in a literal sense.

[dude_of_war4]

now i can prove to friends who dont like runescape, that its gooood

[Dazzuh]

Quite sad really... but i'm not completely against it. I mean, they have to make a living. I'm still going to kill them sometimes though.

[malo2]

it isn't literally, but it is in another sense, its like saying being a doctor or a programmer isn't work. It doesn't have to be physical to be considered work.

[Ard_Choille]

SO i was acting bored one day and i found this fun article on the web. It says that Runescape for some, is work, and that they come for the scenery, hmmmm, some poeple need to get out a bit more don't you think. Anyways here is the article. I searched the two players mentioned in teh article and the only highscore between them is 60 mining by katspaw.

 

 

 

Any talk about stupid chinese sweatshops in here will be .... i'll think of something, its frowned upon atleast. So let's not talk about it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4774534.stm - Ard>

 

 

 

How gaming is all work and no play With young people spending as much time online playing games as they do on homework, Brunel University academics Dr Simon Bradford and Nic Crowe explain how the findings of a three-year study show this is no bad thing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Millions worldwide immerse themselves in virtual worlds

 

 

 

Computer games are central to the lives of many young people. Online gaming, the ability to play against other gamers across the internet, has only added to the form's potency.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A recent UK survey highlighted that 82% of nine to 19-year-olds have at least one games console and 70% play computer games online.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The stark fact is that many young people spend as much time playing video games as they do doing their homework.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Concerned parents reading these statistics may have a sharp intake of breath. To them, this is proof that their children spend too much time being "anti-social" in front of a screen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is not that simple. Having researched gamers for three years, we have found that it is far from an anti-social activity.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Character development

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The complexity and structure of most games means that teenage gamers are actually learning vital skills, which will stand them in excellent stead as they prepare for the labour market.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We just come here to meet and chat, it's nice up on the cliffs looking over the ocean. I meet my sisters and we just hang out

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Katspaw

 

 

 

The focus of our study at Brunel University has been an online java-based gaming world called RuneScape operated by a small UK developer Jagex.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On the surface, RuneScape is similar to its more well-known American cousins, Warcraft, and Everquest, with its Tolkienesque environment and role-play in which the emphasis is on character development rather than special progression.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What makes RuneScape different and particularly interesting as a site of research, is that is not only instantly accessible (you can be playing in under five minutes from login) but it is also free.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This makes it extremely attractive to young people.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Online friends

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We noticed was that, rather than forfeiting existing friendships, teenagers logging into the game environment are actually adding to their group of friends.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This was because they meet different groups in different, virtual, meeting spaces.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"I like to come here and enjoy the scenery," said a 14-year-old player called Katspaw.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some players in Runescape relax by admiring the view

 

 

 

"We just come here to meet and chat, it's nice up on the cliffs looking over the ocean. I meet my sisters and we just hang out."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was surprising to see to the extent to which this idea was taken by the players.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Downtime places in the virtual world were treated similarly to material meeting places - players escape from real life into a fantasy environment where one can simply enjoy the sights and chat to friends.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In RuneScape, however, this is taken to extraordinary extremes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"One of my favourite places on Rune is the Braxton Waterfall," said a 16-year-old player using the name Axegrrl.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"You can just sit back by the river and relax. I could watch the water for hours it's so pretty. Not that many people come here so it's a great place just to be, you know."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Axegrrl wants a place where she can escape from the everyday world and have time to herself and she treats the virtual world as though it was real.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

RuneScape characters are avatars. They cannot really sit and the waterfall is little more than a photo with a few pixels that suggest movement, but for Axegrrl this represents a real location that induces peace, tranquillity and a palpable sense of relaxation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Axegrrl admits she has never seen a real waterfall or sat by a real river, but she uses the virtual experience to imagine how an event in real life might actually feel.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hard at work

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The most interesting factor we found among the gamers involved the other aspect of their online lives - work.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We noticed how they divided their time between work and play - an activity that is largely managed for schoolchildren and is often first learned with the independence of university education.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Those who view teenage gamers with disdain and concern might find themselves surprised to see youngsters who are actually very socially accomplished

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Axegrrl describes how she spends the first part of her gaming session at work, smithing and mining.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is how she generates income with which to buy the things she needs in the RuneScape world: armour, food, clothes and so on.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These work locations, particularly mining areas, often attract many users so she seeks quieter places to chat or wind down from the stresses of work, in the same way she might do after school or work in the material world.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The study showed that players use the virtual world not only to recreate the real world, but to explore all sorts of experiences that would otherwise be closed to them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For example gender, race or class, can be less or more important than they might be in the material world.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We found young men whose online identities are female, young women who control online clans in Runescape and young people who regard their main in-game activity as work.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

RuneScape provides some young people with an arena in which they can play with identity and act out experiences that may be impossible in the material world.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All of these findings have implications for educational work with young people.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

They show that, as well as being enjoyable, the gaming worlds offer young people the chance to develop important social and cultural skills which carry significance for real life.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The act of gaming is a very complex one. Those who view teenage gamers with disdain and concern might find themselves surprised to see youngsters who are actually very socially accomplished.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Post your comments.

[forsooth]

Thanks ard i was pondering wether or not to put it on, guess i should have, well i put the link up now anyway. ty.

[cowmasta13]

Yeah, sometimes I like to go and sit by Braxton falls too. They interviewed a newb :P

[BoD]

sometimes i feel bad about killin the green drag autoers in the wildy

 

 

 

i usually get over it within 5 seconds :twisted:

[Elvy_666]

Isn't it baxtorian falls??? :-w

[Thus]

Yeah, sometimes I like to go and sit by Braxton falls too. They interviewed a newb :P

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

yeah, those ppl are dumb [wagons]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

also, check out this crud: http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/news/16363910.htm

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the virtual world of RuneScape, Stephen Gleitz goes by Generalmkii Level 86, a warrior with unmatched combat skills. He fights goblins and giant rats, explores new territories and when needed casts spells on those who oppose him.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gleitz estimates that he spends about two hours a day playing RuneScape, a wildly popular online role-playing game that has developed a cultlike status with teens who would rather battle demons than chat up friends on MySpace.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ãâ¦Ã¢â¬ÅThereÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ã¢ââ¬Å¾Ã¢s a lot of competition,ÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬ÃâÃ

[Cha0sx]

Dscimmy? Try the hardcore elements of the game like staking a full phat set :shock: .

[BloodfleshX]

Yeah, sometimes I like to go and sit by Braxton falls too. They interviewed a newb :P

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What do you expect, it's BBC :lol:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Honestly, if you look hard enough you'll find tons of articles such as this one. Unfortunately they never go into great detail about the game. If they do, it's just about things capping at level 60.

[badlilmonkey]

Ouch, I gotta hide this from my Mum! :? She would probably cancel my memership :shock: !!

[Markup]

Reminds me of i-robot, (*sneeze* sorry i'm allergic to...)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Anyway, when I don't have membership I only log on to hang out with some friends. But when I have membership i'm normally hanging out with my friends or training towards my goals. Like they said, there's nothing wrong with having friends on a game then having friends that you have met.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

~MAK

[S00NERfan]

Its like how they interview people in Texas. They find the biggest redneck and listen to him tell about "how 'em aliens probed him and stole his beer".. Making everyone else in Texas look like we are a bunch of hillbillies :XD: .

[timmay929]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

also, check out this crud: http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/news/16363910.htm

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the virtual world of RuneScape, Stephen Gleitz goes by Generalmkii Level 86, a warrior with unmatched combat skills. He fights goblins and giant rats, explores new territories and when needed casts spells on those who oppose him.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gleitz estimates that he spends about two hours a day playing RuneScape, a wildly popular online role-playing game that has developed a cultlike status with teens who would rather battle demons than chat up friends on MySpace.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ãâ¦Ã¢â¬ÅThereÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ã¢ââ¬Å¾Ã¢s a lot of competition,ÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬ÃâÃ

[Jard_Y_Dooku]

ROFL. "Unmatched combat". Hahahaha. Even 125 isn't unmatched... stupid news people.

[ValaraZ]

Funny how Axegrrl is not listed on hiscores even though she works hard for her money, in lumby, digging gold.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Those guys interviewed newbies and not me. I would've made their life interesting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And katspaw made it to 60 mining!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Seriously, interview older and higher level players who know stuff, MM isn't hard really, just annoying.

[Altra]

Ugh, it gets annoying when the media tries to focus and analyze gamers and games, sometimes. They always end up acting like they have conclusive studies that show such-and-such (usually bad) and stereotype the entire community be an extremely small sample. If they want an accurate article, at least play the game... Even one month + interviewing a range of players would give a more accurate article than no prior knowledge of the game and, what was it? Three interviews? :-s Well, mild rant being over, at least this time they didn't devote the article to trying to prove that the internet is nothing but a hazard and should be removed from the equation entirely. :roll:

[wakka102]

This is old, I remember it being post a while back. Still interesting :)

[Blackspells]

Cool nice find

[berbatovsky]

It's interesting that Runescape is important enough to be featured in news articles, unfortunately the writers of said articles did approximately no research (they could have tried playing the game..). Parents feel that while we're playing on the computer we are wasting our time. We should of course be inventing cures to various diseases 'yeh our bad'. If i have free time i spend it on the computer if not i hang out with friends. I don't do anything particularily constructive with my non-free time so why should my free-time be different? If i go and play football then yes i am improving my fitness, but i am still playing a GAME that I ENJOY. If playing games made you more arrogant/stupider/lazier/disconnected with reality then yes there would be cause for concern but they seriously, totally don't do anything of the sort so let the kids play!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There are certain tasks in runescape that i don't enjoy. Some slayer tasks for example or runecrafting, so i don't do them/do them when i'm in a mood too. I very rarely find myself thinking 'gawd this is boring' while playing Runescape and if I do I do something else ingame or in Real Life. So i don't think of anything in game as work.

[anonymous1234]

when i saw "he is level 86 with unmatched skills and kills goblins and rats," i almost threw up from laughter. :lol: i mean he sounds like such a pc noob i bet his total is 350 max.