_____Ahhh RuneScape. It holds a place in mine and so many others' hearts. It truly is a masterpiece of gaming, and could well be considered the greatest, most addictive game every created. Being addictive doesn't automatically make it the greatest game ever, yet addictive it is. The game could be said to be equivalent to an illicit drug. If you play the game just once, you will most likely come back for another doselike the slogan goes of a popular potato chip brand. What makes this game so addictive and potentially harmful to health? I will attempt an answer. _____The first time I played this game was at a friend's house 6 years ago, coming onto it after my friend and I discussed possible things to do. He started logging into RuneScape and I became intrigued by the little man running around cutting logs and lighting fires on Tutorial Island. It looked amazing. Between then and now I've been playing the game with long intermissions, usually playing for 1-2 months at a time before the thought comes into my head, what is this doing for me?, then I quit. The answer is nothing. You will get naught out of this game that will advance your life in any way. It may very well feel as if you're accomplishing something worthwhile, but it is merely an illusion, or rather a delusion. The feeling of meeting goals in a video game holds no candle to the sensation of meeting goals in life. The simple fact is that you're wasting your life away as I was mine. Just take a minute to think over what makes you play. The reasons could be that you have insecurity issues, social anxiety, or depression. The feeling you get when you achieve something amazing (a hoax I might add) could be making up for your lack of accomplishments in real life. I beg you not to let this game fulfill deep-seated desires that even you're not aware of. _____I have been on hiatus from RuneScape for nearly two months and still feel some need for it in my life, but I have not succumbed to the nagging of my own brain chemistry. It can be tough to overcome, but I assure you that it is possible. I've recently begun reading books, and this has somewhat filled the void that RuneScape once filled. Books are comparable to skills in RuneScape very much so. When beginning a book you set a goal to finish it. By the end of reading it, you will feel very accomplished and fulfilled, and guess what? You've actually done something worthwhile in life. Enriching your knowledge is a much greater pastime than sitting at a computer clicking on pixels. Take pause while you're playing to think this quick, expedient phrase: what am I doing?
