Sunday, October 7, 2007

RuneScape Exposed: An Education Kids Don't Need

Voice of a concerned parent. Some things there are very arguable, but I would encourage you to read it anyway, it gives another perspective on the game and reveals some of the hidden dangers.

2 comments:

Knifestorm said...

These types of reviews bug me.

First off, Runescape is not made for children. From Jagex's own site "RuneScape isn't specifically targeted at kids and never has been . . . The difficulty of the gameplay itself is not shaped for younger players. A certain level of maturity is in fact really needed to play RuneScape to the full extent . . . Finally, RuneScape is set in a traditional fantasy setting with the usual combat and conflict, so we only recommend the game for players aged 13+ (i.e. if you wouldn't want your kids to watch "Lord of the Rings", you probably wouldn't want them to play RuneScape)."

Your linked review complaines that RS is not safe for 12 year olds or 5 year olds -- that's right. And bicycles are not safe for infants because they can't work the brakes. Use some judgment folks!

Most reviews I see about RS are only about the demo version where people can act like jerks. Jagex does not make any money on the demo version and I would like to see it limited in some way. If they made it so the demo version could not be played for more than 8 hours a month then people may behave better when they were on-line and lazy parents would not need to worry so much about game addiction.

Vaskor said...

First of all, I want to be clear on my position. I actually disagree with many points from the article, but I think that the true picture can be seen only when the issue is being looked upon different angles. That's why I do now and I will keep referring to some of the articles many or even majority may find wrong or outrageous.

I know little kids who play Runescape thus breaking 13+ rule. I actually don't think it is wrong. Stuff the kids are exposed through TV, movies or other games is no less mature. It is a responsibility of a parent to make sure his/her child does not get addicted. And I am not talking about bluntly banning computer or internet usage. Instead the kid should be given real life opportunities to express himself/herself. In this case Runescape will be really just a game and not a substitution for real life activities.

 
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