Back to Grinding? Heck, No!

I'd love to completely disagree with this Tip.it article, but, I am afraid, I can't. I am afraid the author is right about the makeup of an average Runescape player and that internal drive which makes us put up with grindings and even enjoy, if not exactly it, but those moments of reaching endless intermediate little goals and checkpoints.

But I do disagree with the author's statement that we should simply accept it, agree that this is the essence of the game and complacently proceed with grinding away. Because there is other way. In fact, there are many other ways to play Runescape and enjoy it without grinding being in the picture. And those are the ways I believe the game could and should be played, and those are the ways Jagex should be promoting. It may not be in their immediate financial interests, though. (and I am not qualified to say if it would be in their financial interests in a long run). But they do claim that grinding aspect will not be present in MechScape - so I guess they don't particularly like Runescape grinding either.

Anyway. What I am trying to say is that you don't have to get 85+ skills in order to enjoy the game in its fullest, so why grind? Don't! There are tons of places to go, hundreds of people to talk to, multiple events to participate in, and, yes, even occasional quest to embark upon. So why grind? And, by the way, you know that you don't have to visit Bork, Bert, Zaff, Vine and Arhein daily, heck, you don't even have to find all penguins, perform in the circus and collect tears of Guthix every week? You can do all that only when you feel like it, spontaneously - and that was the original idea, wasn't it?

Finally, if you are plain bored and don't see anything worth doing except for grinding, how about taking a week off? Or even quitting the game? I am serious. If you don't enjoy playing Runescape - don't! Regardless on how much time and effort you already put in your character. You can always come back later, resume and have fun playing. When and if you feel like it.

That's all.

Maxing out Runescape Skills?

Food for thought. How many people do you know who are going to 200M mark in a skill? I know two. And they seem like nice people, definitely sane people :-)

But for me, there is something deeply unnatural, I'd even say alien, in such goals. This 200M mark seems so artificial and at the same time so "grindish", if you know what I mean. There is simply no way to get so much experience points by playing the game. One have to grind his/her way through. Even 99s with their 13M are usually products of grinding, but at least it is possible to get the capes and still be in playing mode. But 200M - no way.

What do you think?
If you are one of those people who go for 200M, what's driving you?