TruthScape.com  9  The Truth About RuneScape's Community and Its Impact on Children

Is RuneScape Educational? Yes, But Not the Way You Think Understanding How Seriously Kids Take RuneScape

If you visit the RuneScape site or try to sign up for a new account, you get the following message: “RuneScape is limited to users aged 13 and older.” The RuneScape web site likewise says that it is only for those 13 and up. This might lead you to believe that RuneScape players are over 13, but the reality is very different.

This issue of just how old RuneScape players are is critically important, because official declarations of players being 13 or older are used as justification by some people for Jagex's policies. Many players wave away concerns over the dangers of the game by saying that it is “only for those over 13”, and that players are “adequately warned” about risks or that they “should know better” than to fall for scams. Well, even a 13-year-old is not always capable of making wise decisions, but the level of judgment of a 9-year-old is that much less. Most of the victims of scams in the game are newer, younger players.

So how old are the players in RuneScape? For starters, the game has been around for over five years, but the age 13 restriction is much more recent. As a result, there are tens of thousands—if not hundreds of thousands—of active RuneScape players right now who were under that age limit before it was put into place and are still under 13, playing completely within the rules.

The large pool of young players, combined with the game's simplicity, free accounts and cartoon-like appearance, have combined to create a huge “word of mouth” effect. Thousands of school-aged kids sign up for RuneScape every day simply because their friends play, ignoring the “over 13” requirement easily.

Let's also consider Jagex's Parents' Guide, which until very recently said nowhere that the game is intended for those 13 and older. In fact, it contains comments saying that RuneScape is for “all ages to enjoy”, that it is “accessible to people of all ages”; and a “fantastic opportunity for people of all ages and races to come together”.

Unfortunately, matters get even worse. Jagex is not only making it easy for kids to join this game, the company is actively making the game appeal to kids, and marketing the game to them. In the last year Jagex has made the game more and more kid-friendly, through a process that older players describe as “dumbing down”. This includes changes that make it easy for younger players to avoid getting lost in the game, giving them free supplies, making banking easier in the “start town” of Lumbridge, and more.

Then there is the matter of the newly released “RuneScape: The Official Handbook”, which is raising many eyebrows. This book, which lists Jagex Limited as the copyright holder, is produced by Scholastic Inc., which calls itself “the largest publisher and distributor of children's books in the world”. The company is also “the largest operator of school-based book clubs and school-based book fairs in the U.S.”

The handbook itself carries an age recommendation of “9 to 12”. It is written in very simple, kid-friendly English, and filled with cartoon illustrations. And it is indeed being marketed directly to children. One friend of mine in Australia had her 10-year-old daughter bring home a Scholastic book club flyer that featured the RuneScape Official Handbook on the front page. Another friend in Canada had her 11-year-old son bring home a Scholastic flyer for the “Click!” Interactive Learning Club, which described the game as for “ages 8 and up” (see Figure 80).

Does any of this sound consistent with a game that is supposed to be only for those over 13?

The reality is that kids as young as 5 years old play RuneScape. It is found on the screens of computers in elementary schools and libraries. Most parents either have kids under 13 who play or who want to play. In parenting discussion groups, most conversations on the suitability of RuneScape involve kids under 13.

Obviously, parents and teachers must assume responsibility for controlling when, where and how children access the Internet. Still, the sheer numbers of RuneScape players under the age of 13 cannot be denied, and certainly cannot be unknown by Jagex. Does a disclaimer on a web site negate the hundreds of thousands of younger kids who are playing the game? Does it compensate for the game being promoted to young kids through advertising in schools and other places?

Is RuneScape Educational? Yes, But Not the Way You Think Understanding How Seriously Kids Take RuneScape