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

The Real Age of RuneScape Players What You Won't Learn from Jagex's “Parents' Guide” (aka Marketing Brochure)

I think one of the reasons why there is so little awareness of the issues involved with children playing games like RuneScape is that adults don't understand just how seriously kids take these matters. The typical attitude is something along the lines of: “What's the big deal? It's just a game.” Parents who are not very Internet savvy are especially likely to make this assumption.

Well, have you ever seen a baseball fan in tears because his team lost the World Series? Or witnessed the spectacle of thousands of people at a soccer (football) game rioting in a stadium? Now consider that these are just people watching the game - here, the gamers are actually immersed in the environment. They invest a lot of time and energy into learning the game and building their characters' skills. To them, it's a big deal indeed.

And again, most RuneScape players are young and impressionable. I've seen first hand the impact on children who have been betrayed, lied to, scammed, verbally abused or killed by another player.

In one extreme case, a 14-year-old Dutch player of RuneScape committed suicide after having his account stolen. While this is definitely not typical and there were likely other mental health issues involved, it underscores just how seriously kids do take these games. This means that you as a player, or a family member or parent of a player, need to take the issues seriously as well.

The Real Age of RuneScape Players What You Won't Learn from Jagex's “Parents' Guide” (aka Marketing Brochure)