First steps into the RuneScape experience

Horrible game. The only reason it is popular is because kids can play it without their parents really knowing about it (no obvious installed software)

I've been playing Runescape for 7 or its 8 years, and while I have moved on mostly to more evolved games like WoW and Lotro, it still has a soft spot in my heart.

I would say two things to the concerns about making friends.

One, the game is targetted at 13-16 year olds, and despite the wry adult humour of some of the quests and other somewhat adult themes, I suspect a lot of players play with their friends, and build their friendships up based on how people of that young age do it. If you are older, you may feel a little left out.

As well, I have been able to make many friends, but often only when I was doing some ungodly grinding crafting goal. Many many people make friends through the official forums when posting a thread about a goal or achievement they want to meet. If the goal has enough desirabilty or cache (like maxing the farming skill as I did once) then you will attract followers interested in that. For the most part it seemed to be a way of getting connected and exited again typical of a younger generation.

The quest mechanics, gameplay, and combat training often don't require you to group explicitly and so it is no wonder that people don't do it randomly like they would in the other AAA titles I mentioned.

There are some dungeons with good rewards and boss monsters that requre grouping, but it is many many hours of gameplay away from the beginning player, and so all that is left is whether you choose to join a "clan" for social reasons. This too is most effectively done through the forums.

Sadly, that is part of the emergent culture of the game that might not be apparent to a first time player and leave them feeling left out.

The ease of use extends Runescape's good will beyond just children. When I playing this game (admittedly, I was young) most of the friends I made in-game were in their 20's. Most of them said the biggest draws to the game were: no installation or OS/browser requirements, massive amounts of free content, casual gameplay, and each other. The latter of those is the most interesting. Most would regard the runescape player community as one of the worst, but, if you are so lucky to find a few good apples, the ease of access to the game from anywhere and the ability to chat across servers makes Runescape a good platform for social gaming.

That has got to be one of the most unfair bits of game journalism I've ever seen. None of his 'abusive in the name of wit' report on the game had anything to do with the last year of game play that I've had in RuneScape.

My first mmorpg, I'd still log back in from time to time if only I could remember my password (their password recovery was terrible the last time I tried).