The Best Boring Game: Conclusion

I've thought long and hard; why do I enjoy Runescape, probably the most tedious game I've ever played? There are several reasons, from the fascinating economy to the hilarious NPCs, but my enjoyment of Runescape comes down to two things: the rewards of diligence and the open community.

It might take weeks to level up skills, but because of this barrier, players who invest the time to become high leveled are rewarded for it. I probably spent about about 20 hours (approximately the same amount of time I spent playing Half-Life 2) clicking on fishing spots until I had level 60 fishing and could start catching swordfish at a decent rate. Once I was there though, I could strut around the docks impressing those poor saps who were still catching crayfish.

Anyone with common sense, though, could tell you that you can spend hours achieving this special arrangement of pixels in an MMO and it wouldn't be worth it. I like to think that my time is better spent leveling up in real life. I think that the real reason I play Runescape is for the community. The hours I spent fishing were also hours I spent chatting with other victims to Runescape's tedium. People are almost always willing to talk, having nothing better to do. "Fishing lvl?" is a safe starter, or "Anyone know a good joke?" if you're feeling brave. You get all sorts on the virtual docks, and at times Runescape seems like a complex chatroom more than anything else. Runescape doesn't deliver in terms of immersion and engagement, but possibly because of that, it involves more player to player interaction than any of the other MMORPGs I've played.