The Educational Benefits of Playing RuneScape
The creators at Jagex have very strong stance on responsible gaming. They try to give players not only entertainment but also education. They present the players with thought-provoking challenges that make the game not only fun but stimulating as well.
One of the most obvious benefits of a Massively Multiplayer Online Game is the player interaction. Thousands of players are simultaneously playing in the RuneScape world. They are forming friendships that are just like the friendships formed at school. Maybe even a little better than the friendships at school, because the friendships here gives the kid no one likes at school a chance to form friendships and learn about team work. Since this kid is behind a computer screen his friendships are based on his personality not on his looks.
The geek, the poor kid and the shy kid for example all have a chance to really show off to people who they really are. Being behind a computer screen gives them the confidence to form friendships that they other wise would be to scared to form. So with this the outside appearance has no factor in building friendships. It truly is all about what is on the inside.
Some of the ways these friendships are formed is through teamwork during teamwork specific quests. These quests require two or more players to work together in order to complete the quest.
RuneScape's fictional world is very much like the real world. RuneScape has it's own currency allowing players to purchase anything they might need to live. Players can even chop wood, smith nails and weave cloth in order to build and maintain homes. Trading allows players to barter and make deals with each other inside the gaming community. With this trading the players can learn the structure of a working economic system. With learning the working of an economic system players can incorporate what they have learned into their everyday lives.
Another benefit of RuneScape is the opportunities for players to test their mental abilities. RuneScape has more than a hundred quests to complete and each quest will contain a number of challenges that will require a logical approach or a more mathematical mind. As the quests become lengthier and have more stringent prerequisites, their difficulty and rewards are appropriately increased.
The difficulty curve in RuneScape is designed to make progression challenging but not frustrating for the player. The concept is as a player completes each quest and challenge; their logical and mathematical skills should also improve.
All of these skills that your child can acquire playing RuneScape are great. Most parents want their children to acquire these skills in their lives. But a healthy balance needs to be maintained. These skills are not going to be important if your child does not get a chance to incorporate them into the real world. Also children need exercise to stay healthy. So limit the amount of time your child is allowed to play and learn inside the gaming community.
Jagex offers these guidelines to help maintain a balanced life and get the most out of playing RuneScape:
Take a break from the computer.
Exercise at least once a week
Remember, it is just a game.
When eating, take a break from the computer.
Don't ignore your real life friends, meet up with them on a regular basis
Work and studies matters: don't let playing a game stop you from doing well in your studies or at work.
Remember parents that it is up to you to help your child maintain a healthy balance so that your child can benefit from all the educational and entertaining aspect of RuneScape.
Published by Antoinette McGowan
I am a stay at home mother. I love writing. Many topics interest me when it comes to writing. View profile
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- They are forming friendships that are just like the friendships formed at school.
- With learning the working of an economic system players can incorporate what they have learned into their everyday lives.
- Another benefit of RuneScape is the opportunities for players to test their mental abilities.
9 Comments
Post a CommentHow to quit runescape.
Has anyone noticed that the tone, word usage, opinions, and the TIME of POSTING of three of the comments here are identical? Hand puppet much?
I'm 14 and ever since I've started "Runescape," I've been reluctant to do Homework, study, and even hang out with friends. In middle school, I barely passed the 8th grade, but I soon found out that the 8th grade is nothing compared to High school. Once I started my Freshman year, I was doing pretty well (because I was off of the game for months)...until I started playing again. I am currently failing Spanish and World History, with all the other classes having D's and C's. This story is real, and I cannot find a way to change. I have tried quitting, but find myself crawling back to this game due of stress built up over the pass months. I have stopped looking for help...because I know that only I can help myself. Until then, I'm just a High school drop out who fails at life all because of RuneScape.
Ha! Laugh if you like, but I am a 55 year old mother that likes playing Runescape. OK, I smoke - so sue me! You can spend your time cleaning the house or working your prissy job. I do get an education on Runescape and I do make fake potatoes. You probably couldn't complete a quest if you had to ... and I've got tons of friends. One of them is a 10 year old that adores me. You probably can't get along with any child. My teenage son plays and I stay at home and practice Runescape so that we have something in common.
Here's one to beat that - a high school junior has basically done nothing for the past six years except develop his Runescape gaming skills. He has strong fingers, but his mother had to take him out of gym class because he can't run one lap or do more than one pushup - if he makes that one. Even though he has all those great social skills from Runescape, he has no friends and is frustrated with his classmates who play sports, date and drive but don't play Runescape and, therefore, don't recognize what a rocket scientist he really is. He has now asked for a long black coat to wear to school. Thanks for all the great education!
You're absolute right. Runescape is a great educational game - especially for socially disadvantaged teenagers and adults. Here's a couple of avid real life players that I know personally.
First is a 50 year old stay at home mother who drives her kid to meet the bus then sits at the computer the rest of the day chain smoking and playing Runescape. She's learned that you can be slim and popular on Runescape instead of having a constant cough from the 3-5 packs of cigarettes a day and you don't have to bother bathing.
In fact, she's getting so smart from playing Runescape that she doesn't have to worry about the threatened foreclosure notice because she didn't want to stop long enought to make the trailer payment. And she doesn't have to worry about looking for a job because she makes all that gold and treasure in Runescape.
She just sits there growing fatter while making fake potatoes. Her three cats crap in the floor because the litter box never gets changed - can't stop
This is all so true. I learned a LOT more from playing RuneScape than what I've learned from years in school. Don't think I'm a moron though, school is a breeze (AP classes FTW). But, I've learned about the economy, about cultures in different countries, an amazing amount of random facts from friends (did you know that "shooting stars" can be seen about every 5-10 minutes if you just lay back and watch the nigh sky?), my vocabulary has improved (although I don't like to use it), and countless other facts and skills.
I totally agree with this article. It's funny how so many people say, or try to say that online gaming is bad/unhealthy. Look a the statistics before you judge. :P
Hooray! This is a great article for my class :P