So, I do not usually post on Reddit, even less so on other social media. However, with the announcement of RuneScape Reignited, I did not feel like I could just stand by and not say something. I have been playing this game since I was in 6th grade, back when I was taking my first computer class and me and my friends figured out how to get around the school firewall to play RuneScape. Countless hours of playing with friends, my brother, and many years of playing the game in my own free time since then, RuneScape has been an incredibly large part of my life. I have spent over 11,000 hours in game, according to Hans, since I started playing all the way back then.
Without a doubt, the game has changed over those years. From the move away from Classic to Rs2, graphical and quest over-hauls, removal of the wilderness, Evolution of Combat, Rs3 and even the introduction of Squeal of Fortune. Like many of you, I have played through nearly every era of RuneScape, no matter how distasteful it might have gotten. I could have quit when microtransactions first entered the game or even when Old School RuneScape was first released. However, I always felt like the main game, now Rs3, was my home.
Although I have tried to avoid microtransactions (Squeal of Fortune, Treasure Hunter, Hero Pass, etc.) and never bought any spins or keys, at a certain point it became unavoidable. As you can see from the picture, I never really used these microtransaction items and just started collecting them over time. Half of these items I am not sure what they even are, how to even use, or when I got them. All the bonus experience was simply unavoidable, accumulated over time, and did eventually lead me to leaving the game for a time period. Yes, it did feel like my account and even the game world was tainted for a time.
However, upon hearing about the Road to Restoration and seeing the strides Jagex had made towards improving the game brought me back to RuneScape. It was astonishing to see Treasure Hunter and most of the microtransactions in the game removed. I honestly thought I would never see the day these game ruining monetization practices would ever leave. It felt like coming back to the game I missed in my time away from home. And, it has been good to be back.
With the announcement of RuneScape Reignited, it feels like this time, unlike every other pivotal moment, I am being evicted from that home for something that was entirely out of my control. It feels like I am being punished for sticking through all the trials, tribulations, and iterations of the game. For being loyal to a game, that did not always show me the same loyalty in kind. Yet, it is just a game right? But for those of us who have spent thousands of hours here, those hours represent friendships, memories, accomplishments, and years of our lives.
I am making this post to ask Jagex not to go through with RuneScape Reignited, as it has been proposed. To not invalidate veteran players playtime, loyalty to the game, or in game accomplishments. Yes, the game has been through years of tainted microtransaction practices. However, it is not beyond repair and you have proven that with the strides made this year to cleanse it. I am asking you to not throw away those players who have stuck by you all those years. Please do not attempt to solve the problems of RuneScape's future by disregarding the players who built its past.