Genuine question, no intention to offend anyone. Why do you play this?

[DaniTheHero]

I just can't imagine how anyone, unless playing on a computer built in from the windows XP age which can't do anything else, would decide to play this over literally any other option.

Is undying nostalgia the only reason?

If we're talking strictly from a F2P perspective, in 2021, there's so many other games that would provide far more content.
If we're talking about the full "paid subscription" experience, why would you ever consider it worth it?
Paying 10$ dollars a month to play a game that was made 15+ years ago and plays like it.
The majority of the content is the most busiest work possible to anything grindy.

There is no visual appeal (other than the initial appreciation of the classic artstyle).
there's no voice acting of any sorts to establish character.
The OST although very nostalgic for someone who has played this as a kid; is nothing special.
There is no "combat" you mouse click on a target and wait for it to die. sometimes changing passive buffs or a weapon during the fight or opting to click somewhere else on the map to run away.
The bits of content that you could consider enjoyable are locked behind a long journey of trial and error and grind.
I doubt anyone plays this for plot/story.
Although the game is an 'MMORPG', as to my knowledge, the "PARTY" mechanic is very very limited. Most content , unless designed specifically to hold more than one player, revolves around you only and other people just exist around you completing tasks for themselves in the same location.

So there's no graphical appeal. No sound appeal. No combat appeal. No story or characters to be attached to.
You have to pay money MONTHLY ( or grind even more to pay) for more content. The gameplay loop IS the grind.

I don't see how any person who just wants a new game to play would look at this ancient creation and think this would be something worthy of his time.

It may sound hypocritical as a gamer myself to use the words "waste of time" as any gaming is technically a huge waste of our time, but playing this literally feels like wasting your life away.

[DaniTheHero]

As more comments come in, it seems like there’s less and less reasons to actually play the game.
It boils down to “osrs has the biggest grind in any mmo and i like that” and “i can play this while doing something else”.
Both aren’t reasons that are relevant for me and I assume most people.

I’m not looking for something to “pass my time” but something that would take all my interest when i play. Could be a good story like Witcher, intense combat like Souls like games, or an mmo that makes me more aware of of social interactions like most modern ones.
(RS doesn’t even have a party SL system).
And although i want a game that i can play long term and feel like goals are meant, having meaningless goals such Woodcutting and firemaking is rather pointletless.
Also having Magic being locked behind item consumptions (runes) and having it take up from the small inventory slots, sucks.

[DaniTheHero]

โพสต์ดั้งเดิมโดย Homestuck Bath Water:

"Playing video games is a major hobby I have, though I seem to lack the time to actually play anything as of now."

Gaming isn't a hobby for you, it's an addiction. Go outside LOL

It may have been the case half a decade ago when i was young and in school but not at all now.
I genuinely play when i have time between my 9-12 hour work shifts, guitar practice and studies.
Nothing is wrong with a “wasteful” hobby if it’s controlled.

If anything runescape regulars are the addicted ones ..

[MaGicBush]

โพสต์ดั้งเดิมโดย Grey:

same reason anyone plays WoW or any other MMORPG. They are all literally the same thing 24/7. You find one you like and you play it, then you get new content and play that. Same reason anyone plays any fps. They are all the same, but you find one you like. same reason with literally any game genre. you find some games you like and you play them. Why do people play valheim, graphics are dog crap, no debate about it, people play it. People cheat in games, why play those? they enjoy cheating in games. Why are you eating the same food when theres other food?

Not sure why you even asked this question.

I am not so sure many people play that way. I tend to game hop a lot as I HATE repetition it starts to feel like work. I am always seeking something new, and I wont waste time on a game if I grow bored of it. Probably why my Steam library has over 300 games now. That is not including my Xbox One, Switch, or past consoles I regularly go back to. Yes I am a super nerd, but I see no point in playing something repetitive. I do that at work every day. I play games to have fun. If you look at most games on Steam maybe 30% of the people that buy them actually beat them(Steam Achievements show this), and if you dive deeper most people are like myself. Heck look at WoW or any MMO and there is ALWAYS a huge influx of people at an expansion launch, and it ALWAYS dies down back to the normal "hardcore" fans. We are called "casuals" I believe, but it is a majority of the market. After work and with families most people don't want to do something repetitive and boring.

Saying this I do still play MMO's and they hold my attention slightly longer than SP games just due to the randomness of interacting online with players, but once I plow through the content in a month or two I move on. I tend to play ESO, and WoW, and Albion at different times throughout the year and in between I play other games. One of my friends can sit and play one game like Civ or ESO for 10 hours a day, and for month's at a time, but I will never understand HOW he can do that lmao.

I guess it's all about your mindset, and what you want out of life. I like to experience new things in life, and so this is a way for that, and I like to enjoy it. So I wont be patient when a game grows boring. My friend is always saying "Just be patient through the boring parts and keep going." I in return say "Eh why do that when I can play something else?" I guess that is why I like to travel as well when I can.. To each his own.

But again I already stated that this does make me a bit of a hypocrite in my post. As gaming in general is a “waste of time”.

In the end you're wasting your life away no matter what game you play. All that matters is do you enjoy the game you're wasting time on.

Nothing is wrong with a “wasteful” hobby if it’s controlled.

Whatever your enjoying at the moment is never a "waste of time." If your enjoying it in the moment how exactly is it a waste of time? I would not play games if they were simply a "waste of time." Life is short enjoy it. Which is also why I refuse to grind through the "boring parts" as my friend puts it. These statements makes zero sense unless your grinding through the "boring parts." I feel sorry for you in a way if you feel like what hobbies you have are a waste of time. Maybe you should stop doing that if it feels like a waste to you? I try to live my life to the fullest, and I will continue to do so.

[skinnybranchman]

If you want an engaging MMO, OSRS is not it.
If you want to play something while you're doing something else,
OSRS is a game you can play.

[Spartykins]

brain get happy when number go big

[Zen]

โพสต์ดั้งเดิมโดย DaniTheHero:

As more comments come in, it seems like there’s less and less reasons to actually play the game.

...for you.

โพสต์ดั้งเดิมโดย DaniTheHero:

It boils down to “osrs has the biggest grind in any mmo and i like that” and “i can play this while doing something else”.
Both aren’t reasons that are relevant for me and I assume most people.

Okay, and... is that really a problem? You don't like the gameplay, or the main reasons why people play this game, so you move into something else. Er... that's like, normal. And expected. There's tons of games outside, I'm fairly sure neither you nor me even heard about most of them.

โพสต์ดั้งเดิมโดย DaniTheHero:

I’m not looking for something to “pass my time” but something that would take all my interest when i play. Could be a good story like Witcher, intense combat like Souls like games, or an mmo that makes me more aware of of social interactions like most modern ones.

Okay :) I read Witcher books, ages before all this craze happened, so I definitely understand that.

โพสต์ดั้งเดิมโดย DaniTheHero:

Also having Magic being locked behind item consumptions (runes) and having it take up from the small inventory slots, sucks.

Kal Vas Flam on you! :-D I guess you wouldn't like UO either, eh :-D

I mean, let's put it this way. You don't like the basic premises or design of this game and you are not going to play it. And that's fine. But that doesn't mean that no one else should play it, or that the game should shut down because you don't agree with the reasons why people play it, or that it should change to suit you specifically, ignoring literally years of community driven development. Different people have different opinions, different tastes, different expectations and make different choices. I don't know this community, as I mentioned before it's not my "home" game, but as with any older game I'm fairly sure that most of the OSRS players are well aware of those games you've mentioned and they made a conscious choice to play OSRS (and when they want a break from OSRS, they maybe even play Witcher and such). It's not like you brought an enlightenment to a forgotten tribe that doesn't know better.

[shado]

โพสต์ดั้งเดิมโดย Zen:

โพสต์ดั้งเดิมโดย DaniTheHero:

Also having Magic being locked behind item consumptions (runes) and having it take up from the small inventory slots, sucks.

Kal Vas Flam on you! :-D I guess you wouldn't like UO either, eh :-D

oh dear, Ultima Online...


OP should check out these, btw.
https://oldschool.runescape.wiki/w/Rune_pouch
https://oldschool.runescape.wiki/w/Mystic_staff#Combination_mystic_staves
You can basically save 4 inventory slots and still be able to cast most of the spells available.

[Warlord Zhugrim]

Quick background- I'm not currently an active player, but I played back in classic days, and made a fully maxed ranged tank in this version(which did not take long).

Would I recommend it- sparingly for specific types of people which is ultimately what the game is built and caters to.



The non-subjective questions/reasons posed....

Nostalgia- yes it plays a big factor, but it doesn't create staying power. People come back for it but won't necessarily stay long because of it.

Party play- Is becoming more and more prevalent in each update. Which ironically has a good part of the community miffed. Raids, bosses, group skilling minigames, pvp ect.


More scientific reasons why people play...

Dopamine.... progression and loot treadmil AKA Numbers go up.
We are conditioned to constantly want to advance our position virtual or real. Every mile stone, every piece of new gear or skill level will hit a player with a tiny release of dopamine.... that little bit of satisfaction. This is addictive in its own right and has been proven to have a large effect on a players perceived enjoyment of a game.

.... this is not directly related to the factors that you used to link "quality" to a game. Higher quality graphics, skill ceilings, and active core gameplay loops can actually be detrimental to this feeling as they can frustrate a player. Look at the "idle game" genre.... its gameplay stripped to its bare core but constantly introduces these dopamine hits. The ultimate time waste as there are no memorable moments and minimal activity, but a genre that many people can't get enough.

This is also where the grind sometimes becomes beneficial for specific player types. The difficulty isn't in a skill ceiling which they cant overcome, but rather just dedication and commitment. So the longer times between the milestones make them feel more rewarding.

There's alot reading material on this subject if you wanted to dive further.



Socializing- People generally want to socialize, but that doesn't mean they necessarily want to co-operate or work on the same goals. Games that play largely as single player games with open chat options are common. Building communities doesn't require direct interaction between the entities of the game just communication between their players. For some players RS is nothing more but an interactive chat room, but its enough to meet their needs.



Some other random notes.

Paid subscription- standard for any game with staying power. You get this or micro-transactions now days for any mmo-like game. Gotta keep the heat on and development going. Monetary value however is subjective and each persons value the subscription fee is up to them. I played member the entire time in this version and only spent 10 dollars. In game money to buy bonds is very easy to make when you know how. (literally within a month of moderate play you can make 2mil an hour)

Grind- Yes there are parts where you grind. However people grossly overstate this for osrs. Min maxing takes a lifetime, making an enjoyable playable character does not.


NOW THEN......

Just to dismiss anything that in itself is subjective that you listed as a concern or reason against playing. Asking for details on this type of thing is a waste of time as its asking for opinions for things that you have already put yourself against.

- No graphic/sound/combat appeal.
Sound and visuals are highly subjective and many games nowdays get high marks just for successfully copying or remaking simpler styles.

Combat appeal varies greatly based on what you are doing. High end content or pvp is very active for the most part, regular grind is calm and relaxing for many. Each can hit or miss its mark on different players.

Plot and story- Actually a lot of people do enjoy questing and the lore. Not sure why you would write this off so quickly. Again this comes down to opinion.

[Chimomot]

i started runescape in 2019 and i've been playing every since. Currently 21 and still playing idk but i find the grind to end game tedious however reaching to end game and doing raids etc would be an accomplishment which is what im still working on.

[VerdiusArcana (Castaway.tf)]

Because it's runescape do I need any other reason to visit it from time to time?
They tried to mordenise the game with the "Evolution Of Combat" and the player numbers speak for themself. Those who play this game wants point and click: not some ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ gay action bar le WoW.

[Discordian]

The only games I can think of done in the style of OSRS are Albion and Tibia. OSRS feels the most polished and maintained of the group, so I play OSRS. I've had an MMO in development for a while too, which is somewhat similar as well. However OSRS is nothing like most modern MMOs ...

[Qwazzy]

"Is undying nostalgia the only reason?"

Yep.

[spiralkingsimon]

point and click addictive grindfest. used to be worse imo.

[Business Intelligence]

Eh I'll take a point and click addictive grind fest I want to be on for.

Over a monetised game filled with daily logins and battle passes to artificially get you on the game.

[100 Sachen 80]

""so many other games that would provide far more content.""

Hahahahaha. Hell no, Runescape has more content then most MMOs. Not to mention that the look/Artstyle is really lovley. The Game is just super fun. ♥♥♥♥ new AAA Games.

""I don't see how any person who just wants a new game to play would look at this ancient creation and think this would be something worthy of his time""

I am such a Person. The game has everything i miss in Games today. Long progression that isnt instant, good storys, combat i enjoy and a ton of content.