The nightwish and runescape CHANNEL

Dear friends,

While I was initially faced with a drought of issues to discuss, the truth is that I've been spending most of this week re-evaluating my attitude towards the game, and have found it unacceptable. I have reached the conclusion that climbing the highscores - as opposed to actual enjoyment - is my primary motivation for playing Runescape, and I find that that simply isn't enough to justify the long hours I spend in front of the computer on a daily basis.

On Friday, back in the real world, I took a long walk alone to clear my head and properly think the matter over.

I have loyally played Runescape for over 3 1/2 years since October 2006, chruned out a total of over 2000 levels, as well as accumulated 112 million total exp and a net worth easily exceeding 600 million gp. I have traveled to every single area the constantly evolving map of Gielinor has to offer; I have slain tens of thousands of foes which vary greatly in strength from the diminutive level 2 Goblin to the feared and revered Nomad; I have become a hero in many quest storylines and even a villain in some; and I have painstakingly recorded many of these exploits in the 2250 screenshots I've dutifully taken, cropped, named and organized.

In short, I have achieved much during my third a decade spent online. But for me to arrive at the right decision of whether or not to continue building on this accomplished record, the first thing I needed to let go of was my sentimentality. Which was what I did. I thought the issue over as objectively as possible during my hour-long stroll and have chosen to quit the game.

The time freed up could be better allocated elsewhere. I remember how I used to chide myself for spending, say, two straight hours shooting down zombies in my FPS of choice, when I could've been completing a Slayer task back in RS or gaining 100k Mining exp. I think it is time for me to stop turning play into work for a change.

Besides playing alternative games, one other pursuit I wish to dedicate the resulting void in my schedule to is reading. I am a voracious reader of both fiction and non-fiction, but this good habit has been restricted somewhat because of Runescape. I think that keeping up with my subscription of TIME and continuing past chapter 1 of Pride and Prejudice would be a significantly more enriching than exp grinding.

School is also a priority. As it stands, I've been labelled as exceptionally bright, but am still largely a B student when I should be getting straight As and even topping certain subjects. I'll probably continue to goof off a lot, but completely neglecting my responsibilities as a student is now out of the question.

I wish to add that I feel neither bitterness nor regret over the lengthy duration I've spent in-game for the past three years. I can confidently attest to the fact that most of my 180 days and 11 hours online have brought me immense joy and satisfaction no other activity could ever hope to rival. But I can also say - with equal certainty - that this would cease to hold true should I force myself to add more hours and days to that already astonishingly large number. However, I want to make it clear that I still love the game and sincerely hope that Jagex will continue to prosper in their efforts to improve Runescape, even if I may no longer be around to appreciate the fruits of their labour.

goodbye my friends, you can always find me at my youtube channel, nightwish22893.

yours sincerely

Itboom

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