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 Post subject: [Informer Article] Burnout
PostPosted: September 20th, 2014, 10:04 am 
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If there is one problem I have come up with over my past 8 years of playing Runescape, it's that I get tired of the game. This is something that anyone who has played as long as I have has experienced just as much if not more than me. I have watched friends come and go in the game because of this. It is the reason I am afraid of clearing out some of my friends list of people I used to talk to. I know that they will one day turn up online again. This is such a common occurrence to so many players that it has been given a title, "RS Burnout" and it happens quite a lot in this game. I am going address why I believe this happens in general. I am not speaking for people's specific reasons but for a common trend that the game is starting to fall into.

The problem is that this is an MMO that has really become xp oriented. I've found myself for the past 2 years working for 99's more than actually enjoying myself. This game has so much other content to it that it makes a new players head spin. So many skills, levels come quickly, what is not to like about it? But along comes the veteran players that all experience the same thing. I have done most of the content. And it's not the fault of the developers that every new update doesn't happen to be an update meets my interests. Unfortunately for new members, it will be hard to understand the perspective of someone who has played for so long. The content catches up quick, and tt starts to become doing content just for the sake of having it done for future content, and I don't find that enjoyable. Getting burnt out from Runescape happens to the best of us, and really the only medicine for the situation is time. It has forced me to take a new perspective about playing the game. Over the past few months my way of playing the game has become a completely different playstyle to that of a year ago. I now play for the social aspect of the game. The RPG element of the game.

So after setting the stage let's get into how RS burnout can be prevented. I see it in two different ways based off play style. Firstly the most common reason for burnout is that people get stuck in a trend doing the same thing over and over again for weeks or months. This would drive any normal person crazy, even hardcore level grinding Runescape players. The second reason, is that it becomes hard to continue doing what we enjoy. I think the best example of this is running out of money as a low level new player, where cash is much tighter.

The easiest way to prevent the burnout from catching up to you is to simply try something else. Don't let one goal completely control what you do every day in game, whether grinding bosses for drops or getting ton of exp in skills. Maybe try questing for a while, and take your time and enjoy the content instead of rushing through it for the sake of completion. This game has so many options and methods to play that there is bound to be something else that you could enjoy doing that breaks the chain of grinding that this game supports so much.

If you're running out of funds to continue doing what you enjoy best, consider trying something that doesn't take money, try some quests, try some mini-games or even do some gathering skills, maybe try bossing. The point is to do a method of making money that you were not previously trying before. Like I said before, I now enjoy the game for its social aspect. I love the fact that I run a clan and that my experiences in this game and knowledge of the game can be passed down to new players. I enjoy showing people the ropes. This is why I feel that the clan system that was implemented was so important. It can really glue the community together and chances are that there is someone willing to try something new with you.

Runescape burnout is a thing mostly because the grind hasn't been broken with a distraction. If you're feeling burned out, take that time for yourself to do something different in the game. If there is nothing else out there that interests you, than taking a break from the game is just as ok. The point of playing Runescape shouldn't ever be to grind and gain levels, but to have fun, and enjoy playing the game. While all of my friends take time off of the game, I continue to try new content and revisit content that I enjoyed in the past. I myself have yet to run out of fun alternatives to my play style.

Now I'm interested in you all, what kind of things have burnt you out of Runescape? And what did you do to solve it?

This was originally posted as an Informer Runescape article.


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 Post subject: Register and login to get these in-post ads to disappear
PostPosted: September 20th, 2014, 10:04 am 
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 Post subject: Re: [Informer Article] Burnout
PostPosted: September 20th, 2014, 10:49 am 
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RS Name: Its Arceus
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To be perfectly honest, I never felt all that burnt out with regard to RuneScape, and I play F2P, which is even less variety and more repetitive than P2P in general. Maybe it's all the awesome friends I made. Maybe it's all sorts of clan stuff and other socialization that makes every day different and encourages me to come back. I think mostly, though, that the reason I keep playing the game without need for breaks is that I enjoy skilling, gaining xp, earning money, etc., even if I concentrate mainly on one task for a very long period of time.

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 Post subject: Re: [Informer Article] Burnout
PostPosted: September 20th, 2014, 3:01 pm 
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I've been burnt out at times and probably currently am right now with Runescape. I think one of the biggest factors is having friends to play with. It's nice and all to play the game on your own, but if you have no one to talk to or share achievements with, it really makes the experience less enjoyable. Also, I don't think D&D options are across the board interesting. Some are much more popular than others due to enjoyment or the rewards being offered. If every D&D was interesting and enjoyable, I think burnout would be less common and less problematic as it is.

The only thing I can think of to avoid or prevent burnout aside from what you suggest is talking a break from the game, either for a short while or a long period of time. Sure, you can try to keep playing through burnout, but I think what would help best is if people just didn't play the game for a bit. By leaving the game, your mind gets to relax and have a chance to think about and enjoy other things. Variety is the spice of life. Try playing a different game or doing something in real life instead. Then, if you get that craving for Runescape again, you can go back and feel refreshed.

Bottom line: You don't have to force yourself to play. If you don't want to play, find something else to do instead.

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 Post subject: Re: [Informer Article] Burnout
PostPosted: September 22nd, 2014, 7:12 am 
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Well written. I haven't felt this way yet about the game, but I know of quite a few who have. One thing I tend to do is make sure I mix it up. Yes, I maxed in around 3.5 years playing, but I trained different skills virtually every day. I am a tight-ass and didn't want to spend money on skills, so I grew my own herbs, collected my own secondaries, mined my own ores, then smithed them, etc. The game offers so much variety and so many different ways to entertain yourself each day; try them. Even dungeoneering, which is a skill I don't overly enjoy is useful. I worked at it to earn the bonecrusher and demonhorn necklace, which then helped me in prayer. Collecting a few inventories of slime every couple of days and collecting my own accursed ashes from slayer tasks and the like, all helps with breking the "grind". The long and short of it is; don't be in a rush. Sit back and enjoy the game, try out the quests, collect items... even try just walking through different areas, rather than using the lodestones everywhere. Avoid the grind and you will usually avoid the burnout. But when all is said and done, if you aren't enjoying it, take that break... you will feel better, and when you return, the game will look fresher and fun again.


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 Post subject: Re: [Informer Article] Burnout
PostPosted: September 22nd, 2014, 6:06 pm 
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Joined: February 2nd, 2013, 2:57 pm
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RS Name: Its Arceus
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Pyrnassius wrote:
Well written. I haven't felt this way yet about the game, but I know of quite a few who have. One thing I tend to do is make sure I mix it up. Yes, I maxed in around 3.5 years playing, but I trained different skills virtually every day. I am a tight-ass and didn't want to spend money on skills, so I grew my own herbs, collected my own secondaries, mined my own ores, then smithed them, etc. The game offers so much variety and so many different ways to entertain yourself each day; try them. Even dungeoneering, which is a skill I don't overly enjoy is useful. I worked at it to earn the bonecrusher and demonhorn necklace, which then helped me in prayer. Collecting a few inventories of slime every couple of days and collecting my own accursed ashes from slayer tasks and the like, all helps with breking the "grind". The long and short of it is; don't be in a rush. Sit back and enjoy the game, try out the quests, collect items... even try just walking through different areas, rather than using the lodestones everywhere. Avoid the grind and you will usually avoid the burnout. But when all is said and done, if you aren't enjoying it, take that break... you will feel better, and when you return, the game will look fresher and fun again.


Yeah, Dungeoneering was/is one of my favorite skills to train. It offers a lot of variety in and of itself, and there are plenty of ways to challenge yourself: how fast can you do a floor, for example.

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