Runefest; it’s probably one of the best ideas that Jagex has ever had. That might be quite the statement when looking at over 10 years of content but there is reason behind what I am saying. Runefest has both offered players a chance together, a chance to compete and this all creates a growth in Runescape culture.

The first Runefest was a great step; this was after Jagex had decided that they would be more open about what they were doing with the game and sharing that with the players. Today that statement could not be more true. They are constantly in social media with other players, in game holding events, Twitch, Youtube, Facebook giveaways to name a few. Whoever is in charge for the public relations department deserves some sort of a raise because the 180 degree turn on privacy within the company is gone completely. Runefest was one of the big steps included in this. Needing to skip a year, Runefest 2 was another great step as they had a large gaming event. Everyone loved the in the future presentation which received a lot of views on Youtube. The idea of this get together of Runefest was changing quickly. Runefest 3 was different because they interacted with the players that were watching at home with a dedicated Twitch crew that followed the fest just like people would cover a convention.

To the meat of the article now. Runefest 4 is coming now and that is great, but what could Jagex do to make a bigger mark on the gaming industry as a whole? It’s something I personally have not seen. They need to join the gaming market at some of the conventions across seas, maybe not in the US, but why aren’t they showing their new game and their next big expansion at any small to large scale gaming conventions? They are a gaming company and doing this would be a step in the right direction to have people take their company more seriously and treat Runescape like it’s a real game. For a long time Runescape has been seen as a game that is childish and lackluster. Anyone playing this game can tell that it has evolved into something completely new with RS3; combat is more advanced, and the interface is completely customizable. The music has a lot of production behind it. The quests are fantastic, and bigger updates are becoming more frequent. This major change should be enough for someone on the outside to look at this game and want to play it.

Back to Runefest, one area that can really be used at more locations than the festival itself is the tournaments, host on Twitch, go to events and have smaller events. I as a player would love to see this and would honestly travel halfway across the country to play in it. If I would be willing to do that, I am sure that there are plenty of Runescapers that would as well.

But when it comes down to it, Runefest is amazing and if I ever get the chance to go to one, I will. There is so much good that comes out of this now yearly event. 3rd annual and 4th in total. The event is evolving into something that many Runescapers look forward to. Until next time, I will be watching on Twitch, which thankfully Jagex is going to be doing even more with the Twitch viewers this year than the year before. For everyone that wants to get coverage on Runefest 4, I will be covering each segment in videos throughout the week on my Youtube channel which just recently got rebranded to Wyved Treasures. I will also be doing additional articles on some of the most important segments in the future so be looking for those amazing things.
What do you all think of Runefest? Has it become something that you look forward to it, or does it still feel like a waste of Jagex’s development time? And I have to ask because I am super curious, what is everyone’s favorite part of Runefest cause Jagex keeps inflating the golden gnomes as the most important event that everyone loves at Runefest. Don’t get me wrong it’s great, but it’s not my favorite. I am there to see what I can do as a player to better the game I love.