Have you ever wondered how other people think of Runescape? Some see it as a way to socialize, some see it as a way to relieve boredom, and others.unfortunately, see it as a goal to complete. I have done a survey in-game and on the RsBandB forums, trying to see which of 3 categories people fall into. I’ll describe them quickly.

“Grinder” is where you train, train, and train some more. The only thing that keeps grinders away from training are their friends (sometimes, if their friends can convince them to leave that good wc spot), and they are the only reason you haven’t died of boredom. They have high levels, which they’re are proud of, but also can burn out on RuneScape for days, weeks, months, or longer.

You are a “Leveler” if you keep training a priority, but also spend time in clan events, player versus player, quests, and they goof off with friends often.

“Funmaker” is the group for those who try to avoid training. Funmakers spend more time pranking, messing up bots, doing minigames, exploring, and other random things than watching your group of pixels do a skill. To Funmakers, training is boring. Their levels aren’t the best, but they play RuneScape for fun. The Grinder next to them is 50 combat levels above them, but Funmakers don’t care. They’re having more fun than him anyway!

By asking random players around RuneScape, I got the data that, like I guessed, that most of the players were Levelers. Predictably, most of the players I found to be Grinders were around popular training spots, and in remote areas, minigames, and house parties I found the most fellow Funmakers. Out of the 57 people asked, 13 were Grinders, 4 were part Grinders (who only became training maniacs when they made a goal to complete, which wasn’t often), 25 were levelers, and 12 were Funmakers. The remaining players didn’t answer, or called me a noob.

Being a Funmaker myself, I need motivation to play the game. Usually it’s my friends, but sometimes it’s just the fact that there is much to do in RuneScape that I have yet to try. Barrows, high level monster slaying, quests…and then the many new updates that Jagex will release in the future.

Another thing I found is that the categories each keep a unique mindset and attitude toward the game. For most Grinders, the game doesn’t have to be fun. They train for the sense of accomplishment that comes when you complete a task. Levelers experience all of the game, so they get bored at times, but can usually find something fun to do afterwards. Funmakers typically think that training isn’t worth it. My “motto” (if one could call it that) is that if the game isn’t fun in most of it, why play it? I got 60 attack quite a few months ago, and it was overwhelming. “I can wield dragon!” I proudly proclaimed to my friends. I went out and bought a poisoned dragon dagger. I felt, well, awesome that I had worked for that special attack, I had worked for those double 10’s, and I had worked to be able to bring that pure down. My attack level is still 60.

I am not the kind of person to shoot for the top of the mountain. I like to climb part of it first. Other people have serious determination. They don’t stop; they will grind until they hit the top. However, to each his own. I have a feeling that next year, I’ll be still playing RuneScape, and I’ll be level 70 or so. Yet I will have had more fun doing so than the level 70’s around me that got it in a few months.