How Writing About RuneScape Changed My Way Of Life

It’s 2007, I’m in my third grade class, and all I want to do is open the journal in my backpack.

A simple Five Star journal became my sanctuary from boredom; it became the gateway to explore my mind and how I was feeling that day. More importantly: It was my way of playing my favorite video game without being at a computer.

Earlier that year in school, a friend introduced me to a game that was becoming exceptionally popular during that time: RuneScape. I never really played much video games before then, but I was eager to give it a try since it was what everyone was talking about. Little did I know that over fifteen years later I would still find myself not just playing about the game, but continuing to write articles about it.

Flashing back to the average day in elementary school, I was quick to finish all my tests as early as possible to give myself some extra free time. After speeding to my teacher’s desk to turn in my answer sheet, I opened up my notebook and had a new reason to write things other than my class assignments for the week.

I remember writing about the prices of certain armour sets, so I can try and smith them that evening to sell for as much gold as I can. I remember drawing out my character, and imagining how I would look with the best gear and weapons. All the quests I planned on finishing that week, all the clan events I planned on taking part in, all the skills I planned on leveling: all of this made writing seem like a sigh of relief, like I was able to give myself the freedom I wanted early in life.

All of my friends started to take notice and (after asking if I could write their homework answers for them) were interested in the latest guides and information I had about the game. At that time, not everyone was as privileged enough to have a family computer, so me being able to provide requested information was something they didn’t take for granted.

The biggest takeaway was how much I could write about anything I wanted. Looking back, it’s silly how I first got into writing because of me being (severely) addicted to a video game, but I’m thankful for it. I would eventually go on to write my own short stories, make lists about my favorite songs, create games of my own on paper, and unfortunately learned about the world of poetry through me wanting to fully express how I felt from my Grandma’s passing.

I would argue that people who become invested in journals don’t do it solely to spend hours on end writing about their darkest secrets or troubling life problems, but to scribe a quick page about silly things that they genuinely love. Hobbies often come to mind, maybe a sketch of a nearby park, a baking recipe, just things that make a person human. As I described before, it’s that sigh of relief from getting your thoughts on paper that makes writing so addicting. It’s the weight off your shoulders from piecing together the exact words that you feel inside.

I didn’t become a writer to write angsty poetry and dark stories (despite them coming up every now and then), but to be able to visualize my thoughts and clear the fog in my head.

To this day I continue to write guides and articles to gaming sites about RuneScape, and each time I finish one, I can’t help but smile knowing that third grader me would be happy to see I haven’t changed that part of me at all.

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Writer’s Endnote:

Thank you for taking the time to read this!

If you enjoyed it, consider checking out my other works on Gamer Empire, Wattpad, Medium, Vocal, as well as freelance services on Fiverr and Upwork!

Thank You For Your Time,

-Kadence <3