The RuneScoop Soapbox

From where I sit, RuneFest 2010 is shaping up to have a lot of similarities to many recent in-game RuneScape updates. It’s a great concept that has a lot of potential, which is being wasted due to poor implementation and decision-making, largely as a result of Jagex’s consistent lack of understanding of its customer base.

This could have been a really positive event for all concerned. Jagex could have made this something to draw the RS community together, to make everyone feel included and like they mattered. The company could have gotten a huge PR boost from the event, increasing their prominence in both the gaming world and outside of it. And everyone could have had a lot of fun in the process.

But it’s not really working out that way. I’m sure that the event as currently proposed will still be fun for those who attend, but the way it is being organized and promoted is leaving a bitter taste in the mouths of many more who won’t be there.

The first issue is the extremely high ticket price for the event. The nominal price of £75 comes to over £80 once fees are added (over US $125). This means that not only is it nearly impossible from anyone outside the UK to attend, but it also prices the event out of reach of many of those who live locally as well.

Jagex counters criticism of the high cost by saying that this is a “non-profit event” and that they are only trying to cover costs. But is that really anything to be proud of?

The last report that I read about Jagex’s financial performance indicated that the company made £18,300,000 in profit in its last reporting year. And don’t get me wrong: the company has earned the right to make lots of money, by making an excellent product enjoyed by millions.

But they’ve needed the help of millions of customers to get there. In Jagex’s words, the primary goal of RuneFest 2010 was “to thank our dedicated RuneScape players around the world for their support and to have a really good time together in real-life.” But do you really thank people by inviting them to an event and then making them pay for it? From where I sit, this would be like a businessman inviting his biggest clients out to dinner to thank them for past business, and then making them split the bill.

This is a company flush with cash, largely earned from children, teens, college students and young adults with little income—and some with massive debt. Would it really have killed them to subsidize the event so that more people could attend? Companies do this all the time: to legitimately express their appreciation, and because of the positive feelings and PR it generates.

Incidentally, the argument that the price was set high to keep the number of people who wanted to buy tickets low has no validity. If overcrowding was a concern, a lottery system could have been used to prevent that from happening. In an event purportedly aimed at the entire community, choosing who is able to attend based on random chance is a lot more fair than just skewing it in favor of those with the most money.

The attempt to orient this event only to adults is another way that RuneFest is turning out to be more divisive than inclusive. Was there really any need to make alcohol a primary feature of the event, and to specifically discourage minors from attending?

Jagex has for years tried to pretend that RuneScape is primarily aimed  at adults, and this seems consistent with that effort. But we all know that this is simply not the case. There are large numbers of RS players who are underage, and making an event of this sort and specifically excluding them is a slap in the face.

Finally, there is the matter of the Flagstaff of Festivities, an in-game item that is accessible only by those who buy tickets to RuneFest. This is such a colossally bad idea that it almost defies comprehension.

Let’s leave aside the debate about whether or not an in-game item that can only be obtain by buying something with pounds sterling constitutes real world trading. I do think that this item sets a bad precedent in that regard, but that’s not my biggest problem with it.

What bothers me about this most is that it is yet another way that Jagex has, either intentionally or unwittingly, made RuneFest more about dividing the RS community than uniting it. In addition to some players being able to attend the event while others cannot, now there’s an in-game reminder for the have-nots to see on a regular basis.

Was putting an item in of this sort really necessary? Was restricting it only to those who buy tickets really necessary? And did Jagex really not foresee the reaction this would elicit, based on the response to similar decisions in the past?

It seems to me that making the item available to everyone would have been a nice way to give a little something to the entire community, so we all felt included —including those of us without the financial wherewithal to jet off or ride a train to London for a party. It also would have been a positive promotional tool for RuneFest, instead of something for RuneScape players to argue over.

Overall, I think RuneFest represents an opportunity squandered. Through a lack of forethought and generosity, Jagex has unfortunately turned something that could have been entirely positive into something that many people have mixed feelings about, and for good reason. And that’s a shame.

This entry was posted on Saturday, May 1st, 2010 at 7:55 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.