Alright, here’s an essay on what’s upsetting everyone.

To Jagex:

I think the main reasoning behind not supporting the Refer-A-Friend program is that RuneScape was never a game where these programs would have seemed to fit. Whereas games like WoW have had microtransactions, bonus experience, etc, for awhile, RuneScape was always a game of everyone on the same level. No benefits. No bonuses. No rewards.

None of these changes in themselves are that big of a deal. Sure, they’ll get players upset to see a new marketing direction, however, it’s not any one particular change. It’s the combination. Stuff like Bonus XP Weekends, Ornate Katanas, the Loyalty Program, the new Referral Program, the huge increase of botting, return of Free Trade and Wilderness, and etc.

Old habits die hard. Your marketing strategy has changed so much, so quickly, that the players that have been loyal for years have trouble keeping up. RuneScape was always a game that was spread through word of mouth. Obviously, that is not working as well as it used to, and a solid advertising program is now needed. This can be blamed in fault as much to the players as much as to Jagex.

To the Player:

These riots don’t do anything to benefit either side. Construct feedback. Post reasoning. Show that you’re unhappy with the direction the game is headed, but do it in a beneficial way. Rioting just makes everyone involved look like a bunch of kids throwing a temper tantrum.

Please though, keep in mind that this is a new Jagex: a new marketing strategy, and one that is in use pretty much industry wide. Sure, it may not seem like one that Jagex would have bought into years ago, but this is a different environment. Word of mouth referrals aren’t working. People are leaving RuneScape, and there has to be some way of getting traffic back. If you don’t like the current methods, offer an alternative. Jagex may just take it up instead.

To Everyone:

The program may be good. It may be bad. At this point, it’s too early to tell. Hold back your judgement, and tell me two, three, six months down the road what your opinion is on it. Has it drastically harmed RuneScape? The answer will probably surprise you.

These programs are not the core of the game. The content is. Yet this year, through all of the problems Jagex had with player relationships in marketing strategies, they have by far made up with one of the best years of content — this month especially, with ABSOLUTELY STUNNING graphic changes across half of the RuneScape world, a new quest in an amazing series, and awesome minigame updates. Overall, the content is what keeps me playing or makes me leave, and let me tell you, they have done a lot to keep me playing. Overall, that’s what’s important, and that is what we should be judging by — not some 10% bonus that can only be active 10% of the time — yearly, that’s about 1% experience gain. For me, that’s about the difference of playing one minute more per day. Is it really that big of a deal?