UNDERHÅLLNING
Playing Runescape FOR SURVIVAL
Playing Runescape for Survival TEXT GUNNAR ÅKERLIND ILLUSTRATION ROISIN CALLAGHAN
Throughout my childhood, just like for most of my friends, gaming was a source of entertainment and the greatest competitor for my spare time. However, in the context of an economy in decay and where resources are scarce, online gaming has come to take up a different role in the lives of many Venezuelans. It has become a necessity for survival. I was a gamer in highschool. When I wasn’t studying, you’d find me by the computer, playing games or watching others play on YouTube. Now the act seems like a waste of valuable time, if I could even find time to play, that is. Back then however, I was glued to the screen for hours on end. Either trying my best to survive in the dark wilderness of Don’t Starve or shooting down the enemy team in Dirty Bomb or Counter Strike Global Offensive. I even have an embarrassing amount of time on Geometry Dash. The game which takes the prize for getting the most of my time was Team Fortress 2, an iconic team based FPS.
Within this game (like many others) there was a function which allowed players to trade items with each other. From this function a market arose. I won some and I lost some, but to me this little market was still only a part of the game. For others, these virtual economies have come to mean so much more. The measly money one can make from playing and trading in online games in this sense has next to no value in the richer parts of the world. Look to Venezuela however, a country with a collapsed economy and inflation off the rails, where these
OSQLEDAREN #4
38
sums which to me seem negligible can be a significant sum. A sum large enough to survive on even. And in a context where jobs are few and salaries low, what seems like entertainment becomes essential for survival. The game Old School Runescape has become a staple in the lives of many Venezuelans. This game allows “mining” of the in-game currency where gain is proportional to time put in. By dedicating hours on end to simple, repetitive tasks, one can earn enough money to make a significant addition to a Venezuelan household. The article “How Runescape is helping Venzuelans survive” by Mat Ombler at Polygon gives a colourful insight to the situation by reporting one Venezuelan’s struggles. “Martinez”, a former accountant, turned to Runescape when inflation had made his former salary inadequate for survival and one neighbour recommended the game, which now has become “super mainstream” in Venezuela. He puts it harshly: without his “gold-mining”, his family would starve.
