I quite often get asked by people outside of the Crypto vortex, how I got into Web3. My answer? I played Runescape.
Starting Out..
I graduated and wanted to work in Communications. That, I knew. But after 6 years of study, work, observation and trial it felt like web2 marketing and communications work was losing its colour, creativity and innovation. Slowly but surely, the life was being drained from it as media & tech squeezed tired web2 business models dry. It all seemed utterly uninspiring. I needed to look elsewhere.
Enter, "Web3". Rapidly gaining mindshare & still in its infancy. The new kid on the block looked and felt different - particularly to me and others who spend a lot of their time online. To us, it's a ready made fascination.
The fascination was rooted in the scope of ideas and the speed at which others in Web3 were sharing and building. That fascination, as it turned out, attracted a lot of like-minded people. Myself included. It was eye opening and I think Runescape has a lot to do with it.
I often joke with people the Venn diagram of people who played Runescape in the 2000's and people who are now full time in Crypto is a complete circle. Having been in the space for past 3 years, anecdotally, it seems true.
Making the connection..
The pandemic brought about a MASSIVE shift in online behavior. People (me) suddenly had time to explore new digital spaces.
That entire two year period felt like hundreds, even thousands of different internet cultures had become actualized and eventually coalesced, creating a network big enough to play a real life, real-time, networked metagame.
Incidentally, I think that is one of the best ways to conceptualize Web3. It's a world-wide metagame facilitated by blockchain, which has formed the framework - and the network - required for players & communities to expand outwardly, creating a larger real-world game where the same skills apply.
Ok.. so? What does that matter?
Wage slave, coom & game until you die. Or participate in Web3 causing wide spread disruption re-engineer government & perhaps become filthy rich in the process. The choice is yours, Western Man.
The Web3 metagame is plugged into and disrupting the real world in big ways. That sense of excitement and promise you get from discovering a new game - the sense of disruption - is all it takes to get you hooked.
That's why it's so compelling. It's a game you feel a NEED to play.. a game capable of being all encompassing; a source of income and perhaps even a career. Like Runescape, web3 is an endless sprawling adventure. You choose your own destiny and forge your own adventure within a new virtual economy. It's a mind blowing learning experience, intertwined with state craft, economics, politics, psychology & money.
The Runescape players had already been primed to understand (at least at a very basic level) most of what is required to play the larger Web3 game. It's an adventure, just waiting for you to start.
The thing about this adventure, is that it's a fucking MASSIVE time sink. The learning curve is steep and the knowledge required and acquired when playing is vast. Most people don't have the time. Enter; COVID. The perfect opportunity to play & learn uninterrupted. An opportunity for 2 year long COVID holiday, playing and learning Web3.
What Runescape taught us
Runescape was many things: an adventure, a social platform, an economy simulator, and for many of us, our first introduction to digital economics. We learned about:
- Grinding: The value of time investment and persistence
- Trading: Understanding supply, demand, and market manipulation
- Scams: Learning the hard way about trust and verification
- Community: The power of guilds, clans, and collective action
- Reputation: How your name and actions follow you in digital spaces
These lessons translate directly to Web3. The skills you developed clicking trees for hours or flipping items at the Grand Exchange prepared you for understanding tokenomics, yield farming, and community governance.
The parallels are uncanny
Both Runescape and Web3 share fundamental characteristics:
- Permissionless participation - anyone can join
- Player-driven economies with real value
- Reputation systems based on activity and contribution
- The grind as a feature, not a bug
- Community-created content and culture
The difference? In Web3, the gold pieces are real. The items you earn have actual value. The time you invest can translate to genuine economic opportunity.
Why this matters
Understanding this connection isn't just nostalgic navel-gazing. It explains why certain demographics gravitate toward crypto, why some people "get it" immediately while others struggle, and why community building in Web3 follows patterns that would be familiar to anyone who ran a successful Runescape clan.
If you played Runescape, you were unknowingly training for this moment. The hours you spent weren't wasted - they were preparation for a new digital frontier where those skills actually matter.
Welcome to the metagame. Your adventure awaits.
Chop