Planet FunOrb

I apologize for the delay in the first weekly article. I had to take on a twelve hour shift today, the original four o clock release was pushed back to ten thirty.

It was a blessing though, because it gave me the idea for this week’s me to you discussion. Why are we so embarrassed to play Jagex’s products?

While I was working today, I met a regular at Planet FunOrb by chance, because he happened to be buying Runescape time cards. The conversation went like this:

Me: Runescape, huh?
Him: Yep.
Me: Do you play FunOrb as well?
Him: I’m not a member on that, but yea.
Me: Have you been on Planet FunOrb?
Him: Yea, it’s alright
Me: Well it’s good to see someone enjoys my effort. (This last line didn’t really happen)

The boy was maybe fifteen or sixteen, and appeared to be embarrassed when I not only asked about the Runescape card in his hand, but actually discussed it with him. The second boy I saw with a time card actually hid it in his pocket when he saw me looking in his direction. To the kid in the red shirt on the fifteenth of March in Target at the food court, you know who you are.

 But it got me thinking, this is not the first time I have seen people act embarrassed that they play a Jagex game, bet it Runescape or FunOrb. I know Runescape has generated a lot of buzz by people who know it (but have never played it) as being a game for kids, but such an idea is easy to disprove with the bare minimum of evidence. When Target began selling the Runescape time card, the biggest disapproval I viewed from other players was that they were embarrassed to go into a Target and be seen in public buying a Runescape item. The same goes for the Jagex Store.

FunOrb on the other hand, I don’t see any reason why the service would be considered “kiddy”. Much like Runescape, yes, a lot of kids play it, but it isn’t engineered with kids specifically in mind. I know plenty of teenagers, college students, and adults who have no problem admitting that they play a multitude of flash and java games that relate to FunOrb games in various ways, yet for some reason the very fact that Jagex made FunOrb makes it a kiddy product.

I think it’s about time we as a fanbase work to remove the mask of childishness that has been branded over FunOrb and Runescape, and let the world know that there isn’t a problem with kids being attracted to a certain game. Have any of you been in a game of Halo or World of Warcraft lately? Many of the mature rated games even are full to the brim with little kids, but you don’t hear them being referred to as “kiddy”. Any free service on the internet does attract a lot of kids and a lot of trolls using throwaway accounts, but the two should not go hand in hand with one another.

Do you know what a kiddy game is? Hello Kitty Online (Actually that game is pretty hardcore. I’ll have to find a better example). Cartoon Network’s Fusion Fall. Barbie Horse Adventure. FunOrb is a collection of casual games that can be enjoyed by anyone, thanks to the lack of barriers such as horrifying blood and guts, characters with mouths like sailors, and gratuitous sex.

So, red shirted kid I didn’t get to talk to today because you basically bolted when I saw that time card, I think it’s time you and those like you stopped being so self concious about your interests (I won’t go into music interests, that I seal tight like a vault) and be able to talk about the things that you like. If someone doesn’t approve of your interests, then too bad for them.

But if you’re going to choose tomorrow to do it at Target, I won’t be in until 4.

Again I aplogize for the first article being short. A twelve hour shift takes a lot out of you, and I expected more time at the beginning of the day. Also, I appear to be bleeding, heavily, from somewhere on my head. I’m going to go take care of that now.

The call for 2009 should be “I am FunOrb, hear me NORB”