Summary
Old School RuneScapehas such a strong pull that even the spiritually enlightened among us can’t resist hopping on and grinding out one of the game’s many skills.
Ben Xi (in-game name) is an ex-monk of the Hare Krishna Movement, a Hindu religious organisation (thanks,GamesRadar+). Xi spent six years living as a monk at a temple in Wales before he moved out of the temple to, in his words, “play RuneScape.” Xi’s account is 20-years-old but he hasn’t played in a long time. However, he admits his childhood was dominated by the MMO, and he says the game is part of his being.
“It’s quite hard to quit RuneScape - I don’t think anyone ever does quit RuneScape,” he remarks. “It becomes a part of who you are, at least in my experience.”
If there was ever a game that would lend itself to spiritual education, it might be Old School RuneScape. We’ve seen unbelievable feats of willpower, perseverance and dedication in the OSRS community. If you can’t reach enlightenment by cutting yew trees in Prifddinas, then can your consciousness ever ascend?
In Xi’s most recent video, he reads excerpts from the Bhagavad Gita, the core text of the Hare Krishna’s belief system. Naturally, he does so while grinding for 99 Prayer using Blessed Dragon Bones.
The Bhagavad Gita details a conversation between a prince and Krishna, an avatar of the god Vishnu.
“My intention is that I’ve got 15,000 more dragon bones to grind down into blessed bone shards for my 99 prayer grind, and I thought ‘Hey, why not do that and read some transcendental literature for you guys?'” Xi explains.
As with most maxing in Old School RuneScape, the grind to 99 prayer can be a time-consuming and costly process. However, for someone who spends much of their daily life in meditation and reflection as a monk does, time is immaterial. Xi’s account isn’t starting from zero either, as his prayer skill was already 67 from his years of play previously.
Old School RuneScape
WHERE TO PLAY
Old School Runescape is an MMORPG developed and published by Jagex that launched in 2013. It is a version of the game that dates back to 2007, similar to how World of Warcraft Classic works.
