“Dad Dad!”
“What Angus?”
“Someone’s hacked my Runescape account?”
“Shit!”.
It used to be that real Dad’s used to teach their kids to play football or watch them at least on Sundays. ‘New Dad’ spends his time understanding, or at least I do – what Runescape is all about. Angus lives in an online world when ever he is allowed. This means if allowed; he would literately live in there except for the odd moments of needing a pee, eating and the annoying fact that he will fall asleep at the screen at some stage. About 4 years ago or so when Angus was about 9, we stayed in a hostel in Brasov Romania I think, and we were going off to bed.
“Dad, I’m just going to check my email, I’ll be up in a mo”. Angus said as I went up to our room and crashed out. I thought nothing off it until I came down for breakfast and dragged Angus out of bed to eat some food. He was fine until he saw this Dutch guy and looked a bit nervous.
“Hey man.” the Dutch guy said to Angus like he knew him holding his fist up in the air in respect.
Angus nodded in recognition once, his expression staying the same.
“How do you know him Angus?” I said ” As I didn’t remember seeing him when we arrived.”
I got the trainee Kevin look from Angus and went back to my toast and triangle of cheese spread.
“Hey, your kids full on man” The Dutch guy said to me. Angus not looking amused. “ You son was on that machine when I arrived at 4.00am. We told him he should go to bed around 5.00am and he went up, kinda not happy about it around 5.30am.” The Dutch guy raised his fist again “He’s full on man!”
Angus looked at me like he had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar and then glared ever so slightly at the Dutch guy. I had gone to bed around 9.30pm.
Angus has has had his Runescape account since he was 7. There are over 135 million accounts for Runescape, sometimes getting over 6 million new accounts a month. Runescape is aimed at pre teens like Angus. World of Warcraft has even more subscribers aimed at older kids. It doesn’t take to long to work out that there are more people with a Runescape account, than play football on a Sunday at their local club in the UK, maybe all of Europe.
That’s a lot…
Angus has told me over the years of how he has chopped trees, fished for… fish, bought swords that do this and, OK I admit some times I kind of loose track as he explains in great details what the Grand Exchange does and why you need to go there before a major quest. Angus spends as much time as he can, buying and selling, trading and working for money in his online world. Like any trader would in the city, or farmer in a cattle market. He has built his skills, he used to take a week to earn 1000 of what ever they are. When he made his first million he was so proud and showed me his account, before promptly blowing it all on a new cloak that would help his magic skills. He now makes a million in half an hour and is trying to work out how to make 10’s of millions in a day. He’s proud of what he has achieved and today – he got hacked and someone has cheated him and stolen his password.
He’s numb. It’s like building a business for 4 years and you partner sold your shares behind your back. An hour of searching and he has found the ‘stolen account’ section in Jagex, the owners of Runescape. He waits with baited breath to see the outcome but will be able to sleep tonight, only just, as the account has been frozen.
But as Angus says “ If they stole all my gold and magic capes before the account was frozen, I will loose everything”.
I feel for him. To loose all that work to some little shit who is probably going to try and sell Angus’s wealth for real money in the real part of the internet, ie ebay etc.
We shall see. But one thing is for certain. If Angus looses everything, I will stick £100 in an online share account for him and suggest he plays “Real life Runescape” as I call it. He’s ready, he’s 13. He just doesn’t know it. He’s a trader, a wheeler and dealer. I didn’t make him do this, he’s done it all on his own. Be funny if he is making more than we do in a few years time and has a nicer Land Cruiser than we have. We’ll see. But as I said to him tonight, “If you loose it Angus, Real life Runscape is there waiting for you, so all your efforts will have not gone to waist 😉
