So I was minding my own business at the gym, jamming out to some crazy techno music on my headphones while doing some bench press reps, mindlessly watching the flat screen TV’s hovering above me. A headline peaked my curiosity as I watched the muted (it’s much better this way) morning show. Yahoo’s Top 10 Searches of 2008. Alright, these are always interesting and mildly amusing to see. So they start revealing the list, we got the usual suspects like Angelina Jolie and Lindsay Lohan, but then they got to number 5 on the list — RuneScape. Yes, RuneScape.

I guess there is something to be said about it being the only game on this list, the only game searched for more than Jessica Alba, American Idol, Angelina Jolie, Naruto and Lindsay Lohan. Truthfully, it hurts my brain to think about it. I’m not sure if this is proof that RuneScape is to be respected as a force in the MMO genre, or if it’s simply a testament of Yahoo’s users base. I’m not trying to put down RuneScape, I think it has its place in the world. However, it does strike me as being slightly odd that it is searched for this much. Lets be honest, RuneScape isn’t exactly ground breaking on any front, nor is it even notable in any single aspect of the MMO genre. Maybe the hardcore gamer inside of me doesn’t understand how a game like this could be searched for more than say, Halo, Guitar Hero or World of Warcraft. Perhaps this is that magical casual market that sells millions of games to non-hardcore gamers. That demographic that the Wii seems to have enticed. Maybe, I’m more in the minority than I think I am. Whatever the reason, lets raise our glasses and toast. To RuneScape, for being hotter than Jessica Alba, and being the only game to make it to the top 10. Congrats!