Mute
From the Dark RuneScape Wiki - follow the rules, or else!
A mute is a punishment that JaGeX gives to players for breaking Rule 1. Mutes are an alternative for bans. Mutes have a duration, similar to bans. During a mute, players may log into RuneScape (unlike a ban), but when the muted player trys to use normal chat, it will not show up on other players' chat windows, and a message will inform the player that they have been muted for breaking the Rules of conduct. However, muted players can still use the Quick Chat system to communicate with other players. In addition, the muted player (if they are a member or have at least 12.5 million total experience) cannot post on the forums for the duration of the mute. Mutes can be either temporary or permanent. Temporary mutes may have durations ranging from as little as 24 hours or a few days to several weeks or even months. Permanent mutes are often the last punishment given before permanent bans to players with 9-10 blackmarks, as a means of stopping them from performing any scam or breach of the Rules of Conduct which would require the player to speak ingame.
[edit] Controversy
Mutes are highly controversial, as muted players have limited options to interact with other players, including trading or clan activities. The only ways a muted player can communicate are by using emotes, the Quick Chat system, or some means of external communication. Muted players are sometimes (but rarely) subjected to abuse for being macroers, unless they make use of Quick Chat. Mutes also make RuneScape extremely boring as they have extremely limited options for socializing with other players while doing boring tasks, and most fun aspects of RuneScape, such as minigames involve interaction with other players. Many muted players quit RuneScape during their mute. Players that are permanently muted often either quit completely or transfer their items to another character through drop trading, then cancel their membership (if they have one) and abandon the account. This again draws criticism, as a player who breaks the Rules of Conduct enough to nearly be permanently banned is able to simply transfer their items to a secondary account and start a new one (though both accounts may still be banned for breaking Rule 8). Although the player will probably stop using the muted account (losing any hard-earned skills and completed quests), the player can still log into the account if they need to use any of the skills (such as fishing to earn money).
