Since its restoration on February 22 2013, Runescape the way it was back in early August 2007 has kept hundreds of thousands of players busy. With 449,351 players voting for its return, old school Runescape will be subscription only for the first 6 months (5 USD per month) and currently sports a small but dedicated maintainance team. So what’s the fuss? What’s so great about it? Why bother?

We will give those who were not around back in August 2007 and those who have forgotten the glory of the past 3 reasons to play old school Runescape. Of course, there are as many reasons to play old school Runescape as there are players already doing it, but here we focus on the underlying reasons brought about by the game itself:

1. A fresh start

On the standard Runescape servers there are so many players with maxed out skills that making it to the hiscores just is not doable if you have a life outside of Runescape. On the old school servers anyone can make it to the hiscores within reasonable time, and even if it just lasts for a few days, at least you had your moment in the sun.

Furthermore, the old school servers do not have a warped economy with mass produced rares held by those who do not deserve such riches. On the old school servers everyone is given a fresh start and anyone can become someone who matters without too much of an effort.

2. Barter based economy

In August 2007 there was no Grand Exchange in Runescape. To buy from or sell to other players on old school servers you must find your buyer/seller and agree upon a price. The standard market place is Varrock in world 1 and 2. However, players tend to trade whenever and wherever an opportunity arises.

This may sound cumbersome to those used to the Grand Exchange but it adds so much depth to the game. In fact, it becomes a whole different game. It becomes a skill to know the price of items, where to trade for them, and how to read your fellow player’s mind. How much does he want the item in question? How much does he have to spend? How much of that can I get him to spend?

The value of items is subjective and changes not only from player to player but also depending on time and place. To become a master merchant you must master both prices, players, time, and space. The grand exchange rendered this entire skill set mastered by tens of thousands of players useless. But now it’s in demand again. And that’s the way it should be.

3. No Evolution of Combat

Judging by the polls held by Jagex, most players were ok with Evolution of Combat and the most prevalent view was an equal appreciation of the old and new combat system. And now thanks to the return of old school Runescape you can play either system whenever you like.

Evolution of combat was brought about to balance the combat triangle which was slightly dominated by melee, make combat less about items and more about player skill, and ultimately encourage a larger variety in equipment. That’s all commendable but let’s not forget that by making items less distinquished you also take away some common goals that players have shared for years. It is a good thing when players desire the same item. It sparks inspiration, admiration, cooperation, trade, envy, friction, and pking. All the colours of the world. It is the principal force of an MMO.

It should also be pointed out that there is always going to be a superior way of playing, regardless of the game and its mechanics. How else could anyone ever win? There is no such thing as a balanced game in so far as game mechanics. The true balance of a game is that between the known and the unknown. Throw too much of the unknown at the player and he is instantly turned off. Give him too much of what he already has experience with and it’s boring. In the end everything gets old, even old school Runescape, and there will come a day when not even gold can bring back the lost luster of a bygone age. Hopefully, Jagex will have some updates up their sleeve by then.

A world overrun by heroes leaves little room for villains. In modern entertainment ranging from movies to games, the villain is always a suggestive figure whose evildoing lies in the past and/or awaits in the future. In the here and now the villain has a plan, a past, or an evil look to him but does little to no evil. Before anything of significance happens, the hero always intercepts the villain, preferably in the villain’s own house, and administers justice in accordance with his own superior moral code.

This begs the question: is the villain really a villain? He is assumed evil while the hero is assumed good, but if he does no evil, then what makes him a villain? In the real world planning a crime is not a crime. The person must perform an action outlined in the plan before it becomes a crime. In the real world evidence is also required before someone can be convicted. Something that is illegal, on the other hand, is taking the law in your own hands and dispensing justice as you see fit. This means that by real world standards, the hero of our movies and games is actually a villain and the villain is actually a victim. The villain is not always innocent of course but in no way is his evil convincingly conveyed or the justice well served. It is tasteless.

In Lord of the Rings the poor orcs get slaughtered in their thousands just for walking in the woods or daring to step unto the plains of Rohan. Since when did existing become a crime? In World of Warcraft the local animals get slaughtered in their millions for XP while “monsters” are raided in their own homes and completely wiped out for loot and XP. What did they ever do to you or anyone else? The player is not only a mass-murderer, he is also a robber and a thief.

And the problem is not just the mono-directional violence. It’s the ridiculous scale of things. The hero lifts his hand and the villains die in their hundreds. The hero farts and the villains die in their thousands. The hero opens his mouth and the world turns silent. Whatever happened to getting your ass kicked over and over again by a laughing asshole that pisses you off so bad your head turns purple? Whatever happened to finding friends and love only to get them ripped away from you by your enemies? Imagine beating the crap out of that laughing asshole or getting revenge on those that took away all that you held dear. Only to realize that they also have friends and families. That would be self served justice with consequence.

It’s fortunate that movies and games are not real. They are fantasies for us to revel in. The problem is that a fantasy with no laws or rules except the impeccable right of the protagonist is utterly boring, uninspiring, and underwhelming. Sure, it’s fun to kick ass but without a plausible context it quickly gets old. Entertainment should stir up emotions. It should make you angry, happy, and sad. It should make you laugh and cry. It should overwhelm. A mass murdering self-righteous hero without past or future does not deliver.

The hero is the villain, and we are all so bored that we have forgotten what it means to be entertained.