No more camouflaged games of chance in RuneScape

Old School RuneScape is an old-school massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), but it still has a lot of fans. Many players simply like the nostalgia factor - but the rewarding long-term gameplay, the deep game world and the community are still convincing. Some particularly appreciate the specific opportunities for player-versus-player (PvP) duels. However, real-money trading and gambling-like methods are a recurring problem for the developer Jagex. New rules are now to ensure that such machinations are curbed.

Almost everyone in the MMORPG scene knows Old School RuneScape (OSRS). Even if not everyone likes it (for many, OSRS simply seems too outdated), the game still has a huge fanbase. This makes it far more than just a relic from the early era of MMORPGs - it's a vibrant, nostalgia-fuelled community with millions of users. While many modern games focus on highly polished graphics and rapid progression, OSRS, released in 2013 as a remake of the original RuneScape from 2007, emphasises deep, rewarding long-term goals and complex gameplay tactics.

Users are immersed in an open fantasy world that is characterised by both PvE (player-versus-environment) and PvP (player-versus-player). PvP in OSRS is particularly known for its high intensity and special risk: Characters can lose valuable equipment when dying, which adds an extra layer of tension to combat. However, such duels also provide opportunities for critical methods such as trading in-game currency for real money (real-world trading, RWT) and unofficial gambling practices.

Developer Jagex has long sought to combat RWT and gambling in OSRS, as they not only tarnish the gaming experience for honest users, but also raise legal and ethical issues. The recent decision to clamp down on such cloaked activities therefore marks a significant step in the company's long-term strategy to preserve the integrity of the game while increasing player safety.

PvP deathmatching at the centre of the new regulations against real-money trading and gambling

PvP deathmatching is a central element of the game that captivates both veterans and new players. PvP, or player-versus-player, is the mode in which users challenge each other in battle. Deathmatches in particular, in which players battle it out for predetermined stakes, are a popular format. The opponents often wager considerable amounts of in-game currency or other valuable items. The loser eventually drops these and the winner takes them.

This mechanism, as simple and harmless as it sounds, has developed into a kind of shadow economy in recent years, in which illegal real money transactions and gambling methods flourish.

RWT

The problem arises when users finance their stakes through real-world trading (RWT). This involves selling in-game money or other goodies for real money, which is not only against the rules of the game, but also jeopardises the economic balance within the game. This type of trading is so problematic in the gaming world because it opens the door to fraud and even money laundering.

Gambling

It becomes particularly tricky when players manipulate their deathmatches in such a way that the outcome of the fight is largely left to chance - for example, by both opponents using identical equipment and skills, which eliminates any strategic depth and turns the fight into a kind of game of chance.

Consequences

Jagex has now taken stricter measures to prevent such practices. Since 15 August 2024, new rules have been in place to curb the abuse of deathmatches for illegal purposes. Although the developer does not provide any specific details on how the offences are detected, it is clear that players who are caught doing so will face severe consequences - up to and including the permanent deletion of their account. The sanctions emphasise the seriousness of the new policy and signal that Jagex is determined to ban real money trading and prohibited gambling practices from the game.

There are certainly other tactics for incorporating real-world trading and gambling into MMORPGs

Real-world trading (RWT) and illegal gambling are no longer new phenomena in the world of MMORPGs. Away from deathmatching, players have developed a variety of creative methods over the years that can be used to earn a lot of money.

• Dicing: One particularly common tactic is dicing. In this approach, players bet on the results of dice rolls that are generated either by in-game tools or external programmes. The participants often bet large sums of in-game currency, with the random generator deciding who gets the stake. Such betting games are particularly tricky because they require hardly any strategic skill and are based almost exclusively on luck - basically gambling in its purest form, just in the context of a role-playing game.
• Lotteries and auctions: Some players run outright lotteries where participants buy ‘tickets’ and hope to win a valuable in-game item. Auctions in which rare items are deliberately offered below their value in order to negotiate real money in the background are also common practice.
• Dupe: Some players are even out to commit dupe fraud (duplication). They duplicate in-game currency or items using exploits and then offer them for sale for real money. These forms of RWT aim to manipulate the in-game economy and enable fraudsters to earn considerable sums of money without realising it at first glance.
• Boosting service: Another loophole for RWT and gambling in MMORPGs is the so-called boosting service. This involves players paying real money to be pulled through difficult sections of the game by stronger characters - such as dungeons, raids or PvP ranked matches. These services often run via third-party providers and are in conflict with the rules of the game, as they distort competition and give users unfair advantages. Such mechanics turn the game into a kind of hidden marketplace for services, where the actual game content increasingly fades into the background.

The challenge for developers is to identify and combat such machinations without compromising the legitimate gaming experience. As the mechanisms are often skilfully integrated into normal gameplay, it is becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish between permitted gaming activities and prohibited RWT or gambling practices.

Conclusion

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