And just like that, the last remaining classic MMORPG that once captivated the world has now embraced modern identity politics, driven by ESG initiatives to become more “inclusive.”
RuneScape, developed by Jagex, is one of the world’s most popular video games. When it was released in 2001, it took the world by storm and has remained one of the longest-running MMORPGs ever.
In response to player criticism of the direction the game had taken over the years, Jagex introduced “Old School” RuneScape, a nostalgic throwback that continues to be immensely popular with players today.
Devoted fans now find themselves at a crossroads as a recent update to Old School RuneScape introduces modern political themes. Jagex has removed gender terms from the character creation screen, replacing “Male” and “Female” with “Body Type A/B” to be more inclusive, echoing changes seen in other games like Terraria.
Despite the fact that most transgender individuals identify as either male or female, basic biology aside, the removal of gender terminology is entirely pointless. It only caters to a tiny fraction of the gaming community who identify as something other than human.
Jagex has further embraced this inclusivity by introducing pronouns, allowing players to choose between two unlabeled body types, no longer identified as male or female, and select their preferred pronouns from three options.
This change is part of the August 14th update, which also includes the return of Slayer Partners and other updates determined by Poll 82. In an update to Makeovers (character customization), Old School RuneScape developer Jagex emphasized, “Your Player Character, Your Way.”
“A big part of Old School is having the freedom to play the game your way, and that should extend to character creation, too,” Jagex explains. “We want our players to have the freedom to express themselves in Gielinor, just as they would in real life. To enhance self-expression, you can now choose a preferred pronoun for your character from the following options: He/Him, She/Her, or They/Them. You can also opt not to select a pronoun, in which case the game will use the default based on body type, similar to how it has always been.”
Jagex has also confirmed that all facial hair options can be used regardless of the selected body type, even though both “body types” still clearly align with male and female characteristics.
Games despite being over 13 years old, or in RuneScape’s case, 23 years old, is never too late to conform to modern societal pressures by catering to regressive ideologies and pandering to those who are mentally ill.
Jagex is known for polling its players on upcoming updates and changes to the game. However, these “minor” changes, such as removing gender terms and introducing pronouns to cater to the 1% of gamers who might appreciate them, were unsurprisingly not put to a vote by Jagex as Poll 82 more or less glossed over changes to minigames instead.
Jagex likely avoided polling these changes because they knew the majority of RuneScape players would overwhelmingly reject the introduction of such political content into the game. As is often the case when DEI and ESG ideologies take hold in the industry, any consumer opposition is quickly dismissed as racist, sexist, or phobic rhetoric.
Understandably, many players are outraged on social media, but their frustration is being met with pushback from social media activists who downplay the issue as trivial.
They argue that the removal of male and female terms is “just a minor detail,” yet insist that it’s a necessary addition to appeal to a liberal audience. Ironically, these same activists are quick to ban and ostracize anyone who dares to create modifications that revert these changes, revealing their true intolerance for differing opinions.
Gamers are increasingly frustrated with the forced inclusion of political ideologies and identity politics in their games. The removal of gender terms appears to cater to a very small segment of the population while alienating the core player base.
Despite the fact that the two body types still clearly represent male and female, the pronoun options are limited to He/She and They, with no option for “otherkin,” making the change seem pointless and likely to irritate most of the mentally deranged players this was supposed to benefit.
Their concerns are further dismissed by a surge of radical social advocates who label anyone with differing views as alt-right extremists.
Old School RuneScape is also experiencing review bombing on Steam, with only 55% of reviews in the past 30 days being positive. Given that the game is free to play, leaving a negative review in your Steam Library could be a simple way to express your dissatisfaction.
The Steam community forums for the game also reference “2004Scape,” a community-driven project designed to offer an even more authentic RuneScape experience from 2004, in contrast to Old School RuneScape, which is based on a 2007 version of the MMORPG.
Similar to “Turtle WoW,” this community project is a fan-made initiative not officially managed by Jagex. Instead, it’s maintained by private individuals who might ban players for being problematic, in order to sidestep the gender-related changes.
It’s worth noting that RuneScape has been incorporating “woke” elements for years, hosting Pride events and LGBT-focused content since 2017, much to the disgust of its players.
These events were introduced without Jagex conducting official polls for player input. and in February 2021, Jagex introduced a quest featuring a lesbian couple, and the game has been holding official Pride parade events since 2022.
Various players have been vocal about canceling their memberships, recalling their previous backlash when Jagex introduced the “Hero Pass” in RuneScape.
This pass, which ran from September 4th, 2023, to October 6th, 2023, was intended as seasonal events but quickly turned into a controversial pay-to-win scheme laden with FOMO marketing tactics. Jagex eventually scrapped the Hero Pass, likely due to the significant player exodus it caused.
There seems to be no resolution for players at this point. Jagex has been increasingly focusing on tolerance and diversity for years, starting with Pride events and now altering core elements of the game to cater to a fraction of an already small portion of the population.
If you continue to play Old School RuneScape, you only have yourself to blame. Many were either too confused, too cowardly, or too indifferent to protest the Pride events of Old School RuneScape, signaling to Jagex that catering to a small, vocal group was acceptable.
You as a player must oppose such changes verbally and risk being banned in the process or watch as your beloved franchise becomes yet another victim of the “culture war.”
Similar to Terraria, it’s disheartening to see older games being vulnerable to sudden updates promoting gender-related ideology. Nothing seems sacred anymore, and with Jagex now owned by CVC Capital Partners, a private equity firm, it’s unlikely that they will reverse these changes, even if players cancel their memberships.
Coincidentally, the largest shareholder in CVC Capital Partners is Blue Owl Capital Inc., which holds an 8.89% stake in the company. Interestingly, the Vanguard Group holds an 8.73% stake in Blue Owl, while BlackRock owns a 3.88% stake in the same firm.
Both Vanguard and BlackRock are well-known for promoting DEI initiatives in the workplace and for pressuring companies to adopt ESG ideologies in exchange for hedge fund investment capital.
It’s intriguing how these companies are connected, especially with the involvement of BlackRock and Vanguard. These firms not only push woke ideologies on the corporations they invest in but also leverage their substantial shareholdings to entice hedge funds into borrowing shares to short such companies. In doing so, they benefit from the transactions by collecting royalties while maintaining a net long position, creating a win-win situation for such private equity firms.
If you’re an avid Old School RuneScape player seeking an alternative, 2004Scape might be a good option. However, similar to Turtle WoW’s privately operated servers, you’ll need to be cautious about discussing gender identity, as being too outspoken could lead to a ban, and you’ll essentially be starting from scratch.
