It seemed pretty clear these players were gamers refer to as "OSRS gold farmers." They were making gold winning the game and then converting that gold in the game into money by selling it to other players on underground websites. This has been happening for yearsand many games prohibit it, but it continues to happen.

The issue was why were there suddenly so many new players joining Old School RuneScape? The answer lies in a single economic collapse. Venezuela. Hyperinflation in the country was destroying the local currency. And for thousands of Venezuelans playing video games, gold had become a currency of shelter.

There's a good chance that if grew up in the early 2000s and could access an internet connection, you likely have played RuneScape. The early MMORPG was a pioneer in establishing an online game experience that anyone could access on their web browser.

There is no longer a time when players needed to use Java just to load the RuneScape character. These last few years have seen the game that has been running for years go mobile, bringing a new RS gold game to players who aren't as experienced, and even the classic Java version for those who long to return to it.