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Faced with a full 100% increase on taxes – from 1% to a harrowing 2% at the Grand Exchange market – Old School RuneScape players reacted the only way they knew how. The MMO has a storied history of in-game protests, so like the medieval farmers they technically are, players revolted against this exploitation (it's actually probably a good thing) and one brave soul recreated their very own Boston Tea Party by chucking cups into the harbor.
As an American raised and educated in the South, the Boston Tea Party is one of those things that I saw romanticized within an inch of its life, but in fairness I'm pretty sure it did involve more than one dude throwing 28 cups of tea on the ground at the end of a port. But we all do what we can, and that's what Reddit user Jesus-Bacon, a fittingly American name, planned as their grand act of defiance.
No more taxation without representation! from r/2007scape
"You think the British would have learned by now," they said, chanting "no taxation without representation" in their post title. "Let's remind them what happened last time!" (Unlike many MMOs, OSRS does notably give players direct representation through in-game polls for many changes, though this tax update was not polled.)
RuneScape and Old School RuneScape developer Jagex is, of course, British. The best part? Jagex staff usernames have a gold crown in-game, so just like the tea hurlers of the 18th century, OSRS players are quite literally sticking it to the crown.
Jesus-Bacon was not alone, mind you. The endlessly inventive OSRS Reddit community had a lot of fun with the "casual doubling of our taxes," roleplaying as everything from medieval serfs to the US' tariff-happy Trump administration.
"The problem is trade imbalance," one OSRS economist reasoned. "Monsters are exporting more alchables than they are importing." (Alchables, for folks who don't speak RuneScape, are items commonly converted into gold coins via the High Alchemy spell. Interestingly, the existence of "alch values," or how many coins you get from alching an item, is actually pretty core to the game's economy, as it effectively sets a price floor on many high-volume goods.)
"The rich mega rare billionaires should be taxed more because they have a greater ability to contribute without compromising their standard of living," argues one sensible player. "We need to implement a progressive tax that increases based on bank worth. Start with 100m at 2% and go all the way up to 50% if you own all 3 mega rares."
Oppositely, one self-proclaimed OSRS billionaire counters: "There are far more middle and lower class players. Raise their taxes and eliminate ours. It will impact the economy much more. Thank… much appreciate"
If you're wondering where all of this came from, Jagex announced an increased GE tax on May 29, billing it as a way to remove more gold from the game in order to combat market inflation fueled by a steady increase in the amount of gold entering the game through various sources.
There's a separate argument to be had about how and why more gold pieces are being minted, especially as OSRS continues to combat bots and some loot tables flood the market with resources, but this gold sink is actually a pretty simple subject. It's also an interesting look into the economics of a game that's been alive for this long and looks to have many, many years ahead of it.
"The goal here isn’t to punish trade, but to ensure that Old School continues to have a vibrant and sustainable economy for years to come," Jagex wrote. "Increasing the GE tax is one of the most effective ways we can do that."
The tax will remain capped at 5 million gold for pricey items, some "early-game utility items" will be exempt from taxes, and sub-50 gold items won't be taxed at all, but new trade offers for all other cases will use the 2% rate going forward.
"At the end of the day, this isn’t just about numbers - it’s about keeping the Old School economy healthy, so your GP stays valuable and prices stay fair," Jagex says.
Now, taxes are meant to be used as a budget for infrastructure, essential services, and societal safety nets. Where do OSRS taxes go? A lot of this taxed gold vanishes outright – again, gold sink – but, Jagex reiterates, some is also used as a budget "to buy certain items from players and sink them into the void, permanently deleting them from the economy" in order to prevent prices from cratering as supplies swell.
With the tax now going up, one citizen of OSRS reckons Jagex could do more for infrastructure. "RuneScape's roads are a national disgrace," they say. "We’ve poured billions of GP into building gilded thrones, trimming armor, floating cities, and role-playing farmers... Yet somehow we can't manage a flat stretch of dirt without it turning into a combat trial."
You know what? They've got a point.
Square Enix considered shutting down the original Final Fantasy MMO years ago, but the devs received "a lot of support" to keep it going.
