Old School RuneScape Pronouns and Body Type Update Controversy

Overview

The Old School RuneScape Pronouns and Body Type Update Controversy refers to backlash and reactions to Jagex (the developers of RuneScape) for purportedly removing binary gender options from the Old School RuneScape (OSRS) character creation or "Makeup Mage" interface, instead replacing them with a choice of the pronouns "he/him," "they/them" or "she/her" and offering players a choice of two "body types," "body type A," which is more masculine, or "body type B," which is more feminine. The update was released on August 14th, 2024, and became the subject of controversy on social media that day.

Background

On August 14th, 2024, a series of updates were implemented for the MMO game Old School RuneScape, which were detailed in a post on the RuneScape website.^[1] Part of the update includes changes to the Makeup Mage interface, which changes the way that players choose how their in-game character is represented. The update details read:

A big part of Old School is having the freedom to play the game your way, and that should extend to character creation, too. We want our players to have the freedom to express themselves in Gielinor, just as they would IRL.

With this in mind, we've updated the Makeover Mage interface:

- Players may now choose between Body Type A and Body Type B, offering the freedom to pick either body type without the restriction of gender labels.

- To give you even more room for self-expression, you can now choose a preferred pronoun for your player character from the following options: He/Him, She/Her, or They/Them. You can also continue without selecting a pronoun, if that's what you prefer. The game will use the default based on body type, similar to how it has always been.

Another section of the update notes mentions that you "can also continue without selecting a pronoun, if that's what you prefer. The game will use the default based on body type, similar to how it has always been" (screenshots of the character creator seen below).

Online Reactions

That day, reactions to the update began going viral on social media, with some accusing RuneScape developers of "ruining the game" with the update and forcing it to "go woke." For example, on August 14th, 2024, X^[2] / Twitter user @Grummz posted screenshots of the character creation tool's updated interface, writing, "They just ruined OG Runescape. Mandatory and unasked for update forces 'body types' and 'pronouns' onto players," garnering over 930,000 views and 10,000 likes in a day (shown below).

That same day, a similarly critical post about the update was made to the GamerGate subreddit /r/KotakuInAction,^[3] garnering over 1,100 upvotes and 260 comments in a day.

The criticism towards the update was also met with backlash for being perceived as disingenuous by some online. For example, on August 14th, X^[4] user @Johnny2shoes__ commented on Grummz's post with a screenshot of the section of the updates denying that it is "mandatory" to pick pronouns, with Grummz responding, "Is body type optional? Do I have to see YOUR pronouns?" (shown below, left).

Also on August 14th, 2024, X^[5] user @airbagged made a post suggesting that Grummz has not spent any significant amount of time in RuneScape and that the game has always been "woke," garnering over 11,000 likes in a day (shown below, right). Other X^[6][7] users additionally criticized Grummz for calling Old School RuneScape the incorrect name, "OG RuneScape."

Between August 14th and 15th, numerous videos discussing the update and controversy were uploaded to YouTube by various channels and creators, with some criticizing it for being "woke," while others praised the character creation options (examples shown below).

Search Interest

External References