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Runescape: The First 20 Years--An Illustrated History
A full-colour hardcover companion tome that offers a look behind the scenes as the iconic online fantasy RPG celebrates its 20th birthday!
In 2001, RuneScape transformed the world of MMORPGs with a magical world that was free-to-play in your browser. Assuming any number of fantasy roles, players carved their own adventures in a fantasy land filled with vibrant characters, daring adventure and mystery. In an industry where success can often be short lived, RuneScape has defied the odds by not just surviving, but thriving over an incredible two decades. Now you can get an insider's look at the tremendous talent and enormous effort that went into creating the land of Gielinor and the magical races who inhabit it.
Jagex and Dark Horse present a guide to the history of the RuneScape franchise, exploring the detailed tapestry of RuneScape and Old School RuneScape through exciting and exclusive art and behind the scenes interviews!
In 2001, RuneScape transformed the world of MMORPGs with a magical world that was free-to-play in your browser. Assuming any number of fantasy roles, players carved their own adventures in a fantasy land filled with vibrant characters, daring adventure and mystery. In an industry where success can often be short lived, RuneScape has defied the odds by not just surviving, but thriving over an incredible two decades. Now you can get an insider's look at the tremendous talent and enormous effort that went into creating the land of Gielinor and the magical races who inhabit it.
Jagex and Dark Horse present a guide to the history of the RuneScape franchise, exploring the detailed tapestry of RuneScape and Old School RuneScape through exciting and exclusive art and behind the scenes interviews!
224 pages, Hardcover
Published November 9, 2021
19 people are currently reading
96 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
April 19, 2022
After playing Runescape in my teens this was a fun nostalgic trip from the very beginning to it's current incarnations (RS3 and Old School Runescape).
As other's have mentioned though it's clear from the content that the author isn't someone who has a strong background with Runescape and it's history. The book gives quite a light insight about the history of the game with a stronger focus on the company itself instead which is a shame. The development of the game from quite a small endeavor to the wealth of skills, quests and areas now present is so rich and feels like this should have been the main focus instead for the book. Luckily this is covered quite well online by many different content creators.
The included images are also a bit random with a bit too much concept art included rather than in-game screenshots/models which would have really added a bit more context.
For any ex-players this might be a nice nostalgic read but might be worth instead just watching/looking for the history of Runescape online instead.
As other's have mentioned though it's clear from the content that the author isn't someone who has a strong background with Runescape and it's history. The book gives quite a light insight about the history of the game with a stronger focus on the company itself instead which is a shame. The development of the game from quite a small endeavor to the wealth of skills, quests and areas now present is so rich and feels like this should have been the main focus instead for the book. Luckily this is covered quite well online by many different content creators.
The included images are also a bit random with a bit too much concept art included rather than in-game screenshots/models which would have really added a bit more context.
For any ex-players this might be a nice nostalgic read but might be worth instead just watching/looking for the history of Runescape online instead.
Read
July 3, 2024I just finished this book today.
Of all the games I have played in my life, Runescape is the one I have played the most hours.
It is a blessing that I had the opportunity to play this game, but sadly, it is something I will never have again, even if I sign back into my original account, it would not be the same, because the friends and culture are no longer there.
I would spend hours and hours doing nothing but chopping down virtual trees so I could sell the virtual logs to make virtual money—not even good virtual money like cryptocurrency.
When I played this game, that was probably when I had the most naive outlook on life. Nothing was a big deal; there were no injustices in the world, the prison complex didn't exist, healthcare was available for anyone who wanted it, and corruption was only a debuff on your items. I cared about leveling up, not even efficiently, just whatever felt fun. If I played Runescape again now, I would play it in a way that would level me up the quickest, regardless of fun.
When did life take such a turn, where video games became too time-consuming, taking away from my potential 'productive' free time?
If I could go back in time, I would tell my younger self around 2007 to enjoy it and savor the feelings, even the bad ones, because those problems aren't so bad.
What sucks is that I know I am going to be telling myself the same thing 15 years in the future.
What a beautiful thing to the creators and developers is to say they built a game that has lasted over two and half decades and filled so many people with joy.
Oh yeah, the book... it was all right. It did stir up some feelings that I have missed, but overall, I did not find myself too engaged with the book. I would recommend it if you REALLY like Runescape, but if you're on the edge, I would say skip this book.
Of all the games I have played in my life, Runescape is the one I have played the most hours.
It is a blessing that I had the opportunity to play this game, but sadly, it is something I will never have again, even if I sign back into my original account, it would not be the same, because the friends and culture are no longer there.
I would spend hours and hours doing nothing but chopping down virtual trees so I could sell the virtual logs to make virtual money—not even good virtual money like cryptocurrency.
When I played this game, that was probably when I had the most naive outlook on life. Nothing was a big deal; there were no injustices in the world, the prison complex didn't exist, healthcare was available for anyone who wanted it, and corruption was only a debuff on your items. I cared about leveling up, not even efficiently, just whatever felt fun. If I played Runescape again now, I would play it in a way that would level me up the quickest, regardless of fun.
When did life take such a turn, where video games became too time-consuming, taking away from my potential 'productive' free time?
If I could go back in time, I would tell my younger self around 2007 to enjoy it and savor the feelings, even the bad ones, because those problems aren't so bad.
What sucks is that I know I am going to be telling myself the same thing 15 years in the future.
What a beautiful thing to the creators and developers is to say they built a game that has lasted over two and half decades and filled so many people with joy.
Oh yeah, the book... it was all right. It did stir up some feelings that I have missed, but overall, I did not find myself too engaged with the book. I would recommend it if you REALLY like Runescape, but if you're on the edge, I would say skip this book.
January 10, 2022
A nice look into the game’s history. It was clear that the author of the book hadn’t played the game much from the way some things are discussed, and the presence of some simple text errors (ex. the section about the Grand Tree quest is titled Tree Gnome Village, the name of a different quest). Overall it was a very pleasant and quick read and had lovely art and intriguing interviews.
January 29, 2022
A must-have as a collectible and a must-read as a book for every Runescape fan out there!
The book is filled with amazing art, intriguing interviews and lots of stories about the game's history. While it can never capture all the detail and all events from the game's history, I definitely recommend this book for the those who want to learn more about the history of Runescape's development.
I was pleasantly surprised to see how much the book contains about mistakes Jagex has made in the development of the game and how they dealt with them internally. At first I was afraid this book would be one big marketing stunt, but instead it's a very genuine, realistic and fairly objective view of what has been taking place at Jagex over the past 20 years.
While, at the moment, I'm personally only a Runescape3 player, the book has given me a lot of respect for the team behind OSRS. Up and til I started reading this book, I've always felt a bit of a rivalry between RS3 and OSRS. The book takes you on a journey that made me realize both games are in essence exactly the same, no matter the visual differences. It has gotten me quite excited and I'm planning on checking out OSRS sometime in the near future.
Whether you play RS3, OSRS or both doesn't matter for this book. I can definitely imagine this book does not appeal to relatively new players of the games. For me personally it really was a nostalgic read and the book was definitely aimed at those who've been along for the ride for a long time now.
Overall, I definitely recommend this book for the diehard Runescape fans out there.
The book is filled with amazing art, intriguing interviews and lots of stories about the game's history. While it can never capture all the detail and all events from the game's history, I definitely recommend this book for the those who want to learn more about the history of Runescape's development.
I was pleasantly surprised to see how much the book contains about mistakes Jagex has made in the development of the game and how they dealt with them internally. At first I was afraid this book would be one big marketing stunt, but instead it's a very genuine, realistic and fairly objective view of what has been taking place at Jagex over the past 20 years.
While, at the moment, I'm personally only a Runescape3 player, the book has given me a lot of respect for the team behind OSRS. Up and til I started reading this book, I've always felt a bit of a rivalry between RS3 and OSRS. The book takes you on a journey that made me realize both games are in essence exactly the same, no matter the visual differences. It has gotten me quite excited and I'm planning on checking out OSRS sometime in the near future.
Whether you play RS3, OSRS or both doesn't matter for this book. I can definitely imagine this book does not appeal to relatively new players of the games. For me personally it really was a nostalgic read and the book was definitely aimed at those who've been along for the ride for a long time now.
Overall, I definitely recommend this book for the diehard Runescape fans out there.
February 12, 2022
To start off, the book is visually beautiful. Not only does it look nice in a shelf, but inside is full of colorful and magical illustrations.
The book itself is well written and contains what you would expect: chronological history of Runescape.
If you are or were a player this game, reading this book will be both fun and interesting. You will learn things you never knew about the game and also will relate to some events.
If you never played Runescape, it might still be an interesting read if you enjoy any of the following topics: game dev, business/company growth, company-user interaction.
The book itself is well written and contains what you would expect: chronological history of Runescape.
If you are or were a player this game, reading this book will be both fun and interesting. You will learn things you never knew about the game and also will relate to some events.
If you never played Runescape, it might still be an interesting read if you enjoy any of the following topics: game dev, business/company growth, company-user interaction.
May 23, 2024
Calificación: 4.5/5
Es increíble el detalle gráfico y el encuadernado del libro. Totalmente recomendable y sumamente estético para tener; principalmente si eres un jugador de RS3 o OSRS.
La manera en la que está escrito es un viaje nostálgico a través de toda la historia de RuneScape pero mi única queja sería que me habría fascinado que metieran un poco más de la historia de los jugadores más emblemáticos y no solo de aquellos que estuvieron en la Masacre de Falador. Sesgo personal, pero me habría encantado alguna frase o comentario de Zezima como sucedió en un documental que sacaron hace años.
Fuera de ese singular detalle, totalmente valiosa la lectura si eres fan del videojuego.
Es increíble el detalle gráfico y el encuadernado del libro. Totalmente recomendable y sumamente estético para tener; principalmente si eres un jugador de RS3 o OSRS.
La manera en la que está escrito es un viaje nostálgico a través de toda la historia de RuneScape pero mi única queja sería que me habría fascinado que metieran un poco más de la historia de los jugadores más emblemáticos y no solo de aquellos que estuvieron en la Masacre de Falador. Sesgo personal, pero me habría encantado alguna frase o comentario de Zezima como sucedió en un documental que sacaron hace años.
Fuera de ese singular detalle, totalmente valiosa la lectura si eres fan del videojuego.
January 9, 2023
This book isn't for everyone but for someone like me who had his childhood shaped by this game and can't resist to revisit the nostalgia now and then this is a great read. It takes you back, it explains why things were done the way they were done and it also gives you a view of the present and a glimpse into the future of the game. I really enjoyed this, more than just a nostalgia trip.
July 20, 2024
Picked this up from a library list. As a primarily OSRS player it was a bit nostalgic and I enjoyed the sections focusing on that. Overall it's more of a brief history of the company and game development told from a friendly to Jagex point of view than it is a deep dive into the lore and gameplay of Runescape. Not bad, but only really worth reading for fans of the game.
January 29, 2022
For a long time player 2003-2009 & 2022- this is really entertaining and rewarding book of one of the favourite (games) virtual worlds where you have been. This great book gives a lot of information you didnt earlier know. Wonderful book about amazing game <3
January 24, 2025
As someone who grew up with old school RuneScape,I thought this was a great book. I loved the behind-the-scenes and different stories that told how Runscape was created. My favorite parts of the book though was definitely the concept art.
January 24, 2025
As someone who grew up with RuneScape before it became “old school”,I thoroughly enjoyed this book. My favorite parts of the book was the concept art but I really enjoyed the behind the scenes look and stories that were shared on how RuneScape was created.
June 1, 2022
If you like Runescape, this will be interesting. If not, you won't really care. Go figure.
August 18, 2022
Nostalgic ✨
September 26, 2024
I like how the book ends with a promise they'll never add lootboxes or mtx.
November 11, 2025
Rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5)
RuneScape was my first MMORPG, and some of my best memories are tied to it. It was never just a game. It was standing at the Grand Exchange, flipping items hoping to finally build up some real gold. It was chopping yew trees behind the castle walls in Seers Village for hours, watching the logs stack up in my inventory. It was running rooftop agility laps until my hand hurt from clicking. It was fishing in Catherby while talking to random players who somehow became friends. RuneScape was a whole world when real life felt small. So when I picked up The First 20 Years, I expected something that would hit me hard with nostalgia. And it did, but not all the way.
The visual side of the book is incredible. The art is what pulls you in. Concept sketches, early UI designs, little pieces of the game I had never seen before. Turning the pages and suddenly seeing Lumbridge or that old login screen brought back that weird comfort only childhood games have. On the nostalgia side, it delivers.
Content wise, the beginning is strong. The early development history is full of the scrappy, trial and error energy that shaped RuneScape. You can feel how handcrafted everything used to be. Updates happened constantly, sometimes without warning. The wilderness was pure chaos. The book shows how this game grew through experimentation and passion rather than corporate planning. Those parts are fascinating.
Then halfway through, it loses depth. Major updates, eras and turning points that meant everything to players get skimmed over or summarized in a paragraph. The book avoids talking about the messy parts of RuneScape’s history. It feels polite instead of honest, and when you are documenting something that has lasted over two decades, you owe the truth.
The maps in the book are also disappointing. RuneScape has always been about exploring, yet the maps shown feel incomplete and unlabeled. Places that defined childhood memories for so many players barely appear or are shown without context.
There are even factual mistakes. If you have played for years, you notice them immediately. It does not ruin the book, but it makes you question how careful the research was.
Even with those flaws, I am still glad I own this. Holding it feels like holding part of my own history. It is not the deep, honest, fully detailed story of RuneScape that I hoped for. But it is still a tribute to a world that shaped me. A world I grew up in.
RuneScape was my first MMORPG, and some of my best memories are tied to it. It was never just a game. It was standing at the Grand Exchange, flipping items hoping to finally build up some real gold. It was chopping yew trees behind the castle walls in Seers Village for hours, watching the logs stack up in my inventory. It was running rooftop agility laps until my hand hurt from clicking. It was fishing in Catherby while talking to random players who somehow became friends. RuneScape was a whole world when real life felt small. So when I picked up The First 20 Years, I expected something that would hit me hard with nostalgia. And it did, but not all the way.
The visual side of the book is incredible. The art is what pulls you in. Concept sketches, early UI designs, little pieces of the game I had never seen before. Turning the pages and suddenly seeing Lumbridge or that old login screen brought back that weird comfort only childhood games have. On the nostalgia side, it delivers.
Content wise, the beginning is strong. The early development history is full of the scrappy, trial and error energy that shaped RuneScape. You can feel how handcrafted everything used to be. Updates happened constantly, sometimes without warning. The wilderness was pure chaos. The book shows how this game grew through experimentation and passion rather than corporate planning. Those parts are fascinating.
Then halfway through, it loses depth. Major updates, eras and turning points that meant everything to players get skimmed over or summarized in a paragraph. The book avoids talking about the messy parts of RuneScape’s history. It feels polite instead of honest, and when you are documenting something that has lasted over two decades, you owe the truth.
The maps in the book are also disappointing. RuneScape has always been about exploring, yet the maps shown feel incomplete and unlabeled. Places that defined childhood memories for so many players barely appear or are shown without context.
There are even factual mistakes. If you have played for years, you notice them immediately. It does not ruin the book, but it makes you question how careful the research was.
Even with those flaws, I am still glad I own this. Holding it feels like holding part of my own history. It is not the deep, honest, fully detailed story of RuneScape that I hoped for. But it is still a tribute to a world that shaped me. A world I grew up in.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews