Possibly an unpopular opinion, but it is my opinion…
I’ve been playing Runescape since 2004 on and off, I’ve also been in the private sever scene since Moparscape, and I truly feel like staking and gambling are honestly some of the worst parts of this game. Every time I’ve seen issues pop up in private servers, it’s almost always connected to staking, gambling, or real world trading. Sure there’s a argument that you can “RWT” gathering resources like Nats, logs, ore, etc… but truly this isn’t my main point.
The issue is, conflicts seem to generlaly trace back to those systems (Games of chance). And when people say things like “oh, it’s just for fun” or “it gives me a rush,” I feel like they’re not fully seeing it for what it is. That “rush” they’re talking about is more like the addictive feeling that comes with high-risk behavior. It’s not excitement in a healthy way, it’s more like an unhealthy pull to keep going, even when you know it’s probably not gonna end well. And to bring up the argument that this server is supposed to be like it was back in 2004, yeah, staking was in the game back then, and sure, things like pooling or flower poker or whatever forms of gambling existed too. They weren’t officially banned until sometime in the 2010s, if I remember right (Gambling that is). But just because they were around doesn’t mean they were good for the game. The rules back then weren’t perfect either, a lot of stuff was handled at Jagex’s discretion, and even they were still figuring things out. So using “it was in the game back then” as a reason to keep it now doesn’t really hold up, especially when we’ve seen how damaging it can be. I can’t speak for the developers, but I’m sure their original intention on keeping things like they were in 2004 was more directed to the code of the game and not the “made up rules of the game”.
Now, when servers allow these types of things, it typically turns into a toxic mess really fast. People stop caring about the actual game and just chase the fastest way to get rich, whether it’s through luck, exploits, or real money. It completely ruins the vibe for players who actually want to grind, explore, or enjoy the game for what it is. It’s like, the second staking or gambling becomes a main feature, everything starts falling apart, economy gets destroyed, scams go through the roof, and legit players either quit or just get drowned out. I don’t think this stuff belongs in the game, and I’ve honestly never seen it bring anything good to a server in the long run.
Just my two cents