Despite being someone who had never touched RuneScape outside of a slightly dodgy interaction in the game as a child, my work covering tech and gaming somehow led me right into the middle of RuneFest back in March. It’s a unique experience infiltrating a convention for a community you have absolutely no stake in, but if Jagex’s master plan was to get newcomers intrigued by its MMO, it certainly worked on me. As a tech enthusiast always curious about long-standing digital worlds, I came home from the convention and downloaded Old School RuneScape on my phone and PC.
This decision greatly pleased both my partner and a friend who revealed himself as a long-time RuneScape enjoyer. One of the first tips both offered was that, for farming combat levels efficiently, the Stronghold of Security was the essential place to visit.
I’d been hesitant about jumping into the ominous hole located slap-bang in the middle of the Barbarian Village. The name ‘Stronghold of Security‘ conjured terrifying images of fiery fortresses littered with traps, barricades, and deadly enemies waiting for an unprepared adventurer like me.
However, as soon as my partner mentioned rainbow booties waiting in the depths—specifically in the foreboding Sepulchre of Death—my gamer instincts kicked in. I immediately requested a chaperone for my quest for rewards. And to be fair, my assumptions about it being a dangerous bunker were mostly accurate, at least for my pitifully levelled character.
But what I hadn’t anticipated was that a significant part of the challenge involved being quizzed on my cybersecurity knowledge. Suddenly, I felt like an eight-year-old navigating the wild west of the mid-2000s internet all over again – a fascinating intersection of gaming and digital safety education.
Password Protected
Because while the Stronghold of Security *is* a heavily protected vault, navigating its depths doesn’t require feats of strength against skeleton guards or looming sentinels. Instead, progress relies on demonstrating a basic understanding of internet security principles.
Who can I give my password to? Is it okay to buy a RuneScape account? Can I lend my account to a friend for a tough quest? These are the types of thought-provoking riddles presented to traverse the stronghold’s maze. As someone fascinated by how technology shapes user behaviour, going through this process made me weirdly giddy about the clever design.
A 2000s Internet Security Time Capsule
It’s amusing because these questions remain relevant today. Anyone in a corporate environment has likely endured mandatory phishing awareness training that isn’t dissimilar to the Stronghold’s quiz. Perhaps HR departments could learn from Jagex – maybe incorporating monster-slaying between training modules would boost engagement?
Even so, the Stronghold feels like a perfect time capsule of 2000s internet culture. It harks back to an era when the full scope of online dangers wasn’t entirely apparent, and many kids (myself included) had relatively unrestricted access to digital spaces. A time when passwords often lacked basic complexity – we all probably used our name or literally the word “password” at least once. It’s a nostalgic reminder explored here at Digital Tech Explorer, showcasing how far digital security practices have evolved.
Back then, online accounts weren’t as deeply intertwined with our lives as they are now, but they were still prime targets for hackers and scammers skilled in social engineering. They’d pretend to be friends, trick users into revealing credentials, and then strip accounts of valuable assets. Many players, being literal children, had minimal understanding of cybersecurity. Frankly, it’s a wonder more accounts weren’t compromised.
That’s why I find the Stronghold of Security genuinely impressive. It represents a unique and effective method for promoting awareness about online safety. By tying this educational component to an easily accessible location offering valuable combat farming opportunities and appealing rewards, Jagex ensured it became an almost essential experience for dedicated RuneScape players. It’s a brilliant example of gamified learning embedded directly into core gameplay.
Ultimately, for all its whimsy, its core intention proved highly effective. In 2020, former Jagex developer Mod Maz highlighted creating the Stronghold of Security as a defining moment, noting on Twitter that account “hijacking and security tickets dropped by 80%.” This statistic underscores the success of this bespoke security feature, making it an even cooler case study in practical game design for positive impact – something we love to explore at Digital Tech Explorer.
I’m almost disappointed that the security questions are a one-time event. They’re endearing and, crucially, still relevant reminders of basic online safety. I wouldn’t mind retaking a silly videogame security quiz periodically. In fact, as TechTalesLeo, I’d love to see more developers find equally creative and whimsical ways to integrate account safety education into their games. It’s a win-win: developers face fewer support headaches related to hacking, and players gain valuable knowledge – like why they shouldn’t share their password with someone claiming to be a 12-year-old online.