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In a fascinating use of free will, Old School RuneScape player spent 4,304 hours catching 275,196 shrimp and 257,064 anchovies to max out his fishing skill in the worst way possible
Developed over time first seen 3 months ago
An Old School RuneScape player known as Bosby has reached the maximum level 99 in Fishing by relying on the game's least efficient possible method, spending over 4,300 hours doing so. Playing on an account named OnlyShrimp99, Bosby spent more than two years exclusively catching shrimp and anchovies at the lowest-level fishing spots, deliberately bypassing every conventional shortcut available for levelling the skill.
The feat has caught the gaming community's attention precisely because it inverts the usual logic of online games, where players typically chase the fastest route to a goal. Bosby amassed roughly 275,196 shrimp and 257,064 anchovies over the course of the challenge, illustrating how some players find satisfaction in self-imposed constraints and personal narratives rather than efficient progression.
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In short
- Player hit level 99 Fishing via the slowest method possible
- Took 4,304 hours and over two years to complete
- Caught 275,196 shrimp and 257,064 anchovies in total
How this story developed
- 3 months ago An Old School RuneScape player known as Bosby has achieved the maximum level 99 in fishing after investing over 4,300 hours in a deliberately inefficient grinding method.
- 3 months ago An Old School RuneScape player known as Bosby has reached the maximum level 99 in Fishing by relying on the game's least efficient possible method, spending over 4,300 hours doing so.
Explained simply
Bosby is a player of Old School RuneScape, a long-running fantasy game where people build up their character's skills over time, usually by using the quickest and most efficient methods available. Fishing is one of these skills, and reaching its top level, 99, is a well-known milestone that most players try to hit as fast as possible.
Rather than take the fast route, Bosby chose to level up fishing only by catching the two lowest-value fish in the game, shrimp and anchovies, which are normally used just to teach beginners the basics before they move on to better methods. This meant repeating a very slow, low-reward task for years rather than months, on an account named OnlyShrimp99 to mark the challenge.
The story matters within gaming culture because it highlights how some players find meaning in self-imposed, inefficient challenges rather than in optimising for the fastest results, which is the norm in games like this one.
Coverage · 2 sources
- PC GamerIn a fascinating use of free will, Old School RuneScape player spent 4,304 hours catching 275,196 shrimp and 257,064 anchovies to max out his fishing skill in the worst way possible
- GamesRadar+One of the first Animal Crossing speedrunners spent 4,300 hours catching shrimp in an MMO "just to see if I could," and he might even "do it again"