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
Developing story first seen 3 hours 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. Playing on an account named OnlyShrimp99, Bosby spent more than two years exclusively catching shrimp and anchovies at the game's lowest-level fishing spots, accumulating approximately 275,000 shrimp and 257,000 anchovies in the process.
The accomplishment has drawn attention within the gaming community because Bosby intentionally avoided conventional levelling strategies in favour of the least rewarding approach available. His sustained commitment to this self-imposed constraint illustrates how players derive purpose from personal challenges unrelated to efficient progression, suggesting that achievement in online games extends beyond mechanical optimisation to include self-directed narratives and arbitrary limitations that players create for themselves.
- Old School RuneScape player Bosby reached level 99 fishing using only shrimp and anchovies, the game's lowest-level and least rewarding fish
- The accomplishment required 4,304 hours of gameplay over 27 months, catching approximately 275,000 shrimp and 257,000 anchovies
- The achievement highlights how players find meaning in self-imposed challenges and unconventional goals rather than optimised progression
New here? Start with this
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.
More coverage