8 Massive Online Community Events That Changed Video Games

8. The Falladoor Massacre in Runescape

Runescape's place as a free MMO has allowed it to survive the rise of giants like World of Warcraft over the years, offering an easy gateway into the genre for new players and an easily understandable set of systems. However, the first entry on the list was a cruel punishment to many unwitting community members.

The Falladoor Massacre unfolded on the June 6th 2006; a player under the pseudonym 'Cursed You' was the first to reach level ninety-nine in the construction skill. He held a virtual house party with fellow community members, only to find combat activities unfolding there. This shouldn't have been possible outside of the wasteland, so he booted them out of the instance.

That's when the real danger began. After being kicked and in an unfortunate glitch, players suddenly found themselves with the ability to kill any player away from the wasteland, which prompted a developer response. The event came to be known as the 6/6/6 glitch, in which players in many peaceful settlements found themselves attacked at random.

Jagex quickly moved to quell the slaughter, banning players and placing black marks on others for breaking the rules. The bug was fixed, but the event is still marked in Runescape as a historical event.