The first "economics" article was rather good and perhaps has been a little harshly treated by some. If you ever have the misfortune to study economics you will hear the old joke "if you laid every economist in the world end to end, they wouldn't reach a conclusion." The author cannot be definitive, that is not the nature of the beast. And yes RS *can* have fewer subscribers but a greater market share. He/She may have concentrated on the US, but the global situation was touched upon and I suspect the US provides the vast majority of players. The one unmentioned and vital element is Jagex's own financial position, and how they react if they too are suffering. If a five dollar subscription becomes ten, then players will leave. If staff cuts are made to save money, standards will suffer and doubtless players will leave. Personally I would quit if the number of "worlds" was reduced so I had no choice but to play along side one thousand others...sorry but I do not like 'crowded' worlds. Finally may I agree with the poster who suggested five dollars was *not" hardly anything. In harsh times many people need every dollar, pound or euro they can get.