Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Virtual Trading - Raking In The Cash From MMORPGs

Playing video games for a living is the fantasy of thousands of gamers across the wold, but in this internet age it is fantasy no longer. From the lowly Chinese workshop to high-tech offices of internet entrepreneurs, virtual money has become a hot commodity. Whilst some disregard it as a fad amongst the technorati, others recognize the potential of this very viable business model. Employing thousands of workers across Asia is necessary to satisfy the growing demand from Western gamers.

Real-Money Trading is rarely discussed by the international press and so it remains an unknown property to the majority of the world's population. Despite this the industry is well known in the communities of World of Warcraft, Final Fantasy XI (FFXI), EVE Online and EverQuest 2. The most notable occurrence is in the World of Warcraft where gamers compete through numerous dungeons, quests and scenarios in order to acquire piles of the game's currency. Some indulge in improving their character in the game, but others go further, employing the help of friends, family and other gamers to help them build huge fortunes in real life.

Legality of this practice is a tricky one, but it is clear that many gamers and executives alike disapprove. Purist gamers object that the practice of real-for-virtual exchange harms the economy of the game and violates the spirit of gameplay by introducing monetary influence. Some also accuse RMT companies of overloading games with workers, which serves to dilute the population of real gamers and negatively affect the game as a whole. Legally, real-money trading breaks no laws and has led to no convictions within the Western world, but pressure for government intervention grows each day.

Even though some take issue with the ethics or principles of the practices, virtual trading is here to stay. The bottom line for many is that there is money to be made, and the industry is continuing to grow. The orientation of this virtual marketplace continues to change, and will no doubt bring further surprises in future.

Formulated by http://www.MOGS.com - online retailer of FF11 Gil


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