Most online games require you to pay a fee to play. Fair enough, and worth it if you get some enjoyment from it.
But I never did understand why some people want to pay real live actual money to gain an advantage in some online fantasy. I've heard that there are sweatshops set up in China where people hunch over their computer terminals for 18 hours a day, using their characters to get stuff in the game which is then offered for sale in the real world.
It can go to absurd lengths. Back in 2005, one of these Chinese gamers actually killed someone for selling an item that his character had loaned to the victim's character. That's pretty hard core. Makes an argument over whether or not someone touched your dice look like a booger.
Now The Wall Street Journal reports that there was a bank crash inside the online game Second Life. This has caused a run on the virtual banks inside of the game as people try to withdraw their fake money. It would be funny except for the fact that this fake online money could be traded in for real money out here in the meat world.
Hmmm. No, I'm wrong. It is funny no matter what!
(I got this story from Steven, and he heard of it from this guy. So they both get a link.)
Comments (3)
You are missing a large part of the story, the issue with the SecondLife "banks" was they were offering returns that were unrealistic, making them little more than large pyramid schemes...
Second Life isn't a "game" in the common sense, their economy is completely transparent, you buy and sell in world currency from Linden Labs the company that runs it, it isn;t some sort of shady gold farmer operation.
Further, the content creators of SL, that make 99% of everything from clothes, skins, and stuff, can make a good part-time wage, some even more, though that takes an extraordinary effort.
Yeah I been in SL for some time, and believe me it ain't perfect, but it's really doesn't compare well with the MMO's of the world.
Posted by Cinomed | January 25, 2008 9:15 AM
Posted on January 25, 2008 09:15
I've also heard that the Second Life economy is being used for money laundering.
Posted by Preston | January 25, 2008 9:48 AM
Posted on January 25, 2008 09:48
James, you should maybe write an article about this on Encyclopedia Dramatica, as this kind of thing is right lulzy.
Oh, BTW, did you know that the /b/tards have declared Warre upon the "church" of $cientology?
Posted by Justthisguy | January 27, 2008 2:55 AM
Posted on January 27, 2008 02:55