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Real Money Inside in MMORPGs?

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the screwball-economics dept.

Cranial writes "Sony Interactive expressly forbids the selling of Everqest or Everquest II ingame items or characters for money, but why? Imagine Massively Multiplayer Games where you can actually cash out your loot in the real world. What if that jewel in the dragon hoard was actually a digital title for the Hope Diamond or a real ancient artifact? This article on Programmers Heaven proposes a new economic model for MM games allowing free exchange of game money and items in the real world. Essentially it is a hybridization between online gaming (casino) and MM roleplaying games. Fascinating concept."

4 of 417 comments (clear)

  1. There is There... by BobLenon · · Score: 4, Informative

    There (www.there.com) is already kinda doing this. You can use your credit card to buy ThereBucks at like $1.00 == ~$T1030.00. In addition to this you can create products - clothing, cars ect that you can sell and make more ThereBucks.

    With ThereBucks you can buy transportation things (buggys, hoverboards) and all sorts of clothing - Some of which is created by There and a lot is created by There users. Theres even an auction system.

    Its pretty sweet.

    --

    /* Lobster Stick To Magnet!*/
  2. Already in design... by jbischof · · Score: 4, Informative
    There is a game out there called Project Entropia that is being designed to allow you to purchase online credits with real money. I believe they were initially planning a 10 to 1 ratio of online money to real money. Items in the game will all degrade over time, so eventually you will need to repair or get new items. This keeps a need for income around that can be made in the game or outside of the game.

    This is a great idea but it brings up a host of new problems. Who owns online items? What legal recourse is there if someone cheats? Who is liable for your money. etc.

    People spend so much time and effort on MMORPGs that they should allow people to actually make a little money.

  3. DUMBEST. IDEA. EVER. by raehl · · Score: 4, Informative

    Anyone ever had the misfortune to actually run any sort of online gaming environment?

    Ever had to deal with the piles of complaints from 12 year olds upset that they lost something of no real-life value?

    And you want now give them things WITH real life value they can complain about losing?

    Gee, I wonder why the gaming companies aren't signing up for that.

    --
    paintball
  4. Catacomb in Dungeon magazine by Henry+Melton · · Score: 4, Informative

    Deja Vu. Back in the May 1985 issue of Dragon Magazine, I published a story Catacomb where the main character was trying to raise cash by playing a mulit-user dungeon crawling game. I often wondered why on-line gambling went with casino games instead of following the D&D model.