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Raking Muck In The Sims Online

Posted by simoniker on from the extra-extra-read-all-about-it dept.

Dr. Spork writes "According to a Salon article [ad click-thru required], after launching a newspaper website chronicling tawdry dealings in the Sims Online city of Alphaville, Peter Ludlow, a professor of philosophy at the University Of Michigan, had his Sims Online account terminated by EA/Maxis, the company behind the service. 'Censorship', charges Ludlow, who has exposed dealings such as underage cyber-prostitution and extortion of simoleans (the Sims currency, exchangable on eBay for real-life money)."

6 of 61 comments (clear)

  1. Under-age Cyberprostitution by FFFish · · Score: 5, Funny

    Oh my god! Think of the cyberchildren!

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    1. Re:Under-age Cyberprostitution by Zork+the+Almighty · · Score: 2, Funny

      +1, beverage on keyboard

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      In Soviet America the banks rob you!
    2. Re:Under-age Cyberprostitution by bigbigbison · · Score: 4, Funny

      Isn't thinking of children what gets people who get caught with underaged prostitutes in trouble in the first place?

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      http://www.popularculturegaming.com -- my blog about the culture of videogame players
  2. Cyber-prostitution! by Pilferer · · Score: 4, Funny

    ...dealings such as underage cyber-prostitution...

    What exactly is cyber-prostitution?

    Hmmm, I might check this game out... *cough*

  3. everquest by ()vnorby() · · Score: 4, Funny
    (the Sims currency, exchangable on eBay for real-life money).

    Sounds like its market is beginning to be like everquest's. Random fact(or not so random...from and old cnet article):

    "And if the "EverQuest" universe of Norrath were a country, its per-capita gross national product would be $2,266--comparable to the 77th richest country on Earth and ranking it between Russia and Bulgaria. Platinum pieces, the in-game currency known as pp, end up with an exchange rate of about a penny per pp, making "EverQuest" currency more valuable than the Japanese yen and the Spanish peseta. "

    i wonder how long it will take for The Sims' currency to be as valuable as Japan's, if it isn't already.

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    -Vib, videogame freelancer for news0r.com, videogame.net, and vnorby.tk
  4. Re:Meh. by SuperMo0 · · Score: 3, Funny

    Or SIM JAIL! You sit around for a year being able to do NOTHING with your account, but you STILL PAY THE MONTHLY FEES! XD