There's Gold In Them Thar Games

Via Terra Nova, the New York Times (reg. required) has a piece discussing the increasing trend of players making serious money off of MMOGs. They cite one gentleman who is able to pay his monthly mortage thanks to his daily ventures into the virtual spaces of Second Life. From the article: "Mr. Ainsworth, 36, was not a fan of online games until his 10-year-old daughter became interested in The Sims Online. He then noticed that a large number of simoleans were for sale on eBay. 'I started hearing about players leaving the game who were selling their assets...so I figured, buy low, sell high.'"

Comments

Re:Article text because registration sucks ass

[Kwil]

The saddest part about the article:

One Second Life resident, who asked to be identified only by her screen name, Diamond Hope, said ... "With all the things you can buy in Second Life," she said, "it's hard not to want them, just like real-life stuff.

Is it really, dear? Is it really that hard? It strikes me as about as difficult as not banging your head against a wall. I mean, unless you have some psychotic need to bang your head against walls, and if that's the case, the money could probably be better spent on therapy anyway.