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Legitimizing Real Money Trading In Games
MMOGamer interviewed Andy Schneider, co-founder of Live Gamer, a company working with several major game publishers (including Acclaim, Funcom, and SOE) to legitimize the real money trading (RMT) industry in online games. Schneider expects this method of customer service to grow much more popular in the West over the next few years, especially after the success it's had in Asia.
"It started in the very earliest MMOs, if not back in the MUD days in a very grassroots sort of way, but then obviously got into a more opportunistic and nefarious industry. When I talk about legitimate RMT, it's about a publisher supporting the notion that people want to buy and sell virtual items for real money, and they have decided to proactively support that notion and give their player-base a way to do that. ... It takes the manual process out of the equation that most players are engaged in with the black market, and reduces the fraud considerably, which is good for players. ... The reason there are gold farmers out there, the reason why there is nearly a two billion dollar secondary market for virtual items, is because of consumer demand."
The problem isn't that the gamers with $$$ would get ahead, the problem is that the gold farmers can (and often have the know-how) to take it to the next level, up to and including stealing entire accounts just to make a buck.
If that were completely preventable, people would be much more willing to give gold farmers the benefit of a niche market... but when things become harmful to the gamers enjoyment of the game, they have to draw the line somewhere.
Few companies have embraced legalized RMT. Other companies completely reject RMT. And then there's the middle-ground, where RMT exist on the whim of the server gods (and their corporate overlords).
To be honest, I'm not against RMT. I'm against them making normal game-play problematic, irritating, or unenjoyable.
I remember times when RMTs would make normal game chat... irritating, mostly because I would have to scroll up just to see what was posted by friends just a half second earlier.
I remember getting my account hacked (and my goods stolen), and the social problems in-game it caused me. (and yes, I'm a security-conscious person)
And on the flip side, I remember gaming right next to friendly RMTs, who (despite not knowing english) were very amiable individuals.
Ha ha ha, riiiight.
In the UK, and I'm sure this is the case in the US, even if you live by barter you're due taxes according to the value of the services or goods you exchange.
If you pay me 250 chickens a month instead of £1000 UKP then I still owe the tax man about £400 despite not having received any money. And sadly I can't pay him in chickens.
The only way to save is by illegally providing a false tax declaration and hoping no one notices you're working for barter rather than money. Ignorance of the need to declare such things is not a defence either.