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."

Comments

Earning cash for virtual gold will be fine until..

[Anonymous Coward]

The Taxman cometh.

Re:Be wary...

[artor3]

See, this would be good, except that say I start a virtual business that somehow generates millions in real income, having to pay taxes on this would be insane

Why? All companies pay taxes. You're not making a virtual business - you're making a real business that just so happens to deal in virtual goods. You should (and will) pay taxes like any other company. In fact, it would probably be in your best interest to incorporate, just like any other company.

A company is a company. You are selling a good or service in exchange for money. The fact that the good or service exists as data in a computer shouldn't matter.

Do they wish their own death?

[RuBLed]

Are they trying to dig their own graves? The reason why the gold farmers and item traders are thriving is because it is not legal under the TOS of many MMO games out there. If it suddenly become legal, what made them think that they can profit from it? I'm pretty sure that gold farmers would cease to exist if the gaming company themselves sells gold for real $$$ at a lower rate.

I'm against real money trading for gold and items because it would definitely create a crazy and lazy in-game economy. It would also remove the sense of common-ground in the game. I would hate it if by any chance Bill Gates decided to play an MMO and would have better items and gear than me instantly. (something along those lines)

Can't see the point of playing a game open RMT

[jmorris42]

I can see why losers would want to buy things they couldn't earn. I can see why the companies running the games would want to take the losers money instead of spending resources fighting gold farming. What I fail to understand is why anyone worth a damn would keep playing a game that openly allows buying their way to the top. And a game filled only with pathetic losers isn't likely to stay fun for even the losers for long.