Maybe the book is popular enough that I can easily find 5 people to share the story with already. If we are all ready for the end chapter they are all there, ready and waiting to accept the invite, we don't invite people who like to constantly re-read the parts about standing in fire, and everybody already knows to loot the corehounds (oops.. spoiler).
"A mum in my street with exactly the same access to information as me has two horrendously overweight and unhealthy kids (seriously, adult weight at 13, thats serious, and they started off thin)."
Sounds like a genetic/dietary problem to me. Don't blame the games, maybe if they had a healthier diet they would feel like moving around a bit.
"Seriously, how many kids 7 years or younger are capable, let alone willing, to perform strategic planning."
Evidently more than you care to give credit to. My son was playing pure strategy games (Lemmings, C&C, Civilization, Panzer General, Sim City etc) by the age of 6, now, at age 9, strategy is one of his favorite genres.
Maybe if they were given a chance they might just surprise you. Don't tie them to Hello Kitty Island Adventure.
I feel truly sad for anyone that has not played Star Control 2. Maybe you should try it and then you can judge whether Mass Effect did a good job of copying or not;). Most of the posts I've read by people that have seem to find it... lacking in comparison. I can't judge first hand as I've not played Mass Effect.. I've been interested in it somewhat but now that the similarity to SC2 has been pointed out and I've read more about it I am a bit more eager to check it out, mainly due to how DAMN good SC2 was (right up there in my best games of all time list with XCom).
So much ranting about a non-thing. For all we know it was 590 accounts each getting $10 skimmed out. That information is not there so I think it's a bit foolish to presume.
It's hard to be too old, other than Habbo most RCE platforms are geared towards mature players, 30's, 40's, 50's and up. I am in my 40's and have a business in SL, which is fun in itself due to the creative aspect as I am also a 3d modeling / CAD professional and texture designer, and in turn it pays for my Entropia Universe habit (which is thankfully now becoming self sustaining).
You have to prove it was stolen, because THEY have to know it was stolen so they know you are not scamming someone else. File police reports and do the whole "real life" thing, which was my whole point. This is the only way the companies themselves keep from being scammed, and the point behind the "all trades are final" deal.
While it may seem like a big bowl of wrong to you, to me your thinking is a bit behind the times. There are many real cash economy platforms now that are gaining popularity. Some people see it as business and gain money from it, some as entertainment and gain enjoyment from it. One thing it is not, is old style "inside the box" type of thinking, especially those that want to compare it to a game.. which it most certainly is not.. any more than IRC or message forums are games. These are content platforms upon which games may be played.. in fact may be a central part of the experience in some cases, but much more a hobby or even a job than a game.
It amazes me how much of that behind the times thinking now exists here on slashdot of all places. It used to be just the opposite, this saddens me.:/
You do realize.. of course.. that the article states that they got more into more than one account. For all we know it could have been 590 accounts stealing $10 worth of stuff out of each. So please, get a grip. You raving ranters are foaming at the mouth and spitting wildly all over the place. Man, I'm glad you people don't make the rules on what people can spend their money on, as I, for one, will spend it on whatever pleases me, not you.
"the game administrator could quite easily and legally make a billion copies of this guy's "expensive furniture" and sell them for dirt cheap, massively devaluing his "investment." Like I said, only a completely insane person would spend their money this way."
Yes, the admin could indeed do this. The thing I'm seeing is that there is a world of difference between "could" and "would". Now.. *would* an admin do this? Knowing that it would devalue his users investments, in turn completely pissing them off so that they sell out and the company would fall to bankruptcy? Hmm.. I would have to say no. You yourself say that you don't participate in these types of platforms, so you obviously can't see all the angles. I believe we are in a period of a paradigm shift such that virtual property will gain status as you mentioned. There is no reason to spit on those of us who are having fun (and making money to boot) by riding the bleeding edge. Some people spend money that way just because... *gasp*... they enjoy it. Imagine that, maybe everybody doesn't think the same way you do.. and maybe that's not a bad thing. Paying for entertainment... who'da thunk it.
Yay!:D Great post. Yes, the scamming angle is still a bit fuzzy, but it would, in all the RCE platforms I've experienced be considered as you doing the trading.. but the scam itself can be hard to work out who exactly is being played. First rule is, buyer beware. Know what your buying and what it's worth.. if you don't and overpay that's your own fault. Secondly, who really is being scammed.. the user crying "scam!" (which could in all actuality be a reverse scam on the other person) or the company providing the platform who could be the victim of both the alleged scammer and victim who are in truth working together. It gets... complicated, and this is why most companies take an "all trades are final.. period. end of discussion. have your lawyer contact us for any needed information." stance. This is where the law comes in handy.
Except if they do that instead of using.. you know.. the law, people WILL find a way to game that. RCE platforms are strange like that. This is not your fathers WoW.
When you're dealing with a real cash economy platform that constantly changes.. you bet your booty it is for anything less than catastrophic hardware failure.
You are completely and totally losing the plot with any kind of RCE environment. That E on the end of RCE stands for *E*conomy, something that would go bust should the admins tinker the wrong way with it, leaving them with a bunch of pissed off customers with no trust that their items will retain value selling out and a sinking ship headed to bankruptcy. Regardless of how lightly you might take the value of these properties I can assure you that there are many people that take it quite seriously. And as far as him making it worth 5 cents or 5 trillion cents.. well, I don't do Habo, but I do know that supply and demand set the price in other places. Things are worth what people are willing to pay for them since they are in limited supply and only available via trade with another user... and sometimes that is a whole wad of cash. Tens of thousands of USD in some cases as these items are allowing the lucky few that have them to earn quite a nice salary with them. The last withdrawal I heard about recently was $70k usd.. and that was only one of many withdrawals that individual has made. Tell me if somebody phished your info and took something of yours that you paid $30k for that it's nothing like real life theft.
It's just oh so easy to say something like that looking in from the outside. Thing is it doesn't work that way. A real crime was committed, thus a real crime should be prosecuted. When you're dealing with RCE systems, the admins will NOT go around willy nilly deleting and giving stuff back. Too many angles scammers can play like that. It does not work that way, nor should it.
But it is NOT as simple as a few database commands done on a whim. Scammers would *so* work that angle.. the people that hold the database keys would have no idea what outside deal you make with someone to then turn around and scam them back out of it. Everything has to go through the proper channels. With the increasing values of items in places such as Entropia (where a big hoopla is going on currently about a trust scam involving a set of armor worth well in excess of $5k usd.. and that is one of the lower value, high end items) some precedents are going to have to be set. He said she said just won't cut it. If there was proven hacking involved, well then there are laws for that and just because the actual asset movement can be fixed with a database call should not diminish the punishment.
"They're like car modders -- they don't really care how fast the car goes, they care how much bling they can pile on that they can PRETEND makes it go faster."
I tried to get my son to play the educational kids games when he was very young (preschool) both on the pc and a leappad. He wouldn't play them, he just couldn't get into them, and I certainly wasn't going to force him to do that (cruel and unusual punishment by any other name...). He started playing driving games on the Xbox at the tender age of 4, and some Halo (please, spare me the "bad parent exposing the child to violent games" rant, I won't bite, nor do I allow him to play any of my games which I DO consider more mature titles). We even got him a miniature controller for his tiny little hands, though he was fully functional, even with a Duke controller. Before I knew it he was rolling off exactly how many rounds each weapon used just by watching the ammo count drop.. at the age of 4. Hmm.. what's this? Math? Yes indeed.. that's math. Well, he did go on to finish Halo, by himself, on heroic at the tender age of 5 (legendary later). He finished Halo 2 on normal within 3 days of it's release. As of now, he has finished Halo 3 on legendary. Now, this is not a post about Halo, just how fast he picks up things. He also plays many racing games, Lord of the Rings games including Battle for Middle Earth II, Command and Conquer (let me state here I was amazed at how fast he picked up the RTS games.. I think it's his new favorite.. he loves the challenge of figuring out new gameplay), Star Wars games, etc. Just to be clear, my husband and myself are also avid gamers (in our 40's no less), so the fact he plays games is no surprise. What might be a surprise to those unfamiliar with him is that every school year, he has won the best in math award. Not surprising to me, as he uses it all the time without even thinking about it, and it has become second nature to him. The best way to learn is by not knowing you're being taught.
Just thought I might have my say, as my son never played Hello Kitty Island Adventures;). (for the humor challenged.. yes I know that's not a real game.. this is what's known as "a joke"... lol)
"have a certified nurse come at home a few days a week"
Be very careful here. I had one that ended up sneaking out a gas card (and running up over 1k on it before we found out, since she went to get the mail every day), our formal silverware set and a box full of my videogames (and gods knows what else that I don't know about). Sad thing was that I had become best friends with her (or so I thought). Trust scams really, really suck.
"And now she can smile and say "Hello", and tell you to get the hell out because she don't know who you are a moment later?"
And see you downstairs, then follow you upstairs (when she could still manage them) and tell you about the horrible woman downstairs, then follow you downstairs and tell you about the horrible woman upstairs.. etc.. etc. Yeah, been there, done that. Along with the constant "Who is going to take me home tonight? You are playing tricks on me. Where is my husband? Where is momma? Where is my sister (all long passed except for one sister who she would then claim to be in cahoots with me when she came over)?"
You're lucky, I never got an "I love you", not once, in the 3 years I cared for my grandmother 24/7 by moving my family in with her.
Re:like comparing Halo 3 to Pokemon
on
Halo 3 Review
·
· Score: 1
No, this was a clip from I believe Japan.. wherever it is that they are having some gaming convention currently.
Slashdot Mirror
Maybe the book is popular enough that I can easily find 5 people to share the story with already. If we are all ready for the end chapter they are all there, ready and waiting to accept the invite, we don't invite people who like to constantly re-read the parts about standing in fire, and everybody already knows to loot the corehounds (oops.. spoiler).
"A mum in my street with exactly the same access to information as me has two horrendously overweight and unhealthy kids (seriously, adult weight at 13, thats serious, and they started off thin)."
Sounds like a genetic/dietary problem to me. Don't blame the games, maybe if they had a healthier diet they would feel like moving around a bit.
"Seriously, how many kids 7 years or younger are capable, let alone willing, to perform strategic planning."
Evidently more than you care to give credit to. My son was playing pure strategy games (Lemmings, C&C, Civilization, Panzer General, Sim City etc) by the age of 6, now, at age 9, strategy is one of his favorite genres.
Maybe if they were given a chance they might just surprise you. Don't tie them to Hello Kitty Island Adventure.
I feel truly sad for anyone that has not played Star Control 2. Maybe you should try it and then you can judge whether Mass Effect did a good job of copying or not ;). Most of the posts I've read by people that have seem to find it... lacking in comparison. I can't judge first hand as I've not played Mass Effect.. I've been interested in it somewhat but now that the similarity to SC2 has been pointed out and I've read more about it I am a bit more eager to check it out, mainly due to how DAMN good SC2 was (right up there in my best games of all time list with XCom).
Jack, is that you?
"I was under the impression that the average intelligence on slashdot was higher than the world average - and better than a "mob"* mentality"
Alas.. gone are the golden days.
So much ranting about a non-thing. For all we know it was 590 accounts each getting $10 skimmed out. That information is not there so I think it's a bit foolish to presume.
It's hard to be too old, other than Habbo most RCE platforms are geared towards mature players, 30's, 40's, 50's and up. I am in my 40's and have a business in SL, which is fun in itself due to the creative aspect as I am also a 3d modeling / CAD professional and texture designer, and in turn it pays for my Entropia Universe habit (which is thankfully now becoming self sustaining).
You have to prove it was stolen, because THEY have to know it was stolen so they know you are not scamming someone else. File police reports and do the whole "real life" thing, which was my whole point. This is the only way the companies themselves keep from being scammed, and the point behind the "all trades are final" deal.
While it may seem like a big bowl of wrong to you, to me your thinking is a bit behind the times. There are many real cash economy platforms now that are gaining popularity. Some people see it as business and gain money from it, some as entertainment and gain enjoyment from it. One thing it is not, is old style "inside the box" type of thinking, especially those that want to compare it to a game.. which it most certainly is not.. any more than IRC or message forums are games. These are content platforms upon which games may be played.. in fact may be a central part of the experience in some cases, but much more a hobby or even a job than a game.
:/
It amazes me how much of that behind the times thinking now exists here on slashdot of all places. It used to be just the opposite, this saddens me.
You do realize.. of course.. that the article states that they got more into more than one account. For all we know it could have been 590 accounts stealing $10 worth of stuff out of each. So please, get a grip. You raving ranters are foaming at the mouth and spitting wildly all over the place. Man, I'm glad you people don't make the rules on what people can spend their money on, as I, for one, will spend it on whatever pleases me, not you.
"the game administrator could quite easily and legally make a billion copies of this guy's "expensive furniture" and sell them for dirt cheap, massively devaluing his "investment." Like I said, only a completely insane person would spend their money this way."
Yes, the admin could indeed do this. The thing I'm seeing is that there is a world of difference between "could" and "would". Now.. *would* an admin do this? Knowing that it would devalue his users investments, in turn completely pissing them off so that they sell out and the company would fall to bankruptcy? Hmm.. I would have to say no. You yourself say that you don't participate in these types of platforms, so you obviously can't see all the angles. I believe we are in a period of a paradigm shift such that virtual property will gain status as you mentioned. There is no reason to spit on those of us who are having fun (and making money to boot) by riding the bleeding edge. Some people spend money that way just because... *gasp*... they enjoy it. Imagine that, maybe everybody doesn't think the same way you do.. and maybe that's not a bad thing. Paying for entertainment... who'da thunk it.
Yay! :D Great post. Yes, the scamming angle is still a bit fuzzy, but it would, in all the RCE platforms I've experienced be considered as you doing the trading.. but the scam itself can be hard to work out who exactly is being played. First rule is, buyer beware. Know what your buying and what it's worth.. if you don't and overpay that's your own fault. Secondly, who really is being scammed.. the user crying "scam!" (which could in all actuality be a reverse scam on the other person) or the company providing the platform who could be the victim of both the alleged scammer and victim who are in truth working together. It gets... complicated, and this is why most companies take an "all trades are final.. period. end of discussion. have your lawyer contact us for any needed information." stance. This is where the law comes in handy.
:)
Mod parent up please
Except if they do that instead of using.. you know.. the law, people WILL find a way to game that. RCE platforms are strange like that. This is not your fathers WoW.
When you're dealing with a real cash economy platform that constantly changes.. you bet your booty it is for anything less than catastrophic hardware failure.
You are completely and totally losing the plot with any kind of RCE environment. That E on the end of RCE stands for *E*conomy, something that would go bust should the admins tinker the wrong way with it, leaving them with a bunch of pissed off customers with no trust that their items will retain value selling out and a sinking ship headed to bankruptcy. Regardless of how lightly you might take the value of these properties I can assure you that there are many people that take it quite seriously. And as far as him making it worth 5 cents or 5 trillion cents.. well, I don't do Habo, but I do know that supply and demand set the price in other places. Things are worth what people are willing to pay for them since they are in limited supply and only available via trade with another user... and sometimes that is a whole wad of cash. Tens of thousands of USD in some cases as these items are allowing the lucky few that have them to earn quite a nice salary with them. The last withdrawal I heard about recently was $70k usd.. and that was only one of many withdrawals that individual has made. Tell me if somebody phished your info and took something of yours that you paid $30k for that it's nothing like real life theft.
It's just oh so easy to say something like that looking in from the outside. Thing is it doesn't work that way. A real crime was committed, thus a real crime should be prosecuted. When you're dealing with RCE systems, the admins will NOT go around willy nilly deleting and giving stuff back. Too many angles scammers can play like that. It does not work that way, nor should it.
But it is NOT as simple as a few database commands done on a whim. Scammers would *so* work that angle.. the people that hold the database keys would have no idea what outside deal you make with someone to then turn around and scam them back out of it. Everything has to go through the proper channels. With the increasing values of items in places such as Entropia (where a big hoopla is going on currently about a trust scam involving a set of armor worth well in excess of $5k usd.. and that is one of the lower value, high end items) some precedents are going to have to be set. He said she said just won't cut it. If there was proven hacking involved, well then there are laws for that and just because the actual asset movement can be fixed with a database call should not diminish the punishment.
"They're like car modders -- they don't really care how fast the car goes, they care how much bling they can pile on that they can PRETEND makes it go faster."
Not all car modders build rice.
You believe wrong. They call them laser turntables.
http://www.elpj.com/main.html
I guess I missed a crucial number in my post above.. my son is 8 right now.
I tried to get my son to play the educational kids games when he was very young (preschool) both on the pc and a leappad. He wouldn't play them, he just couldn't get into them, and I certainly wasn't going to force him to do that (cruel and unusual punishment by any other name...). He started playing driving games on the Xbox at the tender age of 4, and some Halo (please, spare me the "bad parent exposing the child to violent games" rant, I won't bite, nor do I allow him to play any of my games which I DO consider more mature titles). We even got him a miniature controller for his tiny little hands, though he was fully functional, even with a Duke controller. Before I knew it he was rolling off exactly how many rounds each weapon used just by watching the ammo count drop.. at the age of 4. Hmm.. what's this? Math? Yes indeed.. that's math. Well, he did go on to finish Halo, by himself, on heroic at the tender age of 5 (legendary later). He finished Halo 2 on normal within 3 days of it's release. As of now, he has finished Halo 3 on legendary. Now, this is not a post about Halo, just how fast he picks up things. He also plays many racing games, Lord of the Rings games including Battle for Middle Earth II, Command and Conquer (let me state here I was amazed at how fast he picked up the RTS games.. I think it's his new favorite.. he loves the challenge of figuring out new gameplay), Star Wars games, etc. Just to be clear, my husband and myself are also avid gamers (in our 40's no less), so the fact he plays games is no surprise. What might be a surprise to those unfamiliar with him is that every school year, he has won the best in math award. Not surprising to me, as he uses it all the time without even thinking about it, and it has become second nature to him. The best way to learn is by not knowing you're being taught.
;). (for the humor challenged.. yes I know that's not a real game.. this is what's known as "a joke"... lol)
Just thought I might have my say, as my son never played Hello Kitty Island Adventures
"have a certified nurse come at home a few days a week"
Be very careful here. I had one that ended up sneaking out a gas card (and running up over 1k on it before we found out, since she went to get the mail every day), our formal silverware set and a box full of my videogames (and gods knows what else that I don't know about). Sad thing was that I had become best friends with her (or so I thought). Trust scams really, really suck.
"And now she can smile and say "Hello", and tell you to get the hell out because she don't know who you are a moment later?"
And see you downstairs, then follow you upstairs (when she could still manage them) and tell you about the horrible woman downstairs, then follow you downstairs and tell you about the horrible woman upstairs.. etc.. etc. Yeah, been there, done that. Along with the constant "Who is going to take me home tonight? You are playing tricks on me. Where is my husband? Where is momma? Where is my sister (all long passed except for one sister who she would then claim to be in cahoots with me when she came over)?"
You're lucky, I never got an "I love you", not once, in the 3 years I cared for my grandmother 24/7 by moving my family in with her.
No, this was a clip from I believe Japan.. wherever it is that they are having some gaming convention currently.