Virtual Trading: A Virtually Perfect Business

By Author: Bert Mitchel
Total Articles: 3
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Away from the MMORPG community, little attention is paid to the RMT industry and so it remains an unknown property to the majority of the world's population. Nevertheless this phenomenon exists in most MMORPG titles including WoW (World of Warcraft), EQ2 (EverQuest II), FFXI (Final Fantasy XI) and EVE (EVE Online). The most notable occurrence is in EQ2 where players progress through quests, grinding and other in-game tasks in order to stockpile the game's currency. The majority of players spend their Gil within the game's auction system or otherwise improving their character, but some decide to approach the task like a business, utilizing any means necessary to bolster their reserves of currency and sell it on for real cash.

The major gaming companies rarely agree with or tolerate the practice of in-game trading. Purist gamers object that the practice of real-for-virtual exchange harms the economy of the game and violates the spirit of gameplay by introducing monetary influence. Developers often try to persuade players within the game that the practice is detrimental to game-play or the world's economy. In South Korea, ...
... however, this is not seen as an issue and the practice is seized upon by both developer and player alike.

The concept of real-money trading is one that has got many investors excited and interested. There is certainly money to be made, whether it's by developers or entrepreneurs, and the market shows no sign of slowing. Future games such as Age of Conan and Stargate Worlds will no doubt act as the future venues for this ever expanding industry.

Published by www.MOGS.com - online retailer of EQ Plat