The Dynamic Realm of MMORPG Trading
Real-money trading is the practice of distributing virtual currencies, items and services for real-world profit. All over the world regular gamers are purchasing online game currencies and filling the pockets of virtual entrepreneurs. Those competing in the real-money trading industry include dedicated professionals to part-time players, big-city businesses to the bedroom entrepreneur. Employing thousands of workers across Asia is necessary to satisfy the growing demand from Western gamers.
Outside the MMORPG community, little attention is paid to the RMT industry and when it has it’s been focused on the most extreme or mainstream examples. Regardless of this, RMT remains most active in games such as World of Warcraft, Final Fantasy XI (FFXI), EVE Online and EverQuest 2. An example is in FFXI where participants battle through various PvE and PvP situations in order to acquire piles of 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 legitimacy of this practice is often debated, but it is clear that many gamers and executives alike disapprove. Major developers and distributers often cite intellectual property violations as their reason for objection, claiming that participants are selling part of the game which actually belongs to the game’s creator. The problem of hacking, phishing and fraud do exist within the industry, but it is restricted to a minority of rogue companies. Whilst some action has been taken by game developers, it has never been directly targeted at the transaction of company to customer.
Whether you agree or disagree with the legality, ethics or principles of the practices, virtual trading is here to stay. The bottom line for many is that there is money to be made, and the industry is continuing to grow. A bright future lies ahead with new opportunities available in yet unreleased titles, the most promising of which being Age of Conan.
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