23 Feb 2008 03:22:23 | DWB
Good Morning everyone, I trust all is well in cyberspace. Today
I'd like to share some of my thoughts with you about one of they
latest crazes going on in the digital world: real estate in
MMORPG's. Now for those of you who don't know (or can't work it
out for yourself), Wikipedia defines a MMORPG as:
A massively (or massive) multiplayer online role-playing game or
MMORPG is a multiplayer computer role-playing game that enables
thousands of players to play in an evolving virtual world at the
same time over the Internet. MMORPGs are a specific type of
massively multiplayer online game (MMOG).
For more info from wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mmorpg
Well OK, I hear you say "a virtual universe where everyone plays
online together, that was always going to happen" well yes,
that's something even the humble DWB had foreseen. However,
something that I did not expect was that these games would have
spurred on a real world economy, and a strong one at that.
Recently you may have heard about some dude paying £13,000 for
an island in one of these games which seemed a bit mad, this was
my first inclination that there was money to be made in these
games.
A few months later I saw a feature on the channel 5's 'the
gadget show' that pointed out that people are now making money
out of playing these games. For example, there is an online star
wars game:
It takes X amount of game play to reach Jedi status.
Many people do not have the time/ambition to put X amount of
hours in, but want to play as a Jedi.
People who do have time to put X amount of hours in, can reach
Jedi status and sell their profile on eBay.
Mr Too Busy to play (and all his peers, bid on said Jedi
account) until.
Mr professional gamer gets paid $300-500 for his time and of
course, character.
Now those of you who don't believe me and are thinking "Oh man,
that DWB is full of shit, you cant make money playing games at
home" well check it out for yourselves: just visit eBay and
search for star wars galaxies jedi.
Now the latest development in this virtual economy is that
someone has bought a space station in the Entropia game for
£56,200 ($100,000 US). The space station was described as a
"monumental project" in the "treacherous, but mineral rich"
Paradise V Asteroid Belt. The good news is, its new owner wants
to turn it into a night club and has apparently been in talks
with some of the worlds top DJ's. This could very well be the
beginning of real world entertainment companies grabbing a slice
of virtual world profits. You can find out more about this at:
http://www.project-entropia.com/Index.ajp
or read the original article from the BBC at:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4385048.stm
It may surprise you that the DWB has been to a night club or
two with super star DJ's (namely Swansea's Escape super-club),
and it leaves me wondering one thing.
Hypothetically speaking, this is a virtual club in a virtual
word, which people spend real money. Some clever programmer
could invent some virtual disco drug that makes your character
gurn like a chocolate Easter bunny in the microwave. What would
the government's of the world's stance be on people making vast
quantities of money out of safe drugs that do not even
technically exist?
Food for thought dear readers, but until next time...
Look after yourselves
DWB
About Author :
The Disgruntled Wogbeast is a dark and cynical creature that
lives in the bowels of the earth somewhere beneath a country
called Wales in the UK. Please check out the link below to the
DWB's only line of communication to the outside world. 
