Tag Archives: gold farming

Some things just can’t be spun out past a couple of sentences and the exhortation to go, look, and learn more.

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Steam is currently testing a new system allowing players to securely and legitimately trade in-game items for other virtual goods – including full games.

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South Korean police have reportedly outed a ring of gold farmers dispatched from North Korea.

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Just because the headline is Nintendo-centric, doesn’t mean the entire post is riddled with nothing else. There’s plenty more below the break. Trust us.

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Looks like gold farming hasn’t been banned in China after all.

According to ICTs for Development, it’s Paypal-type currencies that received the restriction.

“This is a government restriction on the use of the quasi-Paypal-like currencies (mainly QQ coins) that are used extensively in China to pay for virtual game stuff,” stated the University of Manchester’s Richard Heeks. “As announced they can now only be used to pay for virtual stuff, and you can’t buy real things with them as game companies were allowing to happen, nor can you gamble.

“This therefore is not about what gold farming clients do: use real money to buy these virtual currencies; it’s the mirror image. And it’s not about the major trade in gold farming such as World of Warcraft, which relates to other types of virtual currency. And it’s not about buying/selling in-game items. And it’s not about the power-levelling of avatars.

“Bottom line: it’s not about gold farming.”

Hit the links for more.

Thanks, GamingToday.

China’s government has officially banned gold farming.

According to InformationWeek, the ruling will affect “more than 300 million Internet users in China,” theoretically stemming a trade worth nearly $150 million per year.

According to a 2008 survey by the University of Manchester’s Richard Heeks, between 80 and 85 percent of gold farmers are based in China.

Thanks, 1UP.

We’re clearly in the wrong business. Gold farming site MyMMOShop.com has sold to private equity firm My MMO Inc. for a cool $10 million, according to this Kotaku report.

“MyMMOShop.com appealed to us because of its strong reputation for providing optimal customer service,” says Hunter Crowell, My MMO Inc.’s PR chap. “That focus will continue with our purchase.”

Crowell added that this type of investment is safe in rocky economic times.

RedBedlam founder Kerry Fraser-Robinson has told GI the industry should just accept gold farming in MMOs, as it’s going to be around whether we like it or not.

“It’s going to happen whether you like it or not,” he said. “People will always find the path of least resistance, if you stop them buying your gold then they’ll buy that gold from somebody else who is gold farming.

“If you don’t build that into your system then you’re not going to be able to compete with the gold farmers and that will ruin your in-game economy, which will in turn ruin your game,” explained Fraser-Robinson.

“At the very least having the recognition that virtual economics is a discipline and is a very important integral part to being a virtual world.

“Take EVE Online for example, they didn’t allow for in game transactions but they did design a very robust economy and they did design that game knowing it’s a problem, and designed it with an awareness of virtual economic conditions.

“The closer you get to having a virtual world that has any kind of trading, barter or value system you have to take virtual economics very seriously,” he concluded.

Much more through the link.

By Mike Bowden

According to this BBC piece, Manchester University research has shown that the global gold farming industry now employs 500,000 people and is worth $500 million.

“When you get people with more money than time and time than money the two will find a way to meet,” said Steven Davis, chief of game security firm Secure Play.

Apparently of the 500,000 people working in the industry, around 400,000 are based on China.

Loads more through the link.