Opinions

[emeraldrafael]

So I'm doing a paper for my Argument and Research class (no, I'm not asking for help, as i type this at a quarter after one am my [eastern atlantic seaboard] time, its due in less then eleven hours, so i'm going to be pulling an all nighter to finish before my 8 am class). Its a paper on the monetary influences virtual reality markets have on real world markets (think world of warcraft trading and stuff). I'm using this article as my base, since i have to use an academic journal and found it quite interesting:
http://www.gamestudies.org/0302/castronova/

So what do you guys think? Opinions on whether the virtual world can significantly affect the real world's market place enough to make an influence and tear the boundary between real and virtual (videogames) to merge into one market? Or atleast have each other cross so real world money is exchanged for virtual goods?

 

[Sangnz]

We already exchange real world money for virtual goods. Many MMOs already have item stores to a greater or lesser degree. From only allowing vanity items such as the blizzard store pets or celestial mount to MMOs that allow you to buy in game items (Age of Conan) or unlock different classes through premium content (D&D Online).
Some MMOs even make it so you can purchase top end gear.
There is an entire industry built around the selling of ingame currency for MMOs

This isn't restricted to MMOs in the slightest, TF2 has recently allowed its players to purchase in game items (which can also be unlocked through play time) then there is Zynga creators of many browser based games like farmville which allows you to buy certain in game items by purchasing farmville dollars.

We are seeing a greater and greater trend towards DLC content for games as well, map packs gun models etc. Game developers are learning that people will happily trade hard earned cash for in game items.

 

[archvile93]

While they do have an impact on the real world economy I don't think it's a particularly big one, yet.

 

[emeraldrafael]

well, more to wat i meant was the example sited in the article. where you could trade pretty much basic in game goods for real world money. Like... i dont know, I didnt play EverQuest, but like you could trade something you made through forging, or that you found that is trivial, like a rock (yeah, i know, just go with it) for real world cash. So that you're not buying from a game maker, but a fellow game player.

Like how people sold recon armour accounts (also, if anyone could tell me how much on average in real dollars a recon account in halo 3 went for, it would be helpful) for real world money. Do you think this is a step in the direction of where people (fellow gamers, not game makers) make things through advanced crafting skills that in reality dont exist, but sell for high amounts of real money. and then would lead us to exchanging real world money, simply so we can own a wealth of luxuries and unnecessary wants in virtual worlds, instead of wanting to obtain them in the real world?

 

[Phoenixmgs_v1legacy]

I don't think most people will ever spend lots of money on virtual items instead of real world items. I can see people spending like 5$-10$ on some item if they really like the game and the item is awesome but I doubt anybody would spend more than the game price (say $60) on an in-game item. There might be that 0.01% of people who get ridiculously addicted to some game and may spend lots of money on an item or something; at the same time, they probably know that they will be able to sell it back to someone else at a high price as well and get back their real money. I can only see people spending lots of money on virtual things if there's like an apocalypse and there's nothing really luxurious to own in the real world; basically, the world sucks and people will escape into the virtual world.

 

[emeraldrafael]

I don't think most people will ever spend lots of money on virtual items instead of real world items. I can see people spending like 5$-10$ on some item if they really like the game and the item is awesome but I doubt anybody would spend more than the game price (say $60) on an in-game item. There might be that 0.01% of people who get ridiculously addicted to some game and may spend lots of money on an item or something; at the same time, they probably know that they will be able to sell it back to someone else at a high price as well and get back their real money. I can only see people spending lots of money on virtual things if there's like an apocalypse and there's nothing really luxurious to own in the real world; basically, the world sucks and people will escape into the virtual world.

So you dont htink this is a step into a future where we exist more so over virtual realms then the real world?

 

[Phoenixmgs_v1legacy]

So you dont htink this is a step into a future where we exist more so over virtual realms then the real world?

I think the only way video games or virtual worlds will ever become more than a hobby is when they can offer emotional interactions on the level of real life. Games and virtual worlds just aren't close to this at all. I think the virtual world would have to be somehow plugged into your brain in order to recreate the electrical impulses you get from real life positive emotions. And, then I could see people spending more time in virtual words than real life because they could probably offer a better ratio of positive emotions to negative emotions. There are several sci-fi books/movies/etc. that have explored this area. Even Inception explored the idea of people getting lost in dreams to the entent their dreams became their reality.

 

[ZiggyE]

So you dont htink this is a step into a future where we exist more so over virtual realms then the real world?

I think the only way video games or virtual worlds will ever become more than a hobby is when they can offer emotional interactions on the level of real life. Games and virtual worlds just aren't close to this at all.

I disagree. I've been emotionally attached to games. Maybe not to the level of real life, but very near close to it. Infact, it's the interactive experience of video games that makes it more emotional than books and movies, where you are simply a spectator (and it is very easy to get emotional about movies and books).

 

[emeraldrafael]

So you dont htink this is a step into a future where we exist more so over virtual realms then the real world?

I think the only way video games or virtual worlds will ever become more than a hobby is when they can offer emotional interactions on the level of real life. Games and virtual worlds just aren't close to this at all.

I disagree. I've been emotionally attached to games. Maybe not to the level of real life, but very near close to it. Infact, it's the interactive experience of video games that makes it more emotional than books and movies, where you are simply a spectator (and it is very easy to get emotional about movies and books).

well, thank you, and everyone else for the opinions. it was nice for me to bounce my own off. I just finished the paper, but i would like this thread to continue. Maybe guesses wat what the future will be like, or what gaming must be. I dont know, it seemed like a good idea to pursue, but I'm going on no sleep in almost 24 hours so I'm not exactly thinking straight.

 

[Seriphina]

Our insurance guy wants us to invest money in chinese businesses and the first thing i thought of was gold farmers. Maybe only a small population would buy virtual items for real money but then when u think that WoW has like 11 million players, with only 10% investing in stuff thats still over a million people. I don't doubt a lot of people buy gold and that number is increasing.

I think a lot of people live their life through WoW as well. I realise WoW was only an example but this is what i am familiar with. I know in my own community i have a relationship with a lot of guild members and we talk on vent nearly every friday regardless of wether we are in game or not and i consder them friends.

Also if I personally lost my main char i would be devastated so I guess i have a sort of emotional tie to her.
However this is not to say we don't all have other commitments but gaming is a nice escape.
GL with your assignment <3

 

[emeraldrafael]

Thanks, its getting turned into today. Going to be fun to see what i get. and thats a good point. Its like what the professor said in the article, kinda, about characters. He said that after you incest so much into it, they make a quasi monopoly by punishing you with fees and htings like that should you leave game. and that if you go to a new game, you're underpowered and feel weak, so instead, you ocntinue to play the original game, so you have a few different accounts ona few different MMOs each with a subscription fee.

Id ont know, something i saw that was interesting in it and kinda related to what you were saying about characters.

 

[Phoenixmgs_v1legacy]

I think the only way video games or virtual worlds will ever become more than a hobby is when they can offer emotional interactions on the level of real life. Games and virtual worlds just aren't close to this at all.

I disagree. I've been emotionally attached to games. Maybe not to the level of real life, but very near close to it. Infact, it's the interactive experience of video games that makes it more emotional than books and movies, where you are simply a spectator (and it is very easy to get emotional about movies and books).

I'm not saying games don't allow you to get emotionally attached. However, there is a big difference between a game or movie character that you are attached to going through good times and bad times and you yourself going through those times. Even a created game character that you make in Fallout or WoW is completely different than you. Until games and virtual worlds can offer those emotional interactions you can only get through real life, people won't be spending more time in a game.

 

[Confidingtripod]

Well games theat make you pay real money for game parts (not DLC but, more like second life) could be a step in a new direction, If advertising and my last statment entered the mainstream industry then a game would have real sway when it came to money, though if a game let you buy real things, with real money, using the game as a medium then you have a real problem of people who would stop alot less, because one of the main resons to would be out of the question.

 

[ExileNZ]

I don't know if anyone's brought it up yet, but check out the market place for Second Life. Apparently they even have some people (users, not developers) designing and selling virtual clothes full-time. Must be pretty lucrative.