Ideally, game companies should try to position themselves similar to the insurance companies, serving as their advisors, helpers and vanguards. After all, they do have shared interests with the players. If someone gets hacked, it not only ruins the fun for the player, but also increases costs for the customer support department, who will be busy browsing the logs and trying to get the stuff back.

Before I opened my business, i wanted to ensure that what i was going to do was legal, so I talked to a bunch of lawyers in virtual law and in IP law to ensure it was not illegal. I can understand how breach of contract may seem illegal, but it is not in this case.

Thanks for the link to Tobold’s blog, i’ll head over there to discuss the economy portion. =)

RMT is just trading what you’ve earnt in-game against the rules of the publishing company. It does not make it illegal nor does it make morally wrong.

There is a critical flaw in your reasoning. The rules of the publishing company and a fee (depending on their payment model) are the only reasons why you have access to their service. If you don’t abide by their rules, you are accessing their service without authorization, and that is illegal.

However, I do agree that RMT is not necessarily the cause of problems, it amplifies them. If grinding is the cornerstone of the in-game economy, then botting/RMT will reduce prices of grindable materials and thus increase competitive pressure against those that do grind. To maintain their level of income, they will have to grind more, sink into virtual poverty or join the botters/RMTers. There is ian ongoing discussion about the topic at Tobold’s blog.

Like some others have said, it is a game design flaw in which people who value time over money will buy gold, whereas people who value money over time will not.

I really don’t understand the comparison between prostitution and RMT though… they are under completely different moral standings. Prostitution’s problem is the case of selling bodies, and offering what is meant to be sacred as a mere means of profit. RMT is just trading what you’ve earnt in-game against the rules of the publishing company. It does not make it illegal nor does it make morally wrong.

unfortunately RMT is often used to blame players’ problems in-game (i.e botting, economy etc) but there is really no evidence for this. People botting is a problem of game design. Problems /w economy don’t really have a direct impact /w RMT… people say RMT drives the prices higher, but it is the players who drive the prices higher. RMT companies always try to sell at the lowest price possible because they need to get gold fast to deliver to hungry customers. Also, majority of RMT companies make most of their gold selling directly to vendor, NOT playing the market because it is not 100% reliable and profits would be generated slowly.