[MUD-Dev] Re: Black Snow Revisited

[amanda at alfar.com]

Dan Merillat <harik at chaos.ao.net> wrote:

> Practically, I can't see the point in trying to restrict this type
> of activity.  At some point, people twink friends on one game in
> return for the same on another.  There will always be
> outside-of-game influences, and any attempt to stop them will just
> cost money (and player resentment)

Or not.  One of the reasons I plunked down the money for DAOC was
because *as a player* I'd been annoyed at the laissez-faire attitude
Microsoft took towards the buying and selling of accounts and
in-game assets in Asheron's Call, and I wanted to support Mythic's
approach.

*As a player*, I resent game companies who don't try to limit
off-game auctioneering of in-game assets.

I mean, in gamer terms I'm rich.  Any game asset people want to sell
on eBay, I can buy if I want it.  One of the things I like about MMO
games is that, at least in theory, this doesn't matter--enjoyment of
the ganme is a result of the time and energy put into playing it,
not into how much money a player spends.  When the game ceases to be
entertainment and becomes merely a venue for the buying and selling
of collectibles with no inherent value, I lose the value I'm paying
for as a customer.

Now, this is not to say that this is unique to gaming.  People buy
all sorts of stuff on eBay that they haven't earned, and try to
impress others by trading on the work of the people who have.  The
popularity of a practice doesn't make it right, though.

Amanda Walker
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