[MUD-Dev] RE: A world without charity

[ceo at grexengine.com]

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Original message: http://www.kanga.nu/archives/MUD-Dev-L/2003Q3/msg00871.php

On Wed, 24 Sep 2003 20:52:23 -0700
"Castronova, Edward" <ecastronova at Exchange.FULLERTON.EDU> wrote:
> Eamonn wrote:

>> I started to wonder why players can trade items for money, and
>> the answer is simple, because in game mechanics generally allow
>> you to hand an item over to a player and to recieve nothing in
>> return, an act of charity. So this got me thinking, if the game
>> prevented acts of charity such that all you could do with an item
>> was junk it (i.e. remove it from the game world, not drop it) or
>> trade it for an equally valuable item what would this do to the
>> game world?

> I've had exactly the same questions and come up with exactly the
> same answers: ban financial and material charity and you eliminate
> 99 percent of eBaying, as well as a host of other problems. And I
> am just as eager to hear what the devs have to say. I haven't been
> behind the scenes, so I can't see much of a downside. What are we
> missing?

Well, for one thing, we don't all view eBaying as one of "a host of
...  problems". Some of us believe eBaying is fantastic, and if you
use the right tools, people won't bother with eBay (why use it? It's
rubbish compared to the quality and depth of auction features that
an in-game character auction system can manage...) AND that our
games will get the commission which currently goes to ebay.

I think in many cases the only part of ebay that really bothers devs
/ pubs is the loss of revenue to someone else ;) (tongue in cheek).

Adam M
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