Blue Mars limited-term pioneer pricing plans announcement

Reader Comments (3)

Please explain to me why people are paying money to own virtual property? I get the whole virtual environment, collaboration, and online marketing ideas, but I fail to see the purpose of buying virtual property for development when it's all virtual and more can be made avail whenever they want. Or is this monopoly for the geek generation?

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"Property" in this case amounts to a metaphor for servers. Somebody needs to pay for 'em...

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I get asked why people buy/rent/lease virtual land a lot. It’s both a tough question to answer and an easy one at the same time.

Having virtual land is like most people having a front yard.

The common-case front yard is costly to maintain over time. There are expenses involved, both monetary and in upkeep time. And then what? It doesn’t actually do anything except sit there. You can stand on it. Sit in it. The neighbors can appreciate the work (or lack of work) that you put in it.

And that’s about it. Maybe, with a local council permit you can put a lemonade stand or microscopic business venture on it.

Why have a front yard at all? In most cases, it’s either just extra space, or raw self-expression. Or both. The parallels between that sort of use and virtual land are very strong, though.

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