Massively http://massively.joystiq.com Massively http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Massively http://massively.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Live Gamer's Andy Schneider on legitimizing RMT in games and virtual worlds]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/04/27/live-gamers-andy-schneider-on-legitimizing-rmt-in-games-and-vir/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/04/27/live-gamers-andy-schneider-on-legitimizing-rmt-in-games-and-vir/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/04/27/live-gamers-andy-schneider-on-legitimizing-rmt-in-games-and-vir/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Most mentions of real money trading (RMT) in massively multiplayer online games and virtual worlds conjure up images of virtual sweatshops and the resulting blitz of gold spam. Despite how loudly many protest against the idea of RMT in games, the fact remains that there is a market for this and people spend a lot of real world money on virtual goods every year.

Live Gamer is a company that aims to legitimize real money trading, creating a way for players to spend their cash without the risks inherent in dealing with shady gold and item sellers. It also ensures that money spent on virtual goods is going back into the pockets of the game companies. While services such as Live Gamer don't end the debate on whether or not RMT should be permitted in the first place, it's clearly here to stay, and some game publishers are getting proactive about real money trading.

Continue reading Live Gamer's Andy Schneider on legitimizing RMT in games and virtual worlds

MassivelyLive Gamer's Andy Schneider on legitimizing RMT in games and virtual worlds originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 27 Apr 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>andrew-schneiderandy-schneidergoldinterviewslive-gamermicrotransactionsmmo-gamermmo-industryreal-money-tradingreal-money-transactionsrmtsteven-crewsvirtual-currencyvirtual-goodsvirtual-worldsMon, 27 Apr 2009 19:00:00 EST<![CDATA[GDC09: Applied RMT Design with GoPets and Live Gamer]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/28/gdc09-applied-rmt-design-with-gopets-and-live-gamer/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/28/gdc09-applied-rmt-design-with-gopets-and-live-gamer/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/28/gdc09-applied-rmt-design-with-gopets-and-live-gamer/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,

Massively sat in on a GDC 2009 session this week titled Applied RMT Design which was part of the Worlds in Motion Summit. Andrew Schneider, Founder and President of Live Gamer and Erik Bethke, CEO of GoPets, Ltd. presented a case study on balancing a game's primary and secondary markets, using GoPets as an example of how it can be done.

The market for virtual goods in massively multiplayer online games and virtual worlds is worth billions. Not all of this is grey market, and more games are now being designed with microtransactions in mind. Live Gamer aims to bring greater legitimacy to microtransactions through a regulated secondary market providing benefits to companies as well as the players themselves. Thus far they've worked with EverQuest II, Vanguard, and GoPets, with Acclaim's 9 Dragons on the way.

Bethke and Schneider kick off their talk by explaining the fact that RMT in MMOs is inevitable, explaining how developers can be proactive about incorporating RMT into their titles rather than having it exist outside of the game. Live Gamer works with developers to create a legitimate system for trading virtual items for real money, one that's safe and secure. Of course, legitimizing RMT can also stir up controversy.

Gallery: GDC09: RMT Design panel

Continue reading GDC09: Applied RMT Design with GoPets and Live Gamer

MassivelyGDC09: Applied RMT Design with GoPets and Live Gamer originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 28 Mar 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>7-11andrew-schneiderbusiness-modelscase-studycasualeconomyerik-bethkeeventsfree-to-playgame-designgdcgdc-2009gopetslive-gamermicrotransactionsmmo-industryprimary-marketreal-money-tradingreal-money-transactionsrmtsecondary-marketvirtual-goodsvirtual-itemsworlds-in-motionworlds-in-motion-summitSat, 28 Mar 2009 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Live Gamer interviewed about regulated RMT]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/10/20/live-gamer-interviewed-about-regulated-rmt/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/10/20/live-gamer-interviewed-about-regulated-rmt/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/10/20/live-gamer-interviewed-about-regulated-rmt/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

We've mentioned a company called Live Gamer in the past here at Massively. Essentially, Live Gamer is attempting to legitimize real money trading (RMT) in virtual spaces, by partnering with game publishers to create a regulated secondary market for item sales and trades. The goal is to integrate RMT with MMOs and virtual worlds and usurp the myriad gold spammers and scammers currently plaguing most virtual spaces that feature economies.

Suzie Ford at WarCry recently interviewed Live Gamer Founder and President Andrew Schneider about how the company plans to change a $2 billion industry presently dominated by the black and grey market. The interview touches on the company's background, how the Live Gamer service works, and overall how they handle some of the polarizing issues of RMT in MMOs. Check out the full interview with Andrew Schneider over at WarCry for a brief overview of what Live Gamer is about.

Does the prospect of having a legitimate, regulated secondary market for avatars, virtual items, and currency in your MMOs seem like a step in the right direction?

MassivelyLive Gamer interviewed about regulated RMT originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 20 Oct 2008 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>andrew-schneiderblack-marketeconomygold-spammergray-marketgrey-marketinterviewslive-gamerreal-money-tradereal-money-tradingrmtscammersspammerssuzie-fordwarcryMon, 20 Oct 2008 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Live Gamer to develop in-game RMT client for EverQuest 2]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/02/07/live-gamer-to-develop-in-game-rmt-service-for-everquest-2/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/02/07/live-gamer-to-develop-in-game-rmt-service-for-everquest-2/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/02/07/live-gamer-to-develop-in-game-rmt-service-for-everquest-2/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,



We've previously discussed the Live Gamer service, a venture-capitalist funded enterprise looking to legitimize RMT in the US marketplace. Their collaboration with Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) has been a topic of discussion since it was announced late last year, but not much was known about what precisely the two companies were working on. In an announcement this morning, they have revealed that Live Gamer (LG) will be effectively taking over SOE's Station Exchange (SE) service. LG will be absorbing the Station Exchange technologies, and retooling them into a service they're calling Live Gamer Exchange. By the end of March Live Gamer will be running SOE's RMT service as an independent third-party enterprise. LG eventually hopes to offer, among other tools, an in-game EverQuest 2 client to access the service.

We had the opportunity to speak to SOE president John Smedley and Live Gamer President Andrew Schneider about this step towards legitimate 3rd party Real Money Transactions. Besides stressing that the Live Gamer Exchange will still just be limited to the two already existing SE servers, the two men had some interesting things to say about the future of RMT in the US. They went on at length about the pitfalls and frustrations of existing third-party goldsellers, along with a few plans for the future. Read on for a look at what a legitimate gold-selling industry might look like.

Continue reading Live Gamer to develop in-game RMT client for EverQuest 2

MassivelyLive Gamer to develop in-game RMT client for EverQuest 2 originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 07 Feb 2008 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>andrew-schneiderbreakingeq2everquest-2everquest-iifeaturedjohn-smedleylive-gamerrmtsoesony-online-entertainmentThu, 07 Feb 2008 09:00:00 EST