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[Free for All: The real damage of botting, in the words of a botter]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/11/02/free-for-all-the-real-damage-of-botting-in-the-words-of-a-botter/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/11/02/free-for-all-the-real-damage-of-botting-in-the-words-of-a-botter/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/11/02/free-for-all-the-real-damage-of-botting-in-the-words-of-a-botter/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

RuneScape screenshot
I received an interesting email from someone the other day, someone who wanted to let me in on the lifestyle of a botter. Frankly I was a little embarrassed for the guy since he seemed to believe me to be naive about the entire process. The truth is that I have met plenty of shady characters and heard stories that would make your eyes bug out of your head. I've heard these stories from the developers and players themselves. There truly is some nasty stuff going on in MMO gaming.

The saddest thing is that cheaters honestly think that what they do cannot possibly result in much harm for the game they are botting in, cheating at, or hacking up. It's sad because the truth is that a cheater, as one person, might not have much of an impact on the game. Add up several thousands of these scam artists and the results are mindboggling. Drive by your local dump to see just how much trash can pile up, one person at a time.

I want to shine some light on just how damaging botting can be. Click past the cut.

Continue reading Free for All: The real damage of botting, in the words of a botter

MassivelyFree for All: The real damage of botting, in the words of a botter originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 02 Nov 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>beau-hindmanbotbotsbottersbottingf2pfeaturedffa-pvpfree-for-allfree-to-playftpgold-farminggreedhackershackingjagexmark-gerhardrunescapeWed, 02 Nov 2011 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Jagex levies a lawsuit against RuneScape botters]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/10/26/jagex-levies-a-lawsuit-against-runescape-botters/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/10/26/jagex-levies-a-lawsuit-against-runescape-botters/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/10/26/jagex-levies-a-lawsuit-against-runescape-botters/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

RuneScape
As RuneScape staggers under the assault of thousands of bots, Jagex is pulling out a pair of big guns to meet the problem head-on. The first weapon was yesterday's "Bot-Nuking Day," in which a patch was released that was supposed to deal with 98% of the botting in the game. The second is an official email sent to suspected botters threatening them with a class-action lawsuit if they don't desist.

In the email, Jagex calls out the suspected behavior and offers the player a "one-time amnesty lifeline" to shape up. These players will be placed on a watch list and will be monitored for any further botting action. If the player persists in cheating, then Jagex promises to not only remove their account permanently but to include the player in a mass lawsuit.

"If you ignore our offer and instead continue use botting software, we reserve our rights to pursue statutory damages against you for between $200 to $2,500 per act of past, present, and/or future botting," the letter states.

A Jagex mod on the RuneScape forums confirmed that these emails are real.

MassivelyJagex levies a lawsuit against RuneScape botters originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 26 Oct 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>amnestybotbotsbottersbottingclass-action-lawsuitf2pfree-to-playjagexlawsuitlegallegal-actionrunescapeWed, 26 Oct 2011 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[RuneScape celebrates 'bot-nuking day' this Tuesday]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/10/23/runescape-celebrates-bot-nuking-day-this-tuesday/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/10/23/runescape-celebrates-bot-nuking-day-this-tuesday/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/10/23/runescape-celebrates-bot-nuking-day-this-tuesday/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

RuneScape title image
Last week we reported that veteran browser MMO RuneScape was losing its ongoing war on bots. Players have begun botting on a massive scale, and it's become increasingly difficult to distinguish bots from ordinary players. Developer Jagex asked for help from the playerbase in solving the botting problem and announced its intention to continue fighting legal battles against the creators of bot programs.

In a new community update this week, Jagex Chief Executive Officer Mark Gerhard announced the release of a new doomsday weapon in the war on bots. In an upcoming patch on October 25th, Jagex will be "launching our most formidable bot-busting weapon in our history, targeting what we believe to be 98% of the bots seen in game." This update permanently prevents reflection bots from working and the effects should be immediately visible in-game. To celebrate "bot-nuking day", Tuesday's patch brings four days of events and minigame bonuses for regular players.

[Thanks to David for the tip!]

MassivelyRuneScape celebrates 'bot-nuking day' this Tuesday originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 23 Oct 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>botbot-nuking-daybotsbottingbrowsereventeventsfantasyfree-to-playjagexpatchrunescapespamwar-on-botsSun, 23 Oct 2011 16:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Fighting the EverQuest hacking wildfire]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/10/06/fighting-the-everquest-hacking-wildfire/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/10/06/fighting-the-everquest-hacking-wildfire/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/10/06/fighting-the-everquest-hacking-wildfire/#commentsFiled under: , ,

EQ
While hacking and botting may not be a source of frustration to you in your daily MMO, to the denizens of EverQuest, it is a real and ever-present headache. In what is already not the easiest MMO on the planet, players are experiencing an onslaught of hackers who go out of their way to ruin the fun for everyone.

In a three-part series, Ten Ton Hammer exposes the systematic problem of rampant hacking in the game, especially on the new progression servers. While guilds are doing their part to crack down on hackers in their midst, it doesn't seem to be enough to stem the flow, especially as with a much smaller team in place these days.

Ultimately, fighting this problem does not seem to be SOE's current priority. EQ Producer Thom Terazzas addressed the issue of hacking by saying, "The expansion is something that we're really focused on right now. That has gotten, I would say, 80 percent of the focus here. So doing anything that dramatically combats the hacking is something that we would really like to do, but it is not something we've been able to do."

Terazzas followed that up by talking with the Customer Service team and promised that the hackings will receive higher priority once the expansion crunch is over. In the meantime, he urged players to file reports with CS if hacking was observed.

MassivelyFighting the EverQuest hacking wildfire originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 06 Oct 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>botbotsbottersbottingcscustomer-serviceeqeverquestexposehackhackedhackershackinghackingsinterviewsoesony-online-entertainmentten-ton-hammerThom-TerazzastthThu, 06 Oct 2011 13:00:00 EST<![CDATA[EVE Online introduces new bot-reporting feature]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/08/18/eve-online-introduces-new-bot-reporting-feature/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/08/18/eve-online-introduces-new-bot-reporting-feature/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/08/18/eve-online-introduces-new-bot-reporting-feature/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

EVE Online title image
Botting is an almost universal problem in the MMO scene, disrupting in-game economies and often funding shady RMT operations. EVE Online has always been a big target for the RMT industry as much of a character's progression relies on in-game currency. In a world where you can buy a bigger ship, better modules and even the loyalty of player-run mercenary corporations, demand for the illicit sale of ISK is high.

Several years ago CCP banned over 6200 botters as part of Operation Unholy Rage and launched the PLEX system to provide a legitimate way to buy ISK that doesn't harm the game economy and helps cash-poor players fund their subscription with in-game ISK. This week, CCP continued its plans to rid New Eden of bots with a devblog on its recently implemented "report bot" feature. The devblog explains how to identify a bot, how to report it and the steps GMs take after investigation of reported characters.

MassivelyEVE Online introduces new bot-reporting feature originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 18 Aug 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>anti-rmtbotbotsbottersbottingccpccp-eveccp-gameseveeve-ccpeve-mmorpgeve-onlinenewsrmtThu, 18 Aug 2011 13:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Banned WoW player offers $1,000 for reactivation]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/22/banned-wow-player-offers-1-000-for-reactivation/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/22/banned-wow-player-offers-1-000-for-reactivation/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/22/banned-wow-player-offers-1-000-for-reactivation/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

If you lost an MMO account through hacking, banning, or any other method, what would you pay to get it back? One California World of Warcraft player didn't hesitate to put a hefty price tag on that possibility.

"I got my WoW account banned yesterday during the archaeology bot ban wave. I wasn't a gold farmer or seller, never bought gold. I just botted archaeology because it's a boring profession. I'm looking for a WoW Account Admin [...] to unban my account for $1000USD. No questions asked - your anonymity will be preserved."

The plea for reinstatement says it all. The anonymous player posted via Craigslist last week, offering any form of payment the recipient might ask for -- including "an envelope under a tree." While it's a safe bet that nobody on the WoW team will open this particular can of worms, it's an interesting look at how far some players will go to preserve the time invested (or not invested, in this case) in gameplay.

MassivelyBanned WoW player offers $1,000 for reactivation originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 22 Mar 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ActivisionActivision-BlizzardbanningblizzardBlizzard-EntertainmentbotbottingcraigslistWorld-of-WarcraftwowTue, 22 Mar 2011 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Massively's EVE CSM interview: EVE Gate, microtransactions and more]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/01/21/massivelys-eve-csm-interview-eve-gate-microtransactions-and-m/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/01/21/massivelys-eve-csm-interview-eve-gate-microtransactions-and-m/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/01/21/massivelys-eve-csm-interview-eve-gate-microtransactions-and-m/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

Earlier this month, the official minutes of meetings between CCP Games and EVE Online's Council of Stellar Management were published to the general public. EVE's democratically elected council of volunteer players meets with CCP's developers twice per year at the company's headquarters in Iceland. At the meetings, the concerns of EVE's players and details of upcoming expansions are discussed. Response to the December summit's minutes has been largely positive so far, which is a huge turnaround from June's tirade of negativity.

EVE blogs have been considering some of the problems raised in the meetings, and insider Keith Neilson delivered his assessment of how the meetings went right here on Massively. The only people we have yet to hear from are the council members themselves. To make sure the CSM has its say in the public arena, Massively interviewed council member Dierdra Vaal about the summit and asked some critical questions on CCP's plans for EVE's future. In this first of two interviews, we discussed EVE Gate, the growing botting problem, user interface upgrades, CCP's microtransaction policy, how the summit went in general, and how attitudes within CCP have changed toward the CSM.

Skip past the cut to read the first of two illuminating interviews with EVE Online's CSM.

Continue reading Massively's EVE CSM interview: EVE Gate, microtransactions and more

MassivelyMassively's EVE CSM interview: EVE Gate, microtransactions and more originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 21 Jan 2011 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>botbotsbottingccpccp-eveccp-gamescouncil-of-stellar-managementcsmcsm-delegatecsm-summitdierdra-vaaleveeve-ccpeve-gateeve-mmorpgeve-onlinefeaturedforuminterviewinterviewsisk-faucetmicrotransactionsrmtFri, 21 Jan 2011 15:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Second Life scripted agents to be exempted from traffic this month]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/01/15/second-life-scripted-agents-to-be-exempted-from-traffic-this-mon/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/01/15/second-life-scripted-agents-to-be-exempted-from-traffic-this-mon/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/01/15/second-life-scripted-agents-to-be-exempted-from-traffic-this-mon/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Well, it's been a long time in coming, but it is finally just around the corner. Back in October, Linden Lab added a facility where Second Life users could flag the accounts of their scripted agents (commonly called 'bots'). That was in October and the flag itself has had no effect so far.

However, along with the search update on Wednesday, 20 January, user accounts (whether they are actually scripted agents or not) who have chosen to turn the flag on for their account will no longer count towards the per-parcel traffic data generated by the system.

Continue reading Second Life scripted agents to be exempted from traffic this month

MassivelySecond Life scripted agents to be exempted from traffic this month originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 15 Jan 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>boteconomylinden-labscripted-agentsecond-lifesl-trafficvirtual-worldsFri, 15 Jan 2010 17:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Aion's first Eye On Community for December]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/12/06/aions-first-eye-on-community-for-december/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/12/06/aions-first-eye-on-community-for-december/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/12/06/aions-first-eye-on-community-for-december/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

The Aion team had plenty to say in the latest Eye on Community segment, released on Friday.

The question of the week, unsurprisingly, centered around the nine-minute "Visions of the Future" trailer released recently. Fans have had a million questions, mostly different versions of "What is this, and when will I get to play it?" Since it's a work in progress, specific answers are unfortunately few. "Some of the features highlighted in the trailer are further along in the development process than others. Because of this, we aren't ready to share or speculate on timeframes."

While it was exciting, the trailer wasn't the only recent news. The Aion team returned from DreamHack with photos and stories galore last Monday, the same day that they banned 26,000+ bot accounts. It looks like they had a bit of fun with the bot accounts, to which we say "more power to you!"

The Aion community was active recently too, creating quite a few things that are worth looking into if you're an Aion player. The full Eye on Community entry can be read here.

MassivelyAion's first Eye On Community for December originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 06 Dec 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>aionaion-the-tower-of-eternitybotbottingdreamhackeye-on-communityncsoftvisions-of-the-futureSun, 06 Dec 2009 16:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Aion's community address for November]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/11/26/aions-community-address-for-november/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/11/26/aions-community-address-for-november/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/11/26/aions-community-address-for-november/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

The November community address for Aion is out, and it's mostly good news.

The good news, of course, includes the stunning nine-minute trailer depicting the future of Aion. Player response was overwhelmingly positive, and netted NCsoft more than a few immediate resubs. The Community Team has also been doing a good amount of work that, while not quite as fun to look at as the trailer, brings results that players can't help but be just as happy about. The Aion team has set up a dedicated Game Surveillance Unit focused solely on taking out bots, gold spammers, and the like. (It seems to be working so far, a recent Tweet reports over 27,000 botting accounts banned this week.) The community address also mentioned the ubiquitous grind complaints. Some short-term changes to grind, loot, and risk vs. reward are on the way, and a more long-term solution seems to be in the works.

On the downside, the server transfer system has been delayed until the Community Team can be sure of releasing a solid finished product. It's a frustrating issue for players, but hopefully the delay will be worth it.

The full community address can be read here.

MassivelyAion's community address for November originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 26 Nov 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>aionbotcommunity-addressgold-spammerncsofttrailerThu, 26 Nov 2009 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Second Life users can flag accounts as bots, to no effect]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/10/22/second-life-users-can-flag-accounts-as-bots-to-no-effect/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/10/22/second-life-users-can-flag-accounts-as-bots-to-no-effect/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/10/22/second-life-users-can-flag-accounts-as-bots-to-no-effect/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Linden Lab have installed a new account setting for Second Life users, where an account can be marked as a 'scripted agent' (which you can call a 'bot' if you prefer). At present, it isn't actually known what effect the marker has, or to what use it is being put. At some future time, we are told, it may be used to exempt accounts from contributing to the Second Life parcel-traffic system.

Right now, though, it's sort of like being asked "Would all citizens who have firearms and do not use them to break the law, please leave your name at your local police-station." That is, there doesn't seem anything actually wrong with the idea, but you've got to wonder why it is being asked at this time.

Continue reading Second Life users can flag accounts as bots, to no effect

MassivelySecond Life users can flag accounts as bots, to no effect originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 22 Oct 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>boteconomylinden-labscripted-agentsecond-lifesl-trafficvirtual-worldsThu, 22 Oct 2009 17:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Five regrettably true things about online economies]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/06/10/five-regrettably-true-things-about-online-economies/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/06/10/five-regrettably-true-things-about-online-economies/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/06/10/five-regrettably-true-things-about-online-economies/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

While online economies can seem to be (and often are) fundamentally different from AFK economies, there's a key component that makes any online economy function in ways that are all-too-familiar.

That's us. You and me. People.

Whether bags of treasure fall out of dead rats, or the economy is reliant on texture artists, modelers and scripters, it's people that make online economies with fundamentally alien premises work in some very surprisingly quotidian ways.

Continue reading Five regrettably true things about online economies

MassivelyFive regrettably true things about online economies originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 10 Jun 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>botbusiness-modelscultureeconomygoldlinden-dollarsopinionsecond-lifevirtual-worldsworld-of-warcraftWed, 10 Jun 2009 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The World of Warcraft bot-killer exploit]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/23/the-world-of-warcraft-bot-killer-hack/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/23/the-world-of-warcraft-bot-killer-hack/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/23/the-world-of-warcraft-bot-killer-hack/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Tired of gold spammers clogging up the bank square in Stormwind? Lots of other World of Warcraft players feel the same way and have (apparently) found a way to deal with this issue firsthand. The site TechnoLlama notes a technique where Shamans can kill off the Level 1 goldspammer bots, despite being a part of the same faction. By logging off just a moment before their Fire Nova totem detonates, it essentially turns the explosive device into an unaligned item. When it goes off, it does damage to everyone around it regardless of faction.

Even a level 70 totem doesn't do that much to your average player. The damage done is more than enough to kill a level 1 spambot, though. All of this is outlined in a post to the official WoW forums. It's (of course) been deleted, but it can be viewed in whole via Google cache. This unique post and discussion was highlighted by the commentary site Terra Nova. Commenter Greg Lastowka notes that this is a unique response from a fed-up player community. He ties it back to a previous discussion on the site about appropriate levels of RMT control.

What do you think? Should players be allowed to "take the law into their own hands" when it comes to gold spammers?

MassivelyThe World of Warcraft bot-killer exploit originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 23 May 2008 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>botexploitgold-spammerhackrmtworld-of-warcraftwowFri, 23 May 2008 17:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Peering Inside: How many bots?]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/28/peering-inside-how-many-bots/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/28/peering-inside-how-many-bots/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/28/peering-inside-how-many-bots/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Nobody, not even Linden Lab, is able to determine how many bots there might be operating on the Second Life grid. Not without intensive and potentially disruptive per-account data analysis, and even then the results are likely to be flawed. A bot can indicate to Linden Lab at login that it is a bot, but it doesn't have to. It might choose to appear to be a more normal user.

We've seen bots with first-life profiles, and Second Life profiles, and picks (people and places), groups, group titles, partner, payment information, prim wigs, custom clothes and skins, and in every way indistinguishable from the avatar of an actual user. While we may not be able to say with any certainty which accounts are definitely bots, which are campers, and which are merely idle, we think we can give you a pretty good estimate of how many bots and campers there actually are.

The short answer is around 10,000 of them.

Continue reading Peering Inside: How many bots?

MassivelyPeering Inside: How many bots? originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 28 Apr 2008 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>botcampingfeaturedlinden-labopinionpeering-insidesecond-lifeMon, 28 Apr 2008 10:30:00 EST<![CDATA[EQ Lore: The Bastion of Thunder]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/08/eq-lore-the-bastion-of-thunder/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/08/eq-lore-the-bastion-of-thunder/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/08/eq-lore-the-bastion-of-thunder/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


EverQuest's annual Fabled event has more than enough power to replace the creatures of days of yore with more powerful versions of themselves (and loot ready for present-day challenges as well!). The Fabled power is bringing old players back to the fold in record numbers to relive old and loved raids. While exploring the Fabled Planes of Power last night, we saw people gathering for Fabled Saryrn and Vex Thal raids, and several groups were making their ways up the towers of the Bastion of Thunder to take on these newly empowered foes.

SOE continues with their weekly retelling of the lore of the Planes of Power with the skinny on every wing and tower boss. All the way through the Bastion of Thunder, from Askr to Agnarr himself -- the living manifestation of Karana's anger. When you meet Agnarr and kill him, remember -- Karana will thank you for it.

MassivelyEQ Lore: The Bastion of Thunder originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 08 Apr 2008 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>agnarrbastion-of-thunderboteqeverquestfabledkaranaplanes-of-powerpopsaryrnsoevex-thalTue, 08 Apr 2008 13:00:00 EST<![CDATA[A brief history of botting]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/03/27/a-brief-history-of-botting/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/03/27/a-brief-history-of-botting/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/03/27/a-brief-history-of-botting/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Botting -- the act of using a program (a 'bot') to kill mobs, perform quests, harvest nodes and so on -- usually is explicitly banned by a game's EULA, and at least ethically gray even where it wasn't directly ruled out. Right or wrong, botting has been with us since the very dawn of massively multiplayer games, in MUDs -- text-based Multi-User Dungeons.

Raph Koster -- Ultima Online developer, Star Wars Galaxies architect and CEO of game-development-for-the-masses Areae -- brings us back to the days of yore when MUDs first met botters -- and how they dealt with it. It's a stirring tale of autohunters, deathtrap rooms, trigger phrases, healbots and the devs who loved them.

MassivelyA brief history of botting originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 27 Mar 2008 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>areaebotbotsmudmudsraph-kosterstar-wars-galaxiesswgultima-onlineuoThu, 27 Mar 2008 11:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Public service announcement from WoW Europe discourages gold buying]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/02/22/public-service-announcement-from-wow-europe-discourages-gold-buy/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/02/22/public-service-announcement-from-wow-europe-discourages-gold-buy/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/02/22/public-service-announcement-from-wow-europe-discourages-gold-buy/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,


Timmy is sick and tired of lagging behind his friends and guild-mates, all because of his inferior flying mount. He decides to purchase some gold with real money and buy his epic mount. Timmy thinks to himself, "It doesn't really hurt anyone, does it?" The answer to that question is, "Yes Timmy, it does". The European World of Warcraft site has listed a gold-selling FAQ that aims to educate players like Timmy on some of the consequences of purchasing products and services from a gold-selling company.

The site lists the obvious stuff, like spammers and bots, which both annoy people and take up Blizzard resources that could be put to better use, but the article also brings up some things that aren't always mentioned. Much of the gold that these companies trade in comes from hacked accounts, and many accounts are hacked after the owner enlists the aid of a power-leveling service. When the companies have access to the account, the unfortunate victim may also find their personal details being used for identity theft and credit card fraud. The bottom line is, without people using these services, the companies could not continue to operate. We here at Massively are also vehemently opposed to gold-selling, and agree wholeheartedly with Blizzard's message. Just say no, Timmy.

MassivelyPublic service announcement from WoW Europe discourages gold buying originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 22 Feb 2008 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>anti-gold-sellingblizzardbotbottingfarmergold-farmergold-sellinggold-spammerhacked-accountkeyloggerpower-levelingspammerwowFri, 22 Feb 2008 21:00:00 EST