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 2013 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Camelot Unchained aims to be unattractive to gold sellers and farmers [Update]]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/02/15/camelot-unchained-aims-to-be-unattractive-to-gold-sellers-and-fa/http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/02/15/camelot-unchained-aims-to-be-unattractive-to-gold-sellers-and-fa/http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/02/15/camelot-unchained-aims-to-be-unattractive-to-gold-sellers-and-fa/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Mark Jacobs still hates gold sellers
Mark Jacobs has never been a fan of gold farmers and gold sellers, famously going on a warpath against them in his previous titles. He renewed his vows against such practices today, saying that he will do everything he can to make sure that such behavior doesn't prosper in Camelot Unchained.

"While it certainly would be nice to have those extra subs the gold sellers/farmers bring to the table," Jacobs wrote, "I will not compromise the integrity of the game or the enjoyment for the vast majority of the players by making it easy for them in Camelot Unchained even if it leaves some money on the table."

The team is planning on countering gold selling and farming by creating tools to battle it and making the game more difficult to generate a profit. "As an RvR-focused game, CU will be less attractive to them from the onset since earning currency in CU not be as easy as earning currency in a PvE game," he said.

[Update: Jacobs is a busy little bee today. He's just posted a second dev blog discussing how leveling will work in a PvP-centric game.]

MassivelyCamelot Unchained aims to be unattractive to gold sellers and farmers [Update] originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 15 Feb 2013 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>camelotcamelot-unchainedchoiceschoices-mattercity-statecity-state-entertainmentcsedev-blogdev-diarygoldgold-farmergold-farmersgold-farminggold-sellergold-sellersgold-sellingmark-jacobspvprvrFri, 15 Feb 2013 15:00:00 EST<![CDATA[SWTOR welcomes Collector's Edition arrivals and suffers credit farmers]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/12/17/swtor-welcomes-collectors-edition-arrivals-and-suffers-credit-f/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/12/17/swtor-welcomes-collectors-edition-arrivals-and-suffers-credit-f/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/12/17/swtor-welcomes-collectors-edition-arrivals-and-suffers-credit-f/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

SWTOR
It was the best of times in The Old Republic, it was the worst of times. Even though BioWare's freshman MMO has yet to officially launch, so-called "credit farmers" are already hard at work setting up operations to sell in-game currency via third party sources. Shacknews identified one company, IGXE, as spearheading the assault on SWTOR's economy, although that company certainly is not alone in attempting to bypass the EULA.

On a brighter note, the Collector's Edition of the game has already shipped to many (but not all) customers, and Darth Hater has a massive 20-minute unboxing video to show off all of the physical goodies that come inside. If you're curious or are still waiting for your own CE to arrive, you can view the action-packed video after the jump.

Continue reading SWTOR welcomes Collector's Edition arrivals and suffers credit farmers

MassivelySWTOR welcomes Collector's Edition arrivals and suffers credit farmers originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 17 Dec 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>cecollectors-editioncredit-farmerscredit-sellingdarth-hatereulagold-farmersgold-sellingigxeshacknewsstar-wars-the-old-republicswtorunboxingunboxing-videovideoSat, 17 Dec 2011 14:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Soapbox: On gold-farming and the grind]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/12/13/the-soapbox-on-gold-farming-and-the-grind/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/12/13/the-soapbox-on-gold-farming-and-the-grind/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/12/13/the-soapbox-on-gold-farming-and-the-grind/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , ,

Chest of gold
Disclaimer: The Soapbox column is entirely the opinion of this week's writer and does not necessarily reflect the views of Massively as a whole. If you're afraid of opinions other than your own, you might want to skip this column.

You're no doubt aware of a certain sci-fi MMORPG that's launching this week. As is the case each time a new major title releases, I'm curious to see how (or if) the developers will deal with the inevitable real-money trade.

BioWare has been fairly quiet about gold-farming and the steps it may take to combat it, which isn't too surprising given the unglamorous and often controversial subject matter. Few game devs mention their anti-RMT plans prior to launch, but plenty of dev teams complain about RMT after their game has been released. And yet, the usual solutions to black market currency trading are continuously ineffective at stopping it.

Continue reading The Soapbox: On gold-farming and the grind

MassivelyThe Soapbox: On gold-farming and the grind originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 13 Dec 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>biowareeq2eqiieverquest-2everquest-iif2pfantasyfeaturedfree-to-playfun-barriergold-buyinggold-farminggold-sellinggrindgrinding-leads-to-gold-farmingopinionprogress-questprogressionreal-money-traderichard-garriottrmtsci-fisoapboxsoapbox-jef-reahardstar-wars-the-old-republicswtorthe-grindthe-old-republicthe-soapboxtorTue, 13 Dec 2011 14:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Perfect Ten: First impression turn-offs]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/11/17/the-perfect-ten-first-impression-turn-offs/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/11/17/the-perfect-ten-first-impression-turn-offs/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/11/17/the-perfect-ten-first-impression-turn-offs/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Perfect Ten
A year ago our very own Shawn "The Mittani" Schuster wrote a memorable Soapbox column around the idea that MMOs had an hour to grab his attention or else he was out the door. No, don't go read it now. You're reading this! Stay! Good reader.

I concur with his point that while MMOs may ask us to experience them for the long haul, first impressions still count. And if those impressions aren't favorable right out the gate, it's not likely that we will be around for hour two, no matter how good it is.

I know what you're thinking right now: "What is this itching, burning sensation between my toes?" It's Athlete's Foot, and you need to get on that ASAP. You're also thinking, "But Justin, whose opinions I respect, admire, and use to teach my children, what drives you away from MMOs when you give them a try?" Again, it's an itching, burning sensation between my toes.

No, not really. It's more complicated than that -- so complicated, in fact, that it requires a 10-point presentation on what turns me off when an MMO is making a first impression. Imagine that!

Continue reading The Perfect Ten: First impression turn-offs

MassivelyThe Perfect Ten: First impression turn-offs originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 17 Nov 2011 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>athletes-footbad-impressionseqeverquestfallen-earthfeaturedfirst-impressionsgold-sellergold-sellinggold-spamlistlistsperfect-10perfect-tenplaystationpopupsstar-wars-galaxiesswgtabula-rasathe-mittanithe-perfect-10the-perfect-tentutorialtutorialsvomitworld-of-warcraftwowxbox-liveThu, 17 Nov 2011 16:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Blizzard elaborates on Guardian Cub sales]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/10/22/blizzard-elaborates-on-guardian-cub-sales/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/10/22/blizzard-elaborates-on-guardian-cub-sales/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/10/22/blizzard-elaborates-on-guardian-cub-sales/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

WoW
Has Blizzard surrendered to the powerful RMT lobby or are there other forces at work behind the company's recent decision to introduce a loophole that allows players to buy in-game gold and items with real-world currency? According to a recent post on World of Warcraft, the sale of the Guardian Cub is meant to test the waters of fighting rampant account compromises.

Blizzard claims that gold farming is actually not as common these days, but instead most of the gold that is sold through third-party services comes from stolen accounts. The idea of bypassing third-party gold sellers by providing a cash shop pet that could be resold or traded in game was meant to be a creative solution to the problem.

"Players can buy one for the purpose of trying to sell it in-game, creating the potential for players to exchange real money for gold in a way that does not lead to account compromises. Of course, all that comes with the pretty important caveat that demand for the pet will be finite, and there's no guarantee you'll be able to find a buyer," Blizzard writes.

The company says that it doesn't expect this will solve the overall issue, the success or failure of the unique pet will help Blizzard determine if this approach is worth pursuing further.

MassivelyBlizzard elaborates on Guardian Cub sales originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 22 Oct 2011 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>blizzardBlizzard-Entertainmentgold-farminggold-sellingguardianreal-money-tradingrmtthird-partyWorld-of-WarcraftwowSat, 22 Oct 2011 19:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Blizzard introduces RMT loophole in World of Warcraft]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/10/11/blizzard-introduces-rmt-loophole-in-world-of-warcraft/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/10/11/blizzard-introduces-rmt-loophole-in-world-of-warcraft/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/10/11/blizzard-introduces-rmt-loophole-in-world-of-warcraft/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Pet
Normally, the introduction of yet another pet in Blizzard's online pet store wouldn't raise any eyebrows. This time, however, the company is making one small change with a vanity pet that could have huge consequences in the game itself.

World of Warcraft's newly announced Guardian Cub is on its way to the pet store and will retail for $10. The difference between this and other pets available in the store is that the Cub will not bind to the player who purchased it but rather will remain bind-on-equip -- and tradable -- until it is used. Effectively, this turns the Cub into a $10 currency item that can be traded for in-game gold, a fact that Blizzard openly acknowledges in the pet's FAQ:
While our goal is to offer players alternative ways to add a Pet Store pet to their collection, we're OK with it if some players choose to use the Guardian Cub as a safe and secure way to try to acquire a little extra in-game gold without turning to third-party gold-selling services. However, please keep in mind that there's never any guarantee that someone will purchase what you put up for sale in the auction house, or how much they'll pay for it. Also, it's important to note that we take a firm stance against buying gold from outside sources because in most cases, the gold these companies offer has been stolen from compromised accounts. While some players might be able to acquire some extra gold by putting the Guardian Cub in the auction house, that's preferable to players contributing to the gold-selling "black market" and account theft.
Player reaction has been strong and varied, with many seeing this as a full endorsement of RMT in WoW.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]

MassivelyBlizzard introduces RMT loophole in World of Warcraft originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 11 Oct 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>black-marketblizzardgoldgold-sellinggold-tradingguardian-cubonline-storepetpet-storepetsreal-money-tradingrmtstorevanity-petworld-of-warcraftwowTue, 11 Oct 2011 09:00:00 EST<![CDATA[TERA integrates technology to combat gold farming for North American launch]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/08/10/tera-integrates-technology-to-combat-gold-farming-for-north-amer/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/08/10/tera-integrates-technology-to-combat-gold-farming-for-north-amer/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/08/10/tera-integrates-technology-to-combat-gold-farming-for-north-amer/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

When Scott Hartsman made his comments regarding gold selling, it's unlikely he planned it to become such a focal point for so many other companies and games. But it's certainly become a focal point for players, and TERA's development staff has decided to take the war on gold selling a step further. It was announced today that the game's launch will see the integration of the Crisp Platform, an automated service set to monitor in-game behaviors to try and detect cheating, gold farming, and botting before a player has even noticed these things taking place.

According to the official release, the platform is based around a steady analysis of player behavior, looking for erratic patterns and unusual behaviors to flag potential abuses. In theory, this will allow En Masse Entertainment's support staff access to easy data at a glance, allowing any attempts at gold farming to be detected and stopped before the point that the money gets put up for sale. How successful that will be is going to depend on the implementation, something we won't know about until the game's launch in spring of next year.

MassivelyTERA integrates technology to combat gold farming for North American launch originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 10 Aug 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>anti-farmingbluehole-studioscrisp-platformcrisp-thinkingeconomyen-masseen-masse-entertainmentfarminggold-farminggold-sellingmmo-economynewsWed, 10 Aug 2011 09:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Ask Massively: Go outdoors edition]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/08/04/ask-massively-go-outdoors-edition/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/08/04/ask-massively-go-outdoors-edition/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/08/04/ask-massively-go-outdoors-edition/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Here is the salient piece of advice from this week's Ask Massively, right up front and in the intro paragraph -- go outdoors. Right now. Shut down your computer and go for a walk. Take a hike somewhere you've never been. Explore. Take some time to just walk around out in fresh air and sunlight, or heck, enjoy being rained on. But take the time to break from a routine in which you read a whole lot of words on the Internet and just go see what's outside for a few minutes at least.

Really, this column will still be here after you're done. It'll wait.

I'm hoping that the two or three of you that actually listened to that advice enjoyed your walk. For you (and slightly earlier for everyone who just skipped over that paragraph) we've got questions this week about gold farming and the consistent scourge of site bugs. If you've got a question you'd like to see answered in a future installment, just mail it along to ask@massively.com or leave your question in the comments.

Continue reading Ask Massively: Go outdoors edition

MassivelyAsk Massively: Go outdoors edition originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 04 Aug 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ask-massivelybugsethical-behaviorethicsgold-farminggold-sellingmassively-metaopinionrmtThu, 04 Aug 2011 09:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Global Chat: Broke and richer for it edition]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/07/24/global-chat-broke-and-richer-for-it-edition/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/07/24/global-chat-broke-and-richer-for-it-edition/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/07/24/global-chat-broke-and-richer-for-it-edition/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

Welcome to this week's Global Chat! We love hearing what you have to say at Massively, and we love it even more when we can share the best comments with all of our readers. Massively staffers will be contributing some of their favorite comments every week, so keep an eye out every Sunday for more Global Chat!

This week we're looking at all things money: Who has it, who doesn't, and why it makes the world go 'round. Naturally, Massively writers are richer than seven kings of Arabia combined and aren't concerned with such petty matters, but it seems to weigh heavily upon some of your heads. Hit the jump and let's see what the buzz was like in the comments section this past week!

Continue reading Global Chat: Broke and richer for it edition

MassivelyGlobal Chat: Broke and richer for it edition originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 24 Jul 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>commentscrypticglobal-chatgold-buyergold-buyersgold-buyinggold-farmergold-farmersgold-farminggold-sellergold-sellersgold-sellingmoneyopinionpre-orderrmtscott-hartsmanstar-trek-onlinestar-wars-the-old-republicstoswtorthe-old-republictorvisaSun, 24 Jul 2011 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Scott Hartsman says gold farming hurts our games more than we know]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/07/21/scott-hartsman-says-gold-farming-hurts-our-games-more-than-we-kn/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/07/21/scott-hartsman-says-gold-farming-hurts-our-games-more-than-we-kn/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/07/21/scott-hartsman-says-gold-farming-hurts-our-games-more-than-we-kn/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Gold buying is one of those aspects of MMO culture that is seemingly universally denounced, yet enough people partake in the practice to keep the wheels of this grey market activity going. Scott Hartsman may be saying the obvious when he denounced gold farming and selling to Gamasutra, but apparently it is still something we need to hear.

The Trion Worlds general manager shared a glimpse of just how hard these activities hit games, and how concerned he and other studio execs are about the proliferation of credit card fraud that results: "It's those kinds of things where people laugh and go, 'Oh, that never happens.' No. It happens. It happens a s**tload. To the point where, over the last three or four years, I would dare anybody to ask an exec at a gaming company how much they've had to pay in MasterCard and Visa fines, because of fraud. It happens a lot."

According to Hartsman, the more these events take place, the more money studios spend on paying fines and dealing with them instead of reinvesting funds into the games themselves -- all because of the "jerks" perpetuating the crimes.

MassivelyScott Hartsman says gold farming hurts our games more than we know originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 21 Jul 2011 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>credit-card-fraudgamasutragold-buyinggold-farmergold-farminggold-sellinggrey-markethackhackedhackersjerksmastercardrmtscott-hartsmantriontrion-worldsvisaThu, 21 Jul 2011 13:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Chinese prisoners forced to farm MMOs for cash]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/05/26/chinese-prisoners-forced-to-farm-mmos-for-cash/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/05/26/chinese-prisoners-forced-to-farm-mmos-for-cash/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/05/26/chinese-prisoners-forced-to-farm-mmos-for-cash/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Doing hard time in China may result in more than just back-breaking labor -- you may be called upon to join the country's growing legion of gold farmers as well.

A report at Guardian.co.uk exposed an unusual side of Chinese prisons, painting a picture of gaming inmates who had to meet farming quotas in MMOs or be beaten. One prisoner said that this practice was more lucrative for the prisons than other products of forced labor:
"Prison bosses made more money forcing inmates to play games than they do forcing people to do manual labour. There were 300 prisoners forced to play games. We worked 12-hour shifts in the camp. I heard them say they could earn 5,000-6,000rmb [£470-570] a day. We didn't see any of the money. The computers were never turned off. If I couldn't complete my work quota, they would punish me physically. They would make me stand with my hands raised in the air and after I returned to my dormitory they would beat me with plastic pipes. We kept playing until we could barely see things."
However, prison officials denied that such activities took place. One official commented, "We do not allow our prisoners to have any contact with the outside world. If they were playing these online games they could easily communicate with other people. We would never allow that."

Billions in revenue have resulted from China's virtual gold trade, which is largely unregulated. Guardian.co.uk estimates that the country holds 80% of the world's gold farming population.

MassivelyChinese prisoners forced to farm MMOs for cash originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 26 May 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>chinachina-hard-labor-campchinese-prisonsfarmingforced-laborgold-farminggold-sellinggold-tradingguardian.co.ukGuardian.co.uk.comprisonprisoner-abuseprisonersprisonsrmttelegraph.co.ukworld-of-warcraftwowThu, 26 May 2011 09:00:00 EST<![CDATA[FBI raids University of Michigan apartment over possible WoW fraud]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/04/14/fbi-raid-university-of-michigan-apartment-over-possible-wow-frau/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/04/14/fbi-raid-university-of-michigan-apartment-over-possible-wow-frau/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/04/14/fbi-raid-university-of-michigan-apartment-over-possible-wow-frau/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

A University of Michigan student apartment became the focus of a recent investigation by the FBI, which conducted a raid on March 30th over "potentially fraudulent sales or purchases of virtual currency that people use to advance in the popular online role-playing game World of Warcraft."

While the FBI did not make any arrests, it did confiscate several items, including computers, video game equipment, and credit cards. The Bureau is checking out whether one or both of the students were involved in a fraudulent scheme to buy or sell virtual gold, and the agency is looking for online transaction records with various online banks and websites.

The two students who share the apartment claim that they do not play WoW and are confident that they are innocent. One of the unnamed students commented: "They thought we were involved in some kind of fraud. I'm pretty sure they have the wrong people, but they took all my stuff."

MassivelyFBI raids University of Michigan apartment over possible WoW fraud originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 14 Apr 2011 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ann-arborfbifederal-bureau-of-investigationsfraudgold-buyinggold-farminggold-sellingillegalmichiganraidrmtuniversity-of-michiganuniversity-towersvirtual-currencyvirtual-goldworld-of-warcraftwowThu, 14 Apr 2011 10:30:00 EST<![CDATA[EVE ISK buyers outed in database leak]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/10/eve-isk-buyers-outed-in-database-leak/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/10/eve-isk-buyers-outed-in-database-leak/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/10/eve-isk-buyers-outed-in-database-leak/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Beware, EVE Online ISK buyers! Big brother is watching you. Actually, the whole internet is watching you too, thanks to an insider leak at the IskBank.com currency-trading site. EVEnews24.com, a fan-run news site dedicated to the goings-on in and around CCP's New Eden, has published a huge list of virtual currency buyers that earned IskBank some $290,000 between April 2010 and March 4th, 2011.

As you might expect, there's a colossal discussion thread on the official EVE forums, and CCP has issued a brief comment indicating its awareness of the situation. Thus far there has been no mention of potential action against violators of the the game's EULA, but EVEnews24 has posted some reactions from a few of the formerly anonymous buyers.

EVEnews24's anonymous source apparently provided a fairly complete record of IskBank's customer and order database, including names and dates, products purchased, and email and IP addresses. EVEnews24 is withholding the personal information of the affected parties but has published a complete list of in-game character names.

MassivelyEVE ISK buyers outed in database leak originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 10 Mar 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ccpCCP-Gamesdatabase-leakeula-violationeveeve-onlineevenews24.comgold-buyinggold-sellingiskisk-buyersiskbank.commmo-industrynew-edenrmtsci-fiThu, 10 Mar 2011 12:30:00 EST<![CDATA[The Perfect Ten: The 10 people you meet in MMO hell]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/01/27/the-perfect-ten-the-10-people-you-meet-in-mmo-hell/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/01/27/the-perfect-ten-the-10-people-you-meet-in-mmo-hell/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/01/27/the-perfect-ten-the-10-people-you-meet-in-mmo-hell/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

"Hell is other people," the jaunty Jean-Paul Sartre wrote in No Exit. In this play, three characters are locked together in a small room, where they gradually realize that they are there to torment each other for all of eternity. Plus, there are no toilets, and that's going to get unpleasant fast.

It's fun for the whole family -- get your tickets today!

We've all met folks in game who leave an unpleasant taste in our mouths for a long time after. With the all of the good of social games comes the seedy underbelly (henceforth referred to as "Camden, New Jersey"), and for every stellar soul you connect with, there is another lying in wait to destroy your day. If MMO heaven is full of supportive guildies and grammatically correct chat channels, then think of MMO hell as a pick-up group gone horribly awry as you run a dungeon that never ends, a dungeon you can never quit.

While we'd never voluntarily go to MMO hell, it was inevitable that some of its denizens have escaped to walk amongst us in our games even today. Who are these nefarious devils? Hit the jump to find out!

Continue reading The Perfect Ten: The 10 people you meet in MMO hell

MassivelyThe Perfect Ten: The 10 people you meet in MMO hell originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 27 Jan 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>camdencamden-new-jerseychatclassclassesdramadrama-in-real-lifedrama-llamadrill-sergeantdungeondungeon-rungold-sellersgold-sellinggold-spamgold-spammerhellhell-is-other-peopleinstance-runjean-paul-satremarinemmo-hellno-exitperfect-10perfect-tenpower-tripracismreaders-digestthe-perfect-10the-perfect-tenvoice-chatyo-mamaThu, 27 Jan 2011 15:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Study finds that 75% of online gamers purchase virtual goods]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/07/21/study-finds-that-75-of-online-gamers-purchase-virtual-goods/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/07/21/study-finds-that-75-of-online-gamers-purchase-virtual-goods/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/07/21/study-finds-that-75-of-online-gamers-purchase-virtual-goods/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Are you one of the steadfast, stalwart gamers who absolutely refuses to shell out money on cash shops, microtransactions and virtual services apart from subscriptions? If so, you're in the minority -- a study by VGMarket showed that three out of every four online gamers purchased a virtual good in the past year. This shouldn't come as a surprise, however.

The survey isn't strictly indicative of MMORPG gamers; it was taken from over 2,200 players who were either part of PlaySpan Marketplace, Facebook, or purchasers of Ultimate Game Cards. Still, the results are fascinating, as a whopping 64% admitted to spending money on cash-shop items at least once a month, with 9% going so far as paying for virtual goods on a daily basis.

Other statistics from the survey are equally interesting. PC gamers spent an average of $37 a year on virtual goods, and PayPal is by far the most popular method of payment. Oh, and the most-purchased good? In-game currency. (There, that shouldn't be too controversial, right? Right?) You can read the full survey results over at VentureBeat!

MassivelyStudy finds that 75% of online gamers purchase virtual goods originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 21 Jul 2010 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>addictionbar-graphs-are-sexycash-shopfacebookgold-buyinggold-sellingin-game-currencyitem-shopmicrotransactionspaypalplayspan-marketplacermtsparkle-ponysparkleponysurveyultimate-game-cardventurebeatvirtual-goodsvirtual-servicesWed, 21 Jul 2010 15:30:00 EST<![CDATA[The Daily Grind: Would you play a game with no economy?]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/07/13/the-daily-grind-would-you-play-a-game-with-no-economy/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/07/13/the-daily-grind-would-you-play-a-game-with-no-economy/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/07/13/the-daily-grind-would-you-play-a-game-with-no-economy/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

In the bullet-point list of most every MMO on the market, a "functioning in-game economy" comes as a standard feature, much like AM/FM radio and power steering, er, I mean like PvP and spacebar-as-jump-button. Being able to buy and sell goods and the occasional service between players adds a layer of depth and strategy to the game world that -- for once -- isn't solely about killing something. A few select players even eschew the rest of the game to focus on playing the auction house or crafting goods to sell.

Unfortunately, like the Force and the moon, in-game economies always come with a dark side. Economies are tricky to balance, and the longer a game runs, the higher the risk for it to spiral out of control due to mudflation. Late-comers to the game often find themselves at an economic disadvantage in comparison to extremely wealthy veterans. Economies also need the support of a lot of desirable things to sell and a useful interface through which to do it (such as an auction house), creating a lot of work for the dev team. And, of course, with any economy comes the headache of gold farming and selling.

Out of curiosity, would you play a game with no real economy? Some games such as Free Realms and Guild Wars de-emphasize their economies greatly in favor of other parts of the game. Do you find MMO economies to be more of a bother than a blessing? If a fun game came out that lacked this "essential" feature, would it be a deal-breaker?

MassivelyThe Daily Grind: Would you play a game with no economy? originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 13 Jul 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>auction-housedark-side-of-the-mooneconomyfree-realmsgold-farminggold-sellingguild-warsgwopinionpower-steeringpvpspacebar-jumptdgthats-a-deal-breaker-ladiesthe-daily-grindthe-forceTue, 13 Jul 2010 08:00:00 EST<![CDATA[TERA's Patrick Wyatt talks security, RMT]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/05/03/teras-patrick-wyatt-talks-security-rmt/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/05/03/teras-patrick-wyatt-talks-security-rmt/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/05/03/teras-patrick-wyatt-talks-security-rmt/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

The guys over at TERAHispano have scored an interesting interview with En Masse Entertainment COO Patrick Wyatt. The former NCsoft executive talks at length about everything from possible RMT options, to account security, to private servers and potential in-game griefing in TERA. In light of the much-publicized problems with bots, gold-selling, and account theft in Aion, these issues are clearly on the minds of TERA fans as En Masse works to localize Bluehole Studio's open world fantasy MMORPG for the western markets.

"Ultimately, if users want to purchase gold, they'll find a way to do it. The U.S. "drug war" hasn't stopped people from buying drugs, it merely causes fluctuations in the price of those drugs and the amount of crime and violence that people are willing to commit to buy and sell drugs. If we only try to attack the problem of gold farming by detecting and blocking the gold farmers we will not be effective in stopping that behavior and all of the problems that go with it, like chat-spamming to advertise gold-buying sites, purchase fraud, phishing, and account theft," Wyatt says.

He goes on to list EVE Online's PLEX system and Everquest's Vox and Bazaar secondary market experiments as potential "interesting solutions."

Check out TERAHispano for the full interview as well a companion gameplay-centric interview with Producer Sam Kim.

MassivelyTERA's Patrick Wyatt talks security, RMT originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 03 May 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>en-masse-entertainmentgameplaygold-sellingpatrick-wyattrmtteraMon, 03 May 2010 11:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Lost Pages of Taborea: Banhammer time]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/04/26/lost-pages-of-taborea-banhammer-time/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/04/26/lost-pages-of-taborea-banhammer-time/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/04/26/lost-pages-of-taborea-banhammer-time/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


For a while now, Frogster has been fiddling with how a player can buy diamonds to later trade and sell in the auction house. Ever so slowly, they had to implement more and more restrictions because of credit fraud and gold sellers. Those restrictions came in the form of what you could no longer use to buy tradable diamonds, until there was almost no other way except to purchase game cards from select retailers. Now it seems the ongoing problem has come to a head with the announcement that Runes of Magic has temporarily turned off the trading of diamonds for gold completely.

While it certainly doesn't paint RoM in a good light and may look like it has marred their great track record, gold selling issues are nothing exclusive to the game. Bots and gold spam are something that many MMOs eventually deal with and it's a positive sign that the developers are working on it. Maybe they're taking a queue from Aion's RMT videos or maybe they had it planned for a long time, but RoM has recently gone after the player-side of the problem by laying down the banhammer.

Continue reading Lost Pages of Taborea: Banhammer time

MassivelyLost Pages of Taborea: Banhammer time originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 26 Apr 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ban-hammerbanhammerf2pfeaturedfree-to-playfrogsterfrogster-interactivegold-buyinggold-sellingromrunes-of-magicrunewakerrunewaker-entertainmentspamspammersMon, 26 Apr 2010 17:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Diamond trade gets destroyed in Runes of Magic]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/04/20/the-diamond-trade-gets-destroyed-in-runes-of-magic/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/04/20/the-diamond-trade-gets-destroyed-in-runes-of-magic/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/04/20/the-diamond-trade-gets-destroyed-in-runes-of-magic/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

There's an understandable problem with selling game currency in subscription games, where it's generally considered verboten for good reason. While some subscription games will sell you things in addition to the monthly fee, there's a general sense that you should earn your advantages. But in free-to-play games that have a cash shop allowing players to purchase items directly... well, the very idea of gold selling seems kind of silly. But it can happen, and Runes of Magic has experienced a bit of a problem of late with the trade of Diamonds (their cash shop currency) for gold.

The game has traditionally treated the currencies as interchangeable insofar as players with lots of Diamonds and not enough gold could sell their excess to other players. Unfortunately, the current spate of RMT activities have called for draconian measures: they've taken away the ability to trade Diamonds for gold. They've also temporarily removed the ability to send gold through the mail. The official announcement stresses that this is a temporary measure to combat unacceptable behavior. While less gold spam is a good thing, fewer features are a negative, so this new is a mixed bag for Runes of Magic players.

MassivelyThe Diamond trade gets destroyed in Runes of Magic originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 20 Apr 2010 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>auction-housediamondsexploitexploitsf2pfree-to-playfrogsterfrogster-interactivegold-sellinggold-spammailremovalrmtromrunes-of-magicsuspensionTue, 20 Apr 2010 22:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Keeping the gold farmers at bay: An interview with Fallen Earth's Colin Dwan]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/01/04/keeping-the-gold-farmers-at-bay-an-interview-with-fallen-earth/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/01/04/keeping-the-gold-farmers-at-bay-an-interview-with-fallen-earth/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/01/04/keeping-the-gold-farmers-at-bay-an-interview-with-fallen-earth/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Gold farming and gold spamming is a very real problem in our current MMOs. While some games are spending a good chunk of their resources to battle the farmers and save their game's economy, other games are enjoying a relatively spam-free existence. One such game is Fallen Earth.

So what's their secret? Have they designed an actual farm-proof game, or is it just that they're doing an amazing job of clean-up behind the scenes? We talked with Project Manager Colin Dwan for some insight into their proven methods. Follow along after the cut below for the complete interview.

Continue reading Keeping the gold farmers at bay: An interview with Fallen Earth's Colin Dwan

MassivelyKeeping the gold farmers at bay: An interview with Fallen Earth's Colin Dwan originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 04 Jan 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>fallen-earthfallen-earth-llcfeaturedgold-farminggold-sellinggold-spammingicarus-studiosinterviewMon, 04 Jan 2010 17:00:00 EST<![CDATA[NCsoft sings a familiar tune with Aion security warnings]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/12/29/ncsoft-sings-a-familiar-tune-with-aion-security-warnings/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/12/29/ncsoft-sings-a-familiar-tune-with-aion-security-warnings/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/12/29/ncsoft-sings-a-familiar-tune-with-aion-security-warnings/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

If you've been watching the increasingly insistent security warnings from NCsoft in the Aion community, your first reaction is probably to assume that it's another round of hackings a la Guild Wars. Don't be so quick to jump to that conclusion however, because while the warnings are pretty familiar this is a bit of a different situation.

With Aion's recent huge (and sometimes hilarious) push to ban gold sellers, the RMT traders are looking for new ways to make a (dis)honest living. And they're starting with some pretty official-looking phishing attempts in-game. Aion Support Tweeted a warning a while back, and Andrew "Tamat" Beegle echoed the sentiment last night, pointing back to the security warnings on the main site.

Unfortunately, gold sellers are persistent. And while it's a relief not to have them hanging around in game anymore, they didn't decide to step away from their computers and find a different way to make a living, they just changed tactics. So let's be careful out there.



MassivelyNCsoft sings a familiar tune with Aion security warnings originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 29 Dec 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>aionandrew-beeglegold-sellersgold-sellinghackingncsoftrmtTue, 29 Dec 2009 11:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Square-Enix cracks down on gardeners, sends out bans]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/07/08/square-enix-cracks-down-on-gardeners-sends-out-bans/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/07/08/square-enix-cracks-down-on-gardeners-sends-out-bans/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/07/08/square-enix-cracks-down-on-gardeners-sends-out-bans/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,


If you've got a green thumb, you probably now have a sore thumb thanks to the Square-Enix banhammer. Gardeners across Final Fantasy XI have been complaining on fan forums that they've recently lost their accounts, only now tying the cause of their bans to their gardening activities.

Community site Pet Food Alpha has reported that Square-Enix is specifically targeting players who own more than one character for the explicit reason of gardening. Any level character can garden -- even right from the start of the game -- but no character can have more than 10 flowerpots at a time in their house. This has sparked players to purchase more character slots to simply expand their gardening enterprises, a common practice that has been done by players for over six years.

Players are unclear if these bans have been handed our by individuals on the RMT Task Force, or if they bans were created by one of Square-Enix's new automated tools. We'll keep our eyes on this story and update as new information comes in.

MassivelySquare-Enix cracks down on gardeners, sends out bans originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 08 Jul 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>banbanningsbansbreakingfarmersgardeninggil-sellinggold-sellingrmt-pwnererrmt-task-forcesquare-enixWed, 08 Jul 2009 15:00:00 EST<![CDATA[SOE hires crime fighting gnomes to fend off credit card worms]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/02/12/soe-hires-crime-fighting-gnomes-to-fend-off-credit-card-worms/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/02/12/soe-hires-crime-fighting-gnomes-to-fend-off-credit-card-worms/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/02/12/soe-hires-crime-fighting-gnomes-to-fend-off-credit-card-worms/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , ,

Online credit card fraud is big business and even MMORPGs aren't safe from it's far reach. We recently had a chance to sit down with Executive Director of Global Customer Service, Brad Wilcox, and discuss how SOE is dealing with gold selling and power-leveling services for their games. They are taking this war so seriously that they have put all transactional business under keen gnomish scrutiny.

Can you tell us how this fraud prevention task force came to be?

Brad Wilcox: Since the inception of EQ1, we always had components of a fraud prevention team. These were game masters and individuals tasked with looking at the game economy and making sure that people weren't exploiting. Since September 2007, we started to see a big increase in fraudulent activity in regards to stolen credit cards. That is when it was decided to put a few more resources specifically related to the fraud that was happening with accounts and subs being created with these stolen credit cards. That's when we formed what we call the NUGIT team, which stands for Norrathian Underground Gnome Investigation Team. As you can tell by the name, our employees enjoy having as much fun on the back end as we do on the front end of these games

Continue reading SOE hires crime fighting gnomes to fend off credit card worms

MassivelySOE hires crime fighting gnomes to fend off credit card worms originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 12 Feb 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bottersbrad-wilcoxfarmersfraudgold-sellingmulespower-levelingrmtsoespammersThu, 12 Feb 2009 15:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Third largest gold selling site sells for $10M]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/01/30/third-largest-gold-selling-site-sells-for-10m/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/01/30/third-largest-gold-selling-site-sells-for-10m/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/01/30/third-largest-gold-selling-site-sells-for-10m/#commentsFiled under: , ,


Gold selling has always been a lucrative business, but the recent acquisition of the My MMO shop website proves that it's recession-proof as well. As reported by recent financial records, the third largest MMO gold selling site in the industry just sold for $10 million to a company established in 2008 for the sole purpose of buying the site. This makes me wonder what the top two would sell for., but I digress!

"MyMMOShop.com appealed to us because of its strong reputation for providing optimal customer service," says Hunter Crowell, My MMO Inc.'s Media Relations Agent. "That focus will continue with our purchase." Wait, am I wrong in pointing out that this business goes against the EULAs of every major MMO out there? We're not talking about simple company-backed RMT here, we're talking about gold farming and gold spamming. Yet, despite the "illegal" nature of the business, it seems to only be growing in popularity, ironically more as the economy sinks deeper. "This is a risky time for any kind of traditional investing," says Crowell. "People are staying home more and choosing less expensive forms of entertainment, like playing video games."

MassivelyThird largest gold selling site sells for $10M originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 30 Jan 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>gold-farminggold-sellinggold-spammingmymmoshopFri, 30 Jan 2009 19:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Reporting gold spammers in WAR now easier than ever]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/10/05/reporting-gold-spammers-in-war-now-easier-than-ever/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/10/05/reporting-gold-spammers-in-war-now-easier-than-ever/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/10/05/reporting-gold-spammers-in-war-now-easier-than-ever/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

The gold seller scourge has fallen upon Warhammer Online, as you've likely noticed. But Mythic Entertainment has taken some rather extreme measures to silence the incessant spamming. To help reach that goal, they're making it easier for players to report gold selling activity and harassment. In keeping with their zero-tolerance policy on gold spamming, Mythic states, "We are committed to making life as hard as we can for Gold Sellers in game and maximizing player enjoyment. To that end we have added a new tool to streamline the gold seller reporting process."

That tool is found within the Appeal Interface, as the stand-alone category "GOLD/PL SALES" -- and is not found within the Violation category (which is used for most other types of harassment) as you might expect. Submitting these appeals via the GOLD/PL SALES category is a straightforward matter, as shown below the cut:
Warhammer Online Coverage Did you enjoy this? Make sure to check out our Warhammer guides: Massively's Character Creation Guide and our WoW Player's Guide to Warhammer. Plus, don't miss any of our ongoing coverage as Massively goes to WAR!

Continue reading Reporting gold spammers in WAR now easier than ever

MassivelyReporting gold spammers in WAR now easier than ever originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 05 Oct 2008 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>appealbusiness-modelsea-mythicfantasygame-mechanicsgold-sellersgold-sellinggold-spammerharassmentmmo-industrymythic-entertainmentpetitionspamspammerswarwarhammer-onlinezero-toleranceSun, 05 Oct 2008 16:00:00 EST<![CDATA[WAR's anti-gold-selling policy challenged]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/10/03/wars-anti-gold-selling-policy-challenged/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/10/03/wars-anti-gold-selling-policy-challenged/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/10/03/wars-anti-gold-selling-policy-challenged/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

We're well aware of Mark Jacobs' and Mythic's views on gold sellers in Warhammer Online, but what about the opposite side of the fence? Could gold sellers in a young, potentially top-selling MMO actually help the game develop and attract the adult working class? That's what Gigaom's Wagner James Au argues in a recent article.

"When launching a big-budget online game, it doesn't strike me as a very good idea to risk alienating nearly a quarter of your user base right out the gate. That, however, is likely to be the consequence of an extreme anti-gold selling policy at Mythic Entertainment," writes Au. He also cites research by Nick Yee, who is fast-becoming the most popular gaming-related research scientist, stating that gold-buying is done mostly by those ages 35 and older, who don't have the time to play as those younger gamers.

MassivelyWAR's anti-gold-selling policy challenged originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 03 Oct 2008 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>gigaomgold-sellersgold-sellingmark-jacobsmythicnick-yeewarwarhammer-onlineFri, 03 Oct 2008 16:00:00 EST<![CDATA[RMT company Live Gamer to work with virtual economist]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/07/24/rmt-company-live-gamer-to-work-with-virtual-economist/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/07/24/rmt-company-live-gamer-to-work-with-virtual-economist/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/07/24/rmt-company-live-gamer-to-work-with-virtual-economist/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Live Gamer, the legit Real Money Trading (RMT) company that handles all legal transactions for EverQuest II and other games, has brought on "noted virtual econonomist" Vili Lehdonvirta. Lehdonvirta is a former game designer who now researches virtual consumerism at the University of Helsinki and the Helsinki University of Technology TKK.

The prominence of economists and other financial experts in the MMO and virtual world industries has been steadily growing in recent years. For example, CCP's EVE Online hired a full-time economist to work on its staff and to put together quarterly economic reports, among other things.

Live Gamer's ambition is to transform an RMT black market that's causing the industry to bleed away potential profits and that's sending waves of instability and frustration through various MMO communities into a legitimate business that can be monitored and controlled by developers with their communities' and business' best interests in mind.

[Via MMORPG]

MassivelyRMT company Live Gamer to work with virtual economist originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 24 Jul 2008 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ccpeconomisteve-onlineeverquesteverquest-2everquest-iigold-sellersgold-sellinghelsinki-university-of-technologylive-gamerreal-money-transferrmtsoeuniversity-of-helsinkivili-lehdonvirtavirtual-consumerismThu, 24 Jul 2008 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Hernandez v IGE battle continues]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/25/hernandez-v-ign-battle-continues/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/25/hernandez-v-ign-battle-continues/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/25/hernandez-v-ign-battle-continues/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Antonio Hernandez is a gamer with a mission. Since 2007, Antonio's lawsuit has been trying to put an end to gold sales from seller IGE and his case has made more than a few headlines. Antonio was mad at IGE for ruining his game and for companies like it for ruining the experience of other players. He decided that it was time for someone to take a stand against gold farmers, gold sellers, and the people behind the gold selling industry.

The battle is still raging and, just the other day, his attorney filed for his gold selling case to become a class action lawsuit. A judge will review it, and if approved, millions of World of Warcraft players, and perhaps those in other MMOs, will have a chance to fight back against gold selling. The lawsuit shows no sign of losing steam, so be sure to take a break in the inn and check back for updates.

MassivelyHernandez v IGE battle continues originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 25 May 2008 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>antonio-hernandezgold-farminggold-sellinghernandezhernandez-vs-igeigelawsuitworld-of-warcraftwowSun, 25 May 2008 13:30:00 EST<![CDATA[IGE founders settle their legal dispute]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/10/ige-founders-settle-their-legal-dispute/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/10/ige-founders-settle-their-legal-dispute/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/10/ige-founders-settle-their-legal-dispute/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Those of you who enjoyed watching IGE founders Alan Debonneville and Brock Pierce battle each other in the legal arena will be a little upset to learn that the show is nearly over. The embattled co-founders of infamous gold selling agency IGE have decided to settle their differences. The court has approved the decision and it appears that the legal wrangling and mudslinging campaign has drawn to a close.

The two had filed suit against each other claiming disputes surrounding the distribution of bribes (both in real and virtual gifts), unethical business practices, and other various acts that would make your average gold seller look like a shining star in the corporate sky. Due to all of the legal trouble their company faces, it is not particularly surprising that the two would settle their differences. Unfortunately, we are not being told what the two have agreed to since the settlement is a closed affair. However, in order to make amends the two men have until the 14th of April to come to a decision in a settlement that could see a large chunk of cash changing hands.

MassivelyIGE founders settle their legal dispute originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 10 Apr 2008 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>alan-debonnevillebrock-piercedebonneville-vs-piercegold-farminggold-sellingigeige-lawsuitlegalrmtThu, 10 Apr 2008 15:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Lawsuit claims IGE dug too greedily and too deep]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/08/lawsuit-claims-ige-dug-too-greedily-and-too-deep/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/08/lawsuit-claims-ige-dug-too-greedily-and-too-deep/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/08/lawsuit-claims-ige-dug-too-greedily-and-too-deep/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , ,


Out of sunny Florida comes a storm ready to rain on the parade of gold sellers everywhere. Gold seller IGE has found itself sinking deeper into a stack of complaints thanks to one concerned gamer. Antonio Hernandez is fed up with the spam, inflation, and annoyance that stems from gold selling and has decided to do something about it. He has filed for a class action lawsuit that claims inflation in the virtual economy, thanks to gold sellers, forces players to spend more time behind their keyboard in an attempt to makes virtual ends meet, thus costing them more money. "This loss of time, conservatively, amounts to hundreds of thousands of hours of subscriber time and causes the irreparable harm of driving subscribers away from World of Warcraft."

Since the announcement was made, Antonio has already been flooded with letters of support from the WoW community. The reason for the support is not only because Antonio is trying to end gold selling, but because he is an active member of the virtual community he feels has been wronged. "The lawsuit," says case consultant and professor Greg Lastowka, "has more of a feel of a community trying to enforce its rules rather than a game company trying to enforce its power over the participants." The community is a strong one, and to add to the power players wield, the game companies are taking a stand with them. Blizzard has announced that they support the lawsuit and stated that gold selling is a very serious concern of theirs.

The case dives headfirst into a world with no clearly defined boundaries. The Florida justice system, having issued a subpoena to IGE demanding their transaction details, accepts that the subject of virtual law is real enough for concern. This is a good sign for players since their rights are also what are at stake. As Hernandez's lawyer, C. Richard Newsome, asks, "what are the rights of the [virtual world] community members when they go online?" The community members supporting Antonio have made one thing crystal clear concerning that question. They desire a fair game and hope to collapse IGE's virtual gold mine right on top of IGE's head.

MassivelyLawsuit claims IGE dug too greedily and too deep originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 08 Apr 2008 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>antonio-hernandezblizzardgold-farminggold-sellinggreg-lastowkahernandez-vs-igeigeige-lawsuitlegalvirtual-economyvirtual-worldworld-of-warcraftTue, 08 Apr 2008 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Square/Enix cracks down on Final Fantasy XI RMT]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/03/26/square-enix-cracks-down-on-final-fantasy-xi-rmt/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/03/26/square-enix-cracks-down-on-final-fantasy-xi-rmt/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/03/26/square-enix-cracks-down-on-final-fantasy-xi-rmt/#commentsFiled under: , ,

The folks at Square/Enix have had a rough time with in-game money sellers, commonly known as gold or gil-farmers. Over the last few years they've taken some drastic steps to curtail the activities of RMT vendors inside the world of Final Fantasy XI. At the Austin Game Developer's Conference last year, they spent the majority of a keynote session talking about their efforts to stamp out the farming menace. Through the tireless work of the anti-RMT squad onstaff, they've greatly reduced the instances of gold selling in Vana'diel.

Still, the sellers never rest. The official FFXI site has up details on a fresh new round of bans the company has handed down. Interestingly, they break down the numbers so we can see who was banned for what. We can seen, then, that about 1500 people have been removed from the game since February 17th for gil-selling in-game. Since January 27th about 1000 people have been kicked for using movement hacks, while about half that have been removed for 'monopolizing monsters or areas'. Interesting stuff, and fascinating to see it broken out like that. Keep fighting the good fight, Vana'diel soliders!

MassivelySquare/Enix cracks down on Final Fantasy XI RMT originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 26 Mar 2008 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>banhammerffxifinal-fantasy-xigold-sellinghacksrmtsquare-enixWed, 26 Mar 2008 15:00:00 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<![CDATA[CES 2008: discussion panel on virtual worlds and the "MMO explosion"]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/01/07/ces-2008-discussion-panel-on-virtual-worlds-and-the-mmo-explos/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/01/07/ces-2008-discussion-panel-on-virtual-worlds-and-the-mmo-explos/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/01/07/ces-2008-discussion-panel-on-virtual-worlds-and-the-mmo-explos/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Gamasutra has posted a panel discussion covering many different facets of virtual worlds and MMOs in general. The panel consists of several panelists coming from all sorts of companies from AMD to Turbine. Overall the panel discusses many of the issues you always hear about when virtual worlds/MMOs come up. You've got talk of evolution within the industry, in-game advertising, global relevance (aka "how can we conquer the world?"), virtual goods/secondary markets (RMT/item selling) and of course cannibalizing older markets.

The discussion on each piece is mostly similar to what has been said already. There are a few intriuging quotes from some of the panelists throughout. Their conclusion to the discussion happens to be focused on a few aspects, but we found one was more interesting than the rest.

Steve Goldstein from Flagship Studios had this to say, "As we spend the next three or four days talking about margins and monetizing, we shouldn't lose sight of the miraculous industry we're in, where people are selling imaginary gold and building real relationships across the world."

Probably the most prolific statement of the entire discussion, Goldstein manages to bullseye the nail on the head.

MassivelyCES 2008: discussion panel on virtual worlds and the "MMO explosion" originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 07 Jan 2008 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>advertisingamdevolutionflagship-studiosgamasutragold-sellingin-game-adverstisingmmo-industryrmtturbinevirtual-goodsvirtual-worldsMon, 07 Jan 2008 15:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Tabula Rasa Feedback Friday: Patch 1.4]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/01/07/tabula-rasa-feedback-friday-patch-1-4/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/01/07/tabula-rasa-feedback-friday-patch-1-4/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/01/07/tabula-rasa-feedback-friday-patch-1-4/#commentsFiled under: , ,


The Tabula Rasa team has given us a nice little preview of what to expect in the upcoming 1.4 patch for the start of 2008. Some of the new features include Hybrid aliens (!!!), a hide helmet option, an Ability and Attribute respec and some bug fixes. We're especially interested in the Hybrid stuff, as it sounds very interesting.

Another big fix will be focused on the issues Mires is having with performance, even with with the recent changes that were made to address this. The changes will be focused on creature count being a bit too high as well as many locations where enemy and friendly drop-ships have been appearing literally next to each other. Aside from the mires changes, the TR team is looking into the crackdown on RMT or "credit/gold" sellers. The large issue is the chat channel and their persistent adverts that keep popping up in the game. For now all we're told to do is use the /ignore command, but hopefully in the near future there will be better ways to deal with them.

The patch will be coming to the public test server soon, so hopefully we can report back on how those changes are coming along in the near future.

MassivelyTabula Rasa Feedback Friday: Patch 1.4 originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 07 Jan 2008 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>gold-sellersgold-sellinghybridhybrid-aliensmiresncsoftpatchpatch-1.4rmttabula-rasaMon, 07 Jan 2008 13:30:00 EST<![CDATA[A snapshot of today's gold-selling/power-leveling market]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/12/26/a-snapshot-of-todays-gold-selling-power-leveling-market/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/12/26/a-snapshot-of-todays-gold-selling-power-leveling-market/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/12/26/a-snapshot-of-todays-gold-selling-power-leveling-market/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , ,

GameSetWatch, the alt.blog on CMP's Gamasutra network of sites, has up a discussion with a gold-farming boss. "Mr. Smith" is one of the owners of a gold-selling site, and submitted an article looking at the current state of the virtual currency market - from his perspective.

Smith makes two interesting points in his discussion: that power-leveling is now the 'growth industry' for RMT services, and that the newest workforce in the marketplace is ... wait for it ... North Korea.

The cost of these power-leveling services has also dipped considerably as new players enter the marketplace. Competitive pressure has dropped the price from about $6/level to more like $2.50/level in World of Warcraft. All 70 levels now averages about $250, down from a high of almost $500.

MassivelyA snapshot of today's gold-selling/power-leveling market originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 26 Dec 2007 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>farmersfinal-fantasy-xigamesetwatchgold-farminggold-sellinglord-of-the-rings-onlinemaplestoryrmtrunescapeworld-of-warcraftWed, 26 Dec 2007 15:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Daily Grind: Veni, vidi, Visa]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/12/20/the-daily-grind-veni-vidi-visa/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/12/20/the-daily-grind-veni-vidi-visa/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/12/20/the-daily-grind-veni-vidi-visa/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

For many Westerners who have been involved in MMO culture for any length of time, you'll recognize this as a perenially evergreen topic; the role of RMT in gaming. Of course, with the recent news regarding the attempt to create a "legit" service whereby players can purchase game gold for their favorite MMO, we can't help but throw this out to be chewed on.

Personally, while I understand the allure (after all, who wouldn't like to save the hour farming and instead enjoy an hour playing) the problem to me is a question of the structure of MMO culture. In the Western arena, MMOs are largely perceived to be a meritocracy, whereby those who perform the best, have superior forethought and tactics/strategies "win." They get the gear, they hit endgame, and while I would say that not all will necessarily raid everything, they will at least generally get their feet wet. (RL permitting, of course -- I know several folks who would be brilliant raiders, save for those priority things.) The idea that someone who has zero clue about how the game is played but can purchase an endgame character and enough money to kit it out rankles on a few levels:

Continue reading The Daily Grind: Veni, vidi, Visa

MassivelyThe Daily Grind: Veni, vidi, Visa originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 20 Dec 2007 08:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>famersgil-sellinggold-sellingreal-money-tradingrmtthe-daily-grindvirtual-worldsThu, 20 Dec 2007 08:25:00 EST