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[The Virtual Whirl: Death and taxes]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/05/01/the-virtual-whirl-death-and-taxes/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/05/01/the-virtual-whirl-death-and-taxes/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/05/01/the-virtual-whirl-death-and-taxes/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

"Nothing is certain but death and taxes"; a rather sardonic and bleak proverb, quoted and paraphrased by a number of famous figures over the years. The earliest on record was Daniel Defoe, in The Political History of the Devil in 1726.

Well, this week the death part doesn't concern us so much as the taxes.

Many Americans have spent this month scrambling to get their taxes filed, and for many of the rest of us our own turn comes due in just a couple of months. With that in mind, I thought I'd talk about the taxation status of virtual assets.

Continue reading The Virtual Whirl: Death and taxes

MassivelyThe Virtual Whirl: Death and taxes originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 01 May 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>australiadaniel-defoefeaturedirslegallinden-dollarsopinionsecond-lifeswedentaxtaxesthe-virtual-whirlukusavirtual-worldsworld-of-warcraftSat, 01 May 2010 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Sweden extending taxation into the virtual]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/07/21/sweden-extending-taxation-into-the-virtual/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/07/21/sweden-extending-taxation-into-the-virtual/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/07/21/sweden-extending-taxation-into-the-virtual/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Sweden is taking aim at online tax evasion and the estimated five billion Swedish krona (SEK) in annual undeclared income by the country's citizens. (This equates to roughly USD 645 million.) While much of this is revenue from "online marketplaces, porn, and astrology sites", undeclared income from games and virtual worlds are included in that figure. In fact, the Swedish Tax Agency (Skatteverket) looked at the sales of avatars and characters in 'computer games' over a 14 month period, with a collective advertised sum of 662 million SEK (USD 85 million). No income was declared on any of these transactions so it's a safe bet they'll be scrutinizing these sales moving forward.

Although the specific virtual worlds and games aren't named, GameCulture adds that the virtual property Skatteverket is looking at exchanged hands between 7000 gamers and residents. Also interesting is what GamePolitics turned up on the situation -- "even U.S. citizens could be subject to Swedish taxation on such virtual transactions, according to the Economics of Virtual Worlds blog."

MassivelySweden extending taxation into the virtual originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 21 Jul 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>avataravatarseconomygameculturegamepoliticslegalmmo-industryskatteverketswedenswedish-tax-agencytaxtaxationtaxesvirtual-goodsvirtual-itemsvirtual-worldsTue, 21 Jul 2009 15:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Mortal Online pre-orders delayed by two weeks]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/06/29/mortal-online-pre-orders-delayed-by-two-weeks/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/06/29/mortal-online-pre-orders-delayed-by-two-weeks/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/06/29/mortal-online-pre-orders-delayed-by-two-weeks/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


We announced some details about the Mortal Online pre-order which was slated to kick off today in the game's online store. However the Mortal Online developers, Star Vault, announced there will be a two-week delay with the launch of the Mortal Online online store.

Star Vault CEO Henrik Nystrom announced: "On the 25th of June we brought you some good stuff, but today we have to bring you bad news. We have been working very hard to get the shop up and for it to accept different methods of payment, however it's not obvious we have been too optimistic this time as we have encountered several last-minute problems.

More information and a new schedule will be announced on the Mortal Online game store soon."

(Thanks for the tip, Rhys)

MassivelyMortal Online pre-orders delayed by two weeks originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 29 Jun 2009 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>announcementsbreakingbreakingnewsbusiness-modelsdelaydelaysfantasyhenrik-nystrommortal-onlinenew-titlesonline-storepre-orderpre-ordersstar-vaultswedenMon, 29 Jun 2009 15:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Star Vault reveals Mortal Online beta and pre-order details, launch info]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/06/07/star-vault-reveals-mortal-online-beta-and-pre-order-details-lau/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/06/07/star-vault-reveals-mortal-online-beta-and-pre-order-details-lau/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/06/07/star-vault-reveals-mortal-online-beta-and-pre-order-details-lau/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,


Another competitor in the hardcore PvP niche in MMOs may give Darkfall Online a run for their money: Mortal Online from Sweden-based developer Star Vault. The game is presently in closed beta and is about to get its first test of the release build. The real news here is that Mortal Online has announced its open beta and release schedules.

Pre-orders for Mortal Online will begin on June 29th via the official site, and the actual launch (with monthly subscriptions) is slated for Q4 2009. Anyone who pre-orders the game "in any of the formats available" will have access to all of the beta phases remaining until the title launches. The catch, however, is that the pre-orders are limited to 10,000 people.

Continue reading Star Vault reveals Mortal Online beta and pre-order details, launch info

MassivelyStar Vault reveals Mortal Online beta and pre-order details, launch info originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 07 Jun 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>betasboxed-versiondigital-downloadfantasylauncheslimited-editionmalmomortal-onlinepre-orderpre-orderspvpstar-vaultswedenSun, 07 Jun 2009 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Entropia Universe to operate real-world bank with virtual world presence]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/23/entropia-universe-to-have-real-world-bank-with-virtual-world-pre/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/23/entropia-universe-to-have-real-world-bank-with-virtual-world-pre/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/23/entropia-universe-to-have-real-world-bank-with-virtual-world-pre/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


Most of our virtual world coverage at Massively is focused on Second Life, but we're still keeping an eye on what's happening beyond the walls of Linden Lab. One significant development revealed this past week is that Entropia Universe will be the first virtual world to have a bank that's actually backed and regulated by a real-world government, called Mind Bank AB.

We received word on this from MindArk's PR: "The Swedish Financial Supervisory Authority (Finansinspektionen) has granted a license to conduct banking activities to virtual universe developer MindArk PE AB's wholly owned subsidiary Mind Bank AB. The unique step of integrating MindArk's virtual universe Entropia Universe with the real world will allow Mind Bank AB to function as a central bank for all virtual worlds within the Entropia Universe."

Continue reading Entropia Universe to operate real-world bank with virtual world presence

MassivelyEntropia Universe to operate real-world bank with virtual world presence originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 23 Mar 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ars-technicabankbankingbankseconomyentropiaentropia-universemichael-thompsonmind-bankmind-bank-abmindarkpedsci-fiswedenvirtual-currencyvirtual-worldsMon, 23 Mar 2009 16:00:00 EST<![CDATA[World of Warcraft as addictive as cocaine? BS!]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/02/27/world-of-warcraft-as-addictive-as-cocaine-bullshit/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/02/27/world-of-warcraft-as-addictive-as-cocaine-bullshit/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/02/27/world-of-warcraft-as-addictive-as-cocaine-bullshit/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

The Swedish Youth Care Foundation has an upcoming report in which they describe World of Warcraft as "the cocaine of the computer games world", indicating that it has been involved in every case of gaming addiction that they have dealt with. As the report is not yet published, it doesn't indicate what other games might be involved.

Swedish news outlet, The Local, interprets this with the headline 'World of Warcraft is as addictive as cocaine', a statement that is neither supported by the quotes, nor apparently supported in fact. The addiction rate for cocaine is 5-6% per use during the first decade and 15-16% per use thereafter. If World of Warcraft were really that addictive, then umpty-million players would be well and truly addicted -- a fact not in evidence. The Local's headline therefore, appears to be purest hype (or as we like to think of it, an attention-getting lie).

Continue reading World of Warcraft as addictive as cocaine? BS!

MassivelyWorld of Warcraft as addictive as cocaine? BS! originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 27 Feb 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>academicaddictioncultureopinionswedenworld-of-warcraftyouth-care-foundationFri, 27 Feb 2009 09:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Game revenue taxation begins spread to Sweden and South Korea]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/12/12/game-revenue-taxation-begins-spread/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/12/12/game-revenue-taxation-begins-spread/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/12/12/game-revenue-taxation-begins-spread/#commentsFiled under: , ,

They always say the two things you can't avoid in life are death and taxes. Yet, being an MMO player, death always just seems to be a part of life. And now, governments around the world are beginning to become interested in putting in the other unavoidable part of life in our gaming experience -- as if we had enough of death.

As in-game transactions and RMT are beginning to become major boons to business the government is getting interested. And, of course, like any good government, they want their share. China was only the first, now Sweden and South Korea are interested in getting their tax laws straight as well.

Taxing game transactions, however, isn't as easy as making laws that tax a physical currency. There's the issues of relative value, constantly diminishing returns as more money flows into virtual economies without enough monetary sinks in the game, and the whole issue if the game goes out of business.

We tend to believe that worlds like this should avoid colliding, but it seems that as we begin to mesh our virtual currencies and begin to value them as much as our real world ones, paths like these seem inevitable.

MassivelyGame revenue taxation begins spread to Sweden and South Korea originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 12 Dec 2008 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>chinadeatheconomicseconomygovernmentkorealawsreal-money-tradereal-money-tradingrmtsouth-koreaswedentaxesFri, 12 Dec 2008 09:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The slow demise of virtual tax havens]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/11/29/the-slow-demise-of-virtual-tax-havens/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/11/29/the-slow-demise-of-virtual-tax-havens/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/11/29/the-slow-demise-of-virtual-tax-havens/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Is taxation of commerce in the virtual space inevitable? We've been hearing more and more about this coming out of China, South Korea, and Sweden, but a recent piece on BBC News -- "Slapping a tax on playtime" -- hits a bit closer to home for many of us. Flora Graham, a technology reporter for BBC News, spoke with Professor Edward Castronova of Indiana University, well-known for his research and commentary on virtual economies over the years, and game researcher Dr. Richard Bartle about the impact of taxation on games and virtual worlds.

Castronova points out the idea of taxation of virtual goods exchanged for virtual money, saying, "... it's an extraordinarily dangerous development... It's as if every time I played soccer in my backyard and scored a goal, I would have to pay the government three euros. It takes away from the game's contribution to human happiness."

Continue reading The slow demise of virtual tax havens

MassivelyThe slow demise of virtual tax havens originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 29 Nov 2008 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>asiachinaedward-castronovafantasyrichard-bartlesecond-lifesouth-koreaswedentaxtaxationtaxestheodore-setovirtual-economicsvirtual-economiesworld-of-warcraftSat, 29 Nov 2008 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[WAR battles Spore, The Force Unleashed for top of EU sales charts]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/09/27/war-battles-spore-the-force-unleashed-for-top-of-eu-sales-chart/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/09/27/war-battles-spore-the-force-unleashed-for-top-of-eu-sales-chart/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/09/27/war-battles-spore-the-force-unleashed-for-top-of-eu-sales-chart/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Warhammer Online pulled off some impressive sales figures in the European market this past week. The Swedish sales chart shows WAR at the #1 and #4 (for the Collector's Edition) spots in that country, beating out the highly anticipated Will Wright project Spore. WAR also topped the charts in Spain. In Germany it came in second behind the heavily marketed console game Star Wars: The Force Unleashed.

Of course an MMO dominating sales charts is nothing new. World of Warcraft has done so on and off since its launch four years ago, and Age of Conan debuted at #1 in many regions, even defeating the critically acclaimed BioWare tactical RPG Mass Effect which launched in the same month. It's also worth noting that the Warhammer IP is very popular in Europe, perhaps more so than in North America.

This news jives well with the report that half a million users have registered for the game. On the other hand, similar numbers were thrown out around AoC shortly after its launch. It's doing okay, but it didn't turn out to be a landscape-altering success that some folks projected, and that some are expecting from WAR as well

MassivelyWAR battles Spore, The Force Unleashed for top of EU sales charts originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 27 Sep 2008 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>age-of-conanaocchartsea-mythiceueuropeeuropean-unionfiguresgermanymass-effectmythicmythic-entertainmentsalesspainsporestar-wars-the-force-unleashedswedenthe-force-unleashedwarwarhammer-onlinewill-wrightworld-of-warcraftwowSat, 27 Sep 2008 15:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Second Life celebrates Swedish National Day]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/06/01/second-life-celebrates-swedish-national-day/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/06/01/second-life-celebrates-swedish-national-day/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/06/01/second-life-celebrates-swedish-national-day/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Starting at Noon CET today, the start of a huge Swedish flag started to appear piece-by-piece on the grounds of the Second House of Sweden, Sweden's official embassy in Second Life. Over the next five days, more and more of the flag will appear, the whole being made of 168 colored cubes.

The flag will finally be complete at Noon CET, 6 June, and you can walk on it, sit on it, or get your party-shoes on and dance on it throughout the remainder of the day, in order to celebrate Swedish National Day (sometimes known as Swedish Flag Day). At 10PM CET, the giant flag will dissolve, leaving only memories. Swede or Swedophile, take part in the holiday that knows how to party, in a way that's only possible in a virtual world.

MassivelySecond Life celebrates Swedish National Day originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 01 Jun 2008 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>culturesecond-lifeswedenswedish-embassyswedish-national-daySun, 01 Jun 2008 11:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Conan grandly thieves Europe from Niko Bellic]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/30/conan-grandly-thieves-europe-from-niko-bellic/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/30/conan-grandly-thieves-europe-from-niko-bellic/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/30/conan-grandly-thieves-europe-from-niko-bellic/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,


In charts reporting the latest game sales numbers in Europe, Age of Conan landed the #1 spot in both Sweden and Germany, surpassing even Grand Theft Auto IV.

Take that with a grain of salt, though, as the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of GTA4 were counted separately, and each appeared in high spots in both countries' charts. It seems likely that in Sweden, at least (where GTA4 occupied second and third place), GTA4 still outsold AoC when all platforms are added up. In Spain, AoC placed fourth.

Funcom has already launched additional servers to accommodate an impressive player base. AoC might get even bigger when it goes cross-platform.

MassivelyConan grandly thieves Europe from Niko Bellic originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 30 May 2008 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>age-of-conanaocchartseuropefuncomgermanygrand-theft-auto-ivgta4next-generationsalesspainswedenFri, 30 May 2008 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Star Vault announces new MMO: Mortal Online]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/15/star-vault-announces-new-mmo-mortal-online/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/15/star-vault-announces-new-mmo-mortal-online/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/15/star-vault-announces-new-mmo-mortal-online/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

Swedish developer Star Vault has officially introduced the world to its first game, an MMO by the name of Mortal Online. The game's official site has launched, and visitors are treated to the above trailer upon arrival -- and as far as first impressions go, we'll say that the graphics certainly do look good (a disclaimer at the start even promises that what we're seeing is real in-game footage). Higher quality versions of the teaser can be found here.

Of course, it takes more than just pretty graphics to have a successful MMO, and from looking at some of the proposed features of Mortal Online it would appear that the developers are well aware of this. The game will be played in first-person, and one of the primary focuses will be hardcore PvP, with a real-time combat system. Couple this with the fact that there will be no leveling at all, and you start to realize that we're looking at a very different game here.

Continue reading Star Vault announces new MMO: Mortal Online

MassivelyStar Vault announces new MMO: Mortal Online originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 15 Apr 2008 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>action-skillsfirst-personlearning-skillsmomortal-onlinereal-time-combatstar-vaultswedenswedishworld-skillsTue, 15 Apr 2008 17:30:00 EST<![CDATA[WoW 3v3 tournament ended, videos from the finals]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/12/06/wow-3v3-tournament-ended-videos-from-the-finals/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/12/06/wow-3v3-tournament-ended-videos-from-the-finals/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/12/06/wow-3v3-tournament-ended-videos-from-the-finals/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Tasteless gold buying joke goes here!
The Dreamhack Winter festival in Sweden ended last week, and video footage of the Electronic Sports League World of Warcraft 3v3 arena tournament that took place right there in freezing Northrend Northern Europe is now online. The series went right down to the wire in a best-of-five between MoB-TurtleForce and team Pandemic. The videos are a little blurry (see below), but the grand final is definitely worth watching if you're at all interested in seeing competitive gaming in an MMO, with five extremely close games and amazing teamwork. Check them out!

As we covered previously, the tournament itself arose from the ashes of the deceased WSVG, and whilst the high quality feed of the event was broken, it's nice to see it went off without *too* many hitches. And it gets better -- the commentary was almost passable.

MassivelyWoW 3v3 tournament ended, videos from the finals originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 06 Dec 2007 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>3v3arenablizzarddreamhackeslfinalsmob-turtleforcenorthrendswedenteam-pandemictournamentworld-of-warcraftwowThu, 06 Dec 2007 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Estonia joins the list of countries with Embassies in Second Life]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/12/06/estonia-joins-the-list-of-countries-with-embassies-in-second-lif/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/12/06/estonia-joins-the-list-of-countries-with-embassies-in-second-lif/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/12/06/estonia-joins-the-list-of-countries-with-embassies-in-second-lif/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Joining the ranks of The Maldives and Sweden, Estonia has opened a virtual embassy in Second Life. The Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Paet stated that the importance of the internet as a source of communication, and the growing number of countries interested in establishing a virtual presence in SL drove the decision to set up the embassy.

There are plans for there to be regular events at the embassy, including art exhibits, conferences and lectures, with the first lecture scheduled for January and being delivered by the Estonian Ambassador to Great Britain. The design of the building, both interior and exterior, looks rather unique and sort of futuristic. One of the coolest parts of this news though, is a talking dog: "Visitors to the Estonian embassy will hear current news read by an Estonian hound". The TechCrunch article linked below has a picture of said hound, and I'm sure it eagerly awaits your visit so that it can fill you in on the latest happenings.

There is a full gallery of the new embassy at the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs' website.

[Via TechCrunch]

MassivelyEstonia joins the list of countries with Embassies in Second Life originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 06 Dec 2007 07:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>dogembassyestoniaestonian-embassyhoundlinden-labslswedenthe-maldivesThu, 06 Dec 2007 07:30:00 EST