So you think games are expensive?

[stig]

Then check this out! :eek:

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/26102005/175/gamer-shells-100-000-virtual-property.html

[Plotloss]

These here massively online games are going to become a much bigger social problem than drugs I reckon.

I've got two mates utterly utterly utterly addicted to World of Warcraft.

They get home, eat and sit on computers next to each other not speaking roaming around a virtual world until they cant keep their eyes open anymore.

Its utterly barmy.

[lockstock2sb]

thats pretty sad

How about they give mee 100k and i'll make them a virtual piece of land - in my mind

[steve_evil]

Good business sense, I read the story about the previous guy who had paid $26,500 for the island, his bank coughed up a large proportion of the money after seeing his business plan and a large amount of the rest of it came from independant backers. I bet he raked it all back within a few months once the money from rent, hunting on the island etc came in.

[scorp]

Plotloss said:

These here massively online games are going to become a much bigger social problem than drugs I reckon. I've got two mates utterly utterly utterly addicted to World of Warcraft. They get home, eat and sit on computers next to each other not speaking roaming around a virtual world until they cant keep their eyes open anymore. Its utterly barmy.

People have actually died because they've sat up and played everquest for 30+ hours straight.

[dick dastardly]

steve_evil said:

I bet he raked it all back within a few months once the money from rent, hunting on the island etc came in.

How realistic is it? Do the animals you hunt run out? Are there hunting seasons?

[_dobbo_]

scorp said:

Plotloss said: These here massively online games are going to become a much bigger social problem than drugs I reckon. I've got two mates utterly utterly utterly addicted to World of Warcraft. They get home, eat and sit on computers next to each other not speaking roaming around a virtual world until they cant keep their eyes open anymore. Its utterly barmy. People have actually died because they've sat up and played everquest for 30+ hours straight.

Wasn't it one person? and a 30 year old japanese guy that lived with his mum or something like that? He didn't even get up for a crap, which I seem to recall is what killed him.

[steve_evil]

Several people have died from extended gaming sessions (in the far east mainly) The Chinese government is now putting limits on the amount of hours any one person can spend on an MMORPG which will be implemented by the game makers on their behalf, of course they only have to buy another account and they can play double the time.

As for how realistic the hunting is in the game I really don't know as i've never been on the game, just read a very interesting article on it a few months back in PC Gamer.

I can understand these people taking these financial risks though, people do become addicted to these things (I would admit to being a gaming addict but it doesn't get in the way of the rest of my life) and like the Japanese youngsters who can't afford a property and spend all their money on their cars, I can see the virtual property market blossoming as it becomes harder and harder for people to afford to buy a house, they'll naturally look to spend their money elsewhere and if you spend a lot of time on an MMORPG where better for these people to spend that cash and have that house they've always dreamt of (albeit in a virtual sense)

The virtual property market isn't a new thing though, up to ten years ago when Ultima Online first appeared, I read about a guy who spent days in the game building houses for people and then selling them on for real cash, for $20,000 upwards, didn't take him long to realise he could leave his real job.