Please everyone forgive my digital pimpage, but well...I am contributing editorials to the site so...{http://www.mmognews.com}
After the implosion of SND.net, alot of the um...emotionally unbalanced writers formed player2player.net (which isn't up yet). Delusion, who designed all the SND rotating logos set up MMOGnews.

I know the article(and part 2) is pie-in-the-sky thinking but that is just to force people to consider new ideas and the series comes down to earth in part 3.

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Quote:

For example there were numerous times in 1999 that, if one extrapolated that value of the Ever quest goldmark by what items from the game were being bought for on Ebay, the EQ goldmark, if it was a "real" currency and traded on international currency markets, would have had a higher exchange rate to the US dollar than the Italian Lira. It still often does. Allow me to restate that so it may sink in. A completely fake, as in no basis in reality, digital, game currency was worth more than a currency backed by a legitimate national government.

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I second that remark. I read the above paragraph, scratched my head, and said to myself, "Um...what?"

Your editorial could use the hand of an editor.

It's a bit wordy, but I understand it to mean that the EQ Goldmark (essentially Monopoly money) is worth more than the Italian Lira. Trip to Rome, anyone?

- Alan

I understand what he means. My point is that it's nonsense.

That is assuming of course that the time/money spent developing the said Goldmark in its equivalency in a US dollar amount of some sort (after all, how are you comparing it?) would go up against its equivalent in Italian Lira, not just 1 Lira, which is worth less than a penny (I think, dunno what the exchange rate is).

Still, overall, a silly argument. Anyone can substitute a new barter/trade system and say as an equivalency in goods is better than your average dollar. I do it in my household all the time.

--- Alan

Besides, what's new about a game currency being worth more than it's real-life counterpart? Even in depression-era dollars The Boardwalk would have cost you a bit more than $400.

'I understand what he means. My point is that it's nonsense.'

The only problem with it is that it's not a universally accepted form of currency. However, as long as the search cost to transform dork-game dollars into real-world dollars isn't too low, it might as well be M2.

As far is it being worth more than the Italian lira: it is, but it's meaningless. Car steroes, if treated as currency, are also worth more.

'That is assuming of course that the time/money spent developing the said Goldmark in its equivalency in a US dollar amount of some sort (after all, how are you comparing it?) would go up against its equivalent in Italian Lira, not just 1 Lira, which is worth less than a penny (I think, dunno what the exchange rate is).'

Well, assuming the market for buying EQ stuff online is big enough, arbitage would naturally do this.

FYI - 1 US Dollar is worth 2156 Lira. (No, I don't know that off the top of my head, but I work in the travel industry, and...well, we have ways!)

"Your editorial could use the hand of an
editor."

Aw, come on, it's nothing a few choice H.P.
Lovecraft quotes couldn't fix.