I admit, it sounds silly, but its valid, and its why you can now get money for any online game anywhere, because it is a legal service. I agree that it is messed up, but as theres nothing wrong with earning online money, theres also nothing wrong with paying someone else to earn the money for you.
The main reason most companies are so opposed to selling online money is, it gives online money a RL value, which means it has to be taxed as income, and new wealth, and it totally screw up a zillion legal issues.
Virtual property in MMORPGs is worth millions upon millions of dollars, and the value is ever increasing. In the not so near future, it may become legislated, because of the staggering worth of a bunch of zeroes and ones.
Here’s a link to an interesting article discussing how the virtual items in Everquest were worth more than the country of India…and this was in 2001.
http://www.walrusmagazine.com/04/05/06/1929205.shtml
Time is money!
Shit, more than India? Damn.
Well, I plan to get into FFXI. I’m moving this weekend, and my new apartment will have cable by this thursday.
however, I already have IRL friends who play, so I already have a server to go over to. If any of you are in it, we could meet up.