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is it so impossible to state "for EQ, IGE states 1million USD were exchanged for 2million platinum" and not be correct based upon IGE's numbers? *note: just for ,y own safety, those figures i used were made up.
... if that is what he said I would tke his word for it. What he said was that the in game exchange of gold for services is a 20 billion dollar market. This is not the same thing as saying IGE sells this much gold, site 2 sells this much and site 3 sells this much so it all adds to 20 billion. Unless I am mistaken he is talking about every transaction that takes place in all mmo's.
Lets pretend he was talking about the total amount of all the plat all the known sites were selling. Again which exchange rate is he using? IS eq plat equal to WoW gold or silve or what? also what is the rate of exchange between ff gils and eq plat and wow gold etc etc. The very premise is just plain flawed. Not to mention you still have not converted it into rl cash.
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is something purchased in game, really a service? furthermore, is it possible in the future, in-game currency would be seen as foriegn currency, and thus, subject to whatever laws govern such thing?
... always like a devils advocate it keeps u in perspective. IS it a service yes it is just as much as tipping or anything else. People pay consultants huge salaries and fees isnt that the same? I dont even see the difference between buying an intangible product and a tangible one. The currenncy exchange stays the same. IF I buy shoes from china or plat from a guy in china running a website the currency exchange is still the same.
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is it so impossible to state "for EQ, IGE states 1million USD were exchanged for 2million platinum" and not be correct based upon IGE's numbers? *note: just for ,y own safety, those figures i used were made up.
.. Yes he can definately add up there sales but this is the 100 million dollar number he mentioned earlier. The 20 billion dollar number is total folly and has no basis in reality.
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regulation: i think the implied is outside regulation from whoever makes the game. rather like if the situation were in SOE and folks started petitioning SOE to do something.
.. if the people who make the game regulate it that is by definition inside regulation. In your example why would SOE petition itself? But if it did again that is inside regulation.