Wage Slave article from 1up |
Wage Slave article from 1up |
 Jul 7 2005, 08:13 PM
Post
#1
|
|||
 Apocalypse Tribe Radio  Group: Dark Templar Posts: 1824 Joined: 10-December 02 Member No.: 1  |
This phenomenon is so prevalent now that everyone shrugs it off as just another occurance in any given game. If you think about it, it's really something you would read in a cyberpunk story. What's next? |
||
 |
 
|
||
 |
|
Jul 8 2005, 04:08 PM
Post
#2
|
|||
 Badass Billionaire Extraordanaire Group: Paragon Caste Posts: 969 Joined: 13-December 02 From: NYC Member No.: 4 |
This point is exactly why game developers/publishers DON'T capitalize fully on this virtual economy. The hardcore mmorpg fanatic at home get's all pissy that people should earn their character and not buy it, even though if I have a good paying job and I have less time to play, my time spent working equates to cash; my time spent level grinding away at some game can equate to cash. It's just a matter of converting my real hard earned cash into a MMORPG character. Essentially, in both cases we can see that time is being spent. If it's "daddy's CC," it is still his time-to-money-ratio that is being spent. If you look at it logically, time is being spent either way. It's just a matter of what we do with that time. Time = 1337 RPG character Time = Money = 1337 RPG character It's the same thing really, you just have less experience with your character... Gamers aren't going to look at it that way, though. They tend to lose track of the game being their for your enjoyment, not for profit. The link between the virtual economy and the real economy blurs and people lose sight of why they are playing. So, I really say to keep it in the game and not let the virtual economy became a real economy, but if that isn't possible to enforce, cut the farming bastards at the source and capitalize on your own product to its fulliest. As a developer, you don't need to farm anything, you can do whatever the heck you want, since it's your game. I still feel its unethical for a game developer to take their virtual economy and fully capitalize on it as a real economy, since they aren't just technically capitalizing on human nature and the inherit desire to grow as an individual, but also on vicarious desires. I say this because we have to look at the synergistic effects self developement has when compared to something that is merely vicarious. It's easier to grow a game character then your own self. Thus, we are vicariously addicted to level building because we mesh having fun in the game with seeing a vast improvement in our fictional avatar over our own corporal bodies, which takes a lot of time, effort, and perseverance. People become easily discouraged when given a task that is too hard. Improving our ownselves and our own life is like that. Life ain't easy, but gaining uber levels in a mmorpg is a lot easier then the years upon years it would take to master those same skills (ie cooking, blacksmithing, sword fighting etc...). Combining this with the fantasy, fiction, social community, and you've got something that preys off of those who need a vicarious escape from not only one's self, but that which is around them. Mind you I'm not taking into account the generic aspect of "FUN" and "RECREATION," which is why we do play, but I'd be lying to myself if I said some of these said aspects stated in the above paragraph didn't play a huge or minute role in the addictiveness of any rpg. This doesn't apply to everyone in it's fulliest, and not every aspect above applies to every individual, but there is no doubt that some people play mmorpgs in a vicarious manner, living out their fantasies and strengthening their inadequacies via their fictional avatar. People do this in the real world, so it's no different in the virtual world. There isn't really anything wrong with this and I want to stress that this is seperate from the aspect of human nature, growth, and it's relationship to stat building in a mmorpg. The above ideas are my own, so I seriously don't expect people to agree with it 100%. Either way the above ideas are my ownership anyway. Releasing a quality mmorpg product is fine and dandy; why one person plays it from another is their own business. We all enjoy some good fantasy here and there, but I don't feel it's personally right to take the next step and capitalize on people's human nature, unless you have to because others are doing so (ie. sweat shop). As for China's economy, they are supposedly "booming" but words sound nicer on paper. I did a research paper on comparing Western economy and business culture with China's(I probably plan to add case studies and use it for my masters). Granted with them joining the trade union, they've vastly improved their economy, but there is also the draw back that capitalism has on the quality of life for the people in China. Maybe I should instead say that this just goes to show how fucked up China's labor relation is. |
||
|
|
|
||
Dive Wage Slave article from 1up Jul 7 2005, 08:13 PM
DarkEpyon Yeah, it does have that cyberpunk feel to it. Make... Jul 7 2005, 10:03 PM HC82 It all just seems pretty fucked up. It also goes t... Jul 8 2005, 09:33 AM DarkEpyon Origin realized this was a fight they couldn't... Jul 8 2005, 09:50 AM Crushinator Very good read, good to see an actual investigativ... Jul 8 2005, 02:17 PM Crushinator I agree with you, that the time spent earning real... Jul 8 2005, 04:53 PM
Zorya I would never buy gil/gold/credits from any of the... Jul 11 2005, 11:08 AM |
| Lo-Fi Version | Time is now: 17th June 2025 - 12:19 PM |
