Real Player to Player Cash Transactions

I heard in one of your most recent Live Chats about how you currently intend to charge X amount for player housing. Which I would assume would also include things like player run shops etc. If you are going to do this you might consider that some people are always going to sell in game items for cash. It would probably be in everyone?s best interest to have a way to sell goods for cash within the framework of your game.

People who own shops could have items up for sale in their shop at a Gold Price and also have it listed for a Real World Value. Like 2000 Gold for a Suit of armor or $5 Dollars and of course the ?Game? could tax that amount in addition to what say paypal would charge for said transaction.

If you put it in place from the start there will be less of these websites trying to scam people to use their service to buy and sell items. Instead you will have a source of income that would otherwise be a kind of black market only. You know people will pay for digital items, I?m not saying have loads of micro transactions for items from your company; however between players is a whole other matter and might as well be allowed. If you don?t put your own mechanism in place for this someone else will. It would be better for your company to facilitate it in a legal way and gain profit from it rather than it devolve into a number of shady websites.

It would potentially also encourage others, to rent those more expensive pieces of real estate to sell their goods from as well. You could also have the deeds of such locations sold for real currency, and take your percentage from that as well. I?ve heard stories in the past of people paying upwards of $5000 Dollars for things in various video games. You might as well setup a system that could facilitate it, since it will be there anyways.

 

The problem becomes legality. Taxes etc. The moment they start acting as a bank or agent in game with real world cash they become liable.
I can imagine countless scenarios where many less reputable people would start playing the game for the sole purpose of making a real world income by scamming, hacking, cheating. Personally I would like to see cash kept out of the whole thing. Playing a game like this should be about your own sweat and tears. That is the fun in it. If you can just pay cash to get God Armour then the point of the game quickly lost. I am sure people are setting up Bitcoin shops as we speak to start trading in Shroud gold and that can not be stopped. But I would personally like to see real world cash transactions discouraged as much as possible.

 

@Shadoweaver I know what you mean, I just think if it can be properly done it would benefit their monetary income and ours. I don't doubt there are problems etc but its one possible avenue to undertake to keep the game etc funded.

If it can be done right and lawfully its better than people getting scammed or intermediaries getting a percentage.

 

Oh, I hope Portalarium stay away from monetizing the game in this way. Especially, I hope they don't implement any sort of system whereby third-party external vendors can sell stuff (keys, coins, game codes) for use in SotA. Just...ugh.

 

@UltimaCodex

Third party vendors will always sell stuff whether it is supported or legal. Sites have for years sold WoW Characters, Gold, and other items. If the game is popular there will always be someone there to provide a way to sell or buy for cash.

 

And that'd be one of the aspects of online games I hate, and one of the reasons I so rarely dabble in them.

 

If the game is going to charge real world money (taxes) on your shop I don't see why the shop-keeper shouldn't have a method of making real world money in game to pay it. But I can definitely see the hassle and liability of why they wouldn't. Now if taxes and land and homes are all in-game currency that would of course invalidate my argument.

 

@Falreth

My thoughts exactly.

 

I understand how many feel about paying cash for digital items as a short cut to power, but what about selling a village, town or city lot for cash? The price on these is expected to go up and in previous Ultima games, property was being sold on Ebay.

 

How reliable is the information on that the housing tax will be charged as real world money? Did they give any hint on that one?

I mean..what? I dont even..

 

I think it's pretty safe to say that will NEVER happen. If there's going to be a subscription that's one thing. Charging real money for in-game property rent? Epic fail and any developer with half a brain knows it. This isn't EA after all.

 

Lord British talked about Cash for Renting Properties, maybe a monthly fee some of them like 25 cents others more. Obviously though they are going to have some sort of micro transactions to keep the game funded etc.

I think if they follow some of what I have stated in this discussion it might work out better, and to their mutual advantage. Taking a cut of any player to player Cash transactions through PayPal or something similar. I only say this because it is just inevitable that there will be such transactions. Think how expensive some of those digital properties and items have sold for in previous games.

 

EVE Online has a three part system. 30 days game time can be purchased with real world currency, which becomes an in-game certificate that can be sold on the in-game market for in-game currency. As they are true in-game items they can be transported, and as such can be taken from you, usually by some pirate squad.

 

@Mugly

I remember a roommate once telling me of one of their Capital Ships in EVE being sold for $10,000 Dollars.

 

This is a real dilemma for role-playing purists. It intrudes real economic classes into what's supposed to be a different world. In this world, why should the guy who scrapes together $10 to pledge for the game be at a continuing disadvantage to those with daddy's limitless credit card? Besides from a role-playing perspective it's more fun to play with those who invest the time it takes to develop a character purely through the game mechanics. That's why I'm also against game-mechanic real transactions.

I know there's no easy answer. Maybe you can't escape real as much as we think we can sometimes. I hope all these smart developers and programmers brainstorm ideas. Can't anything done to at least try to limit it?