I have read here many times in the past and currently in the present that gold farmers are equal in moral putrism as drug dealers, criminals, or even evil characters such as murderers or dictators.

Should the business of farming gold in online video games with the intent of selling for real life cash, be an actual law punishable by government?

Ignore the fact it will never happen, governments wouldn't enforce it, etc. The hypothetical is that if it were a law, it would be fully enforced and people would be thrown in jail as well as businesses shut down. The law would indicate that only the company who owns the game or approves of a business can legally sell gold. Any other person who tries to sell in-game gold for real life cash is punishable by the law.

This is not about slave labor.

This is not about how the businesses get gold.

This is not about prisoners farming WoW gold.

This is ONLY about the process of selling Gold for Currency. It is irrelevant how it is obtained. However, you may vote yes based on a desire to eliminate the above immoral practices. The topic is still making the selling of gold for real life currency illegal; it would not change the laws on business practices, hacking, or cheap labor.

Would you support this as law?

Really?

Hey man, step outside, read a book, get some perspective.

Remember, don't believe everything you read. Seriously... remember that.

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Originally posted by Aerowyn
you are making money off of someone else's product illegally.. don't see it any differn't than people who rip movies or games and sell pirated copies and that's a felony... 

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With that sort of rationale you would see it fit to charge the gold buyers with a felony too for facilitation of a Black Market, like busting the john and the prostitute as well?

Sounds like a well thought out idea...

Originally posted by Purutzil
Its illegal in the same way downloading music off artists is illegal. The issue comes at where the line is drawn as this can be taken to far and rights can be taken away if its handled poorly. I can't really see it being defined as a complete 'felony' though at the same time I do see issues taking it as a simple misdemeanor. Simply put, gold farmers are harming the games they take part on. In some ways you can consider it sabatage which is a real serious thing in business.

Sabotage? the games make money off the gold farmer's unless its F2P, it's not the company that suffers but the players and even then it barely effects us but more so the in game economy.

Originally posted by strangepower

Really?

Hey man, step outside, read a book, get some perspective.

Remember, don't believe everything you read. Seriously... remember that.

^ These are wise words, time for an intervention I think.

Originally posted by abyss404
While only 5 people have voted so far... I'm still a little concerned that people actually think this is something that should be made illegal. Do you really want MORE government control in your lives? Especially over something so incredibly petty.

yes, when it controls things the way I want it, control is perfectly fine.

Is only when we collide in interests that freedom matters.

Originally posted by strangepower

 

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Originally posted by Aerowyn
you are making money off of someone else's product illegally.. don't see it any differn't than people who rip movies or games and sell pirated copies and that's a felony... 

---

 

With that sort of rationale you would see it fit to charge the gold buyers with a felony too for facilitation of a Black Market, like busting the john and the prostitute as well?

Sounds like a well thought out idea...

yes same as it's illegal to buy pirated copies of video games.. usually the punishment is worse for the supplier than the buyer as with most things

if someone has a company with gold/credit farming and sell the gold/credits for real money and pay taxes, is legal

can't say that for the people that download games and movies from torrents without a dime in taxes

hgahahahahahah!

yes... because the girl that got raped, the child that got molested, the bystander that got stabbed, the husband that got run over....should all wait in line while the courts deliberate on Joe Blow for farming make believe gold in an online game....

.....please just delete this thread.

Remember when people were saying "The reason why Anet is selling gold is to put the farmers out of business"?

I think selling in-game currency for real money should be illegal. 

Originally posted by Aerowyn
you are making money off of someone else's product illegally.. don't see it any differn't than people who rip movies or games and sell pirated copies and that's a felony... 

The thing is, it's not a question of 'if' gold selling is illegal. It is illegal. The issue comes down to how to prosecute it. When dealing w/ gold sellers (and especially ones that hack), you are nearly always dealing w/ an internation incident. Issues with Intellectual Property, especially digital IP, are typically handled very poorly internationally.

Different countries have different laws around these issues, and they also prioritize them much differently. Western companies tend to persue these issues much more aggressively, because a lot of our money in the west comes from our inovations. Eastern companies are typically not as aggressive about it.

Anet & Blizzard aren't even the only major companies to have to deal w/ issues like blatant EULA breaks. Companies like Google & Apple have also had their share of trouble in dealing w/ IP issues overseas as well. Gold selling has always been illegal, but it's up to the countries who are harboring these criminals to each handle them on their own. It's also a question of how much pressure MMO companies can put on these countries to prosecute & crack down on gold sellers. For some countries it's more effective, but for some of the major offenders (like China) it just doesn't work.

Originally posted by Aerowyn

Originally posted by strangepower

 

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Originally posted by Aerowyn
you are making money off of someone else's product illegally.. don't see it any differn't than people who rip movies or games and sell pirated copies and that's a felony... 

---

 

With that sort of rationale you would see it fit to charge the gold buyers with a felony too for facilitation of a Black Market, like busting the john and the prostitute as well?

Sounds like a well thought out idea...

yes same as it's illegal to buy pirated copies of video games.. usually the punishment is worse for the supplier than the buyer as with most things

I understand what you're saying and I agree with you.  The same people that think gold farming and selling gold is okay are probably the people that think ripping CDs or movies and selling them is okay.  Intellectual copyright laws mean nothing to these people, but they do to me and I agree with what you've said.

Will this mean that selling gold / items / lockboxes by game developers will also be forbidden?

Originally posted by Jakdstripper

hgahahahahahah!

 

yes... because the girl that got raped, the child that got molested, the bystander that got stabbed, the husband that got run over....should all wait in line while the courts deliberate on Joe Blow for farming make believe gold in an online game....

 

.....please just delete this thread.

heh obviously it wouldn't be enforced as such but classifying something as a felony does put a damper on what people are willing to do. 

Originally posted by fenistil

Will this mean that selling gold / items / lockboxes by game developers will also be forbidden?

 

It should be. 

edit - Well it was until a couple months ago...

Originally posted by fenistil

Will this mean that selling gold / items / lockboxes by game developers will also be forbidden?

 

would be nice...but technically it's their product, they are protecte by license to do as they please.

Originally posted by fenistil

Will this mean that selling gold / items / lockboxes by game developers will also be forbidden?

 

why would it be? it's their product they made it they can sell it how they want..