Online Worlds
I ran into this very interesting article, which talks about how the imaginary items in popular online games often have monetary value in the real world. The main focus of the discussion is on how that monetary value ought to be taxed. This begs a second question: when can I start paying my taxes in gold pieces, magic weapons, and interstellar credits?
I always thought that these types of online games are called MMORPGs. But in the latest vernacular, they are apparently now known as MMOs. Massively Multiplayer Onlines? Very well, MMO it is.
Some friends and I have recently started playing an interesting new MMO called E.V.E. Online. I have to admit, it's pretty good, although not nearly as addictive as World of Warcraft. It's an outer space adventure, where you develop and build your own ships and organizations in a huge, multi-galaxy environment. We have plans to build our own corporation--Colin will be the CEO. I'm also dreaming of a lucrative late-game career as a space pirate, preying on space miners who fly around with valuable cargo and minimal defenses.
E.V.E.'s graphics are great, but the game departs from the more traditional games in the genre (Warcraft, Everquest, Asheron's Call, etc.) in a few big ways. The most important one (to me) is that it appears to be possible to play effectively in as few as 10-15 minutes a day. That's compared to a minimum 2 hours per day for most MMOs. Of course, you can play those other MMOs for short periods of time too, but then you don't get anywhere. Watching your friends rapidly outclass you because they can find 6 hours a day to play is no fun at all. Or so I've heard.
Another interesting difference between E.V.E. and the other MMOs is that progress in E.V.E. is measured using economics, rather than the aquisition of experience, powers, and magical treasures. The goal is to become rich (very rich), rather than to become the baddest monster-killing machine in the realm. So in that way, E.V.E. might be a little more like real life than most games.
