Yes, it’s true, my blog started the new year being attacked by spam bots. They really seem to love my site and even want me to buy furniture in their curious little URLs they leave lying around. Some are obvious, some are sneaky, but do they really think they are getting away with it?
But wait, what are they good for? Well for me, they were like an annoying alarm that keeps going off while you are having one of those amazing dreams of wonderful things. So now I’m awake, it’s a new year and I have decided to try and write something each and every day! Hmm wait, is that a good thing? Well maybe for me and besides it gives them a chance to spam more of my comments, because these bots need something to do.
So onto the first topic of the year: Gold spamming/farming/selling/buying.
We’ve all been in our favorite MMO game and someone randomly whispers gently in your virtual ear: “100 gold for $14.95 we have fast delivery! Go to http://weallhateyou.com” and within 2 seconds it takes you to respond (or type out their name) they have poofed into the nethers of the virtual gold world.
For me (as I am a self declared old school gamer) these gold sellers annoy me to no end. Just the very idea that they are using a game that I pay to play to make money from is just wrong. I pay for a service, not for an advertisement. But the problem is much more than an old school gamer girl it is the need to succeed in these games.
The equation goes something like this in the majority of online games: Currency = phat loot = better player = i r teh ubah
Back in the day the excuse for buying gold was simply because real life stood in the way of raiding until 5 am for a chance at that helmet you’ve wanted for 2 years. You have a full time job, you have the extra in your bank account but you just don’t have the time to play and acquire these awesome things you need. Face it, not everyone is in college where if you miss your 8:30am class it isn’t the biggest deal in the world, so you can sleep in and raid all night if needed. Logically, this makes sense I suppose, especially with the need to “win” when playing games and from that angle I can’t argue with it, but I don’t like it.
Of course then it’s the gaming company perspective, everyone pays for their service (AKA online game) and these gold sellers are selling a virtual currency from a game for real currency. Oh how I can rant about how these companies go about farming all these precious virtual money, but there are still many days in this year to go and I’ll save that for another time. Profiting from something that technically only the gaming company owns (even virtually) is quite the quandary. It takes millions of dollars to create and maintain a triple A MMO, why should anyone else but the gaming company reap the benefits of what they created?
Going even further, what about ruining the economy of a game where gold is in such a high supply it means nothing anymore and you’ve got higher level players giving the shiny gold away in the n00bie towns?
What about the cost of a team to investigate if someone is gold selling or not and their time and energy could be used elsewhere helping players who happen to be forever stuck in a wall? Or the cost of implementing the tools so that things can be investigated specifically for the selling of said gold?
While I do feel for the people who just don’t have the time to put into the games but want to be the cool guy in the fancy armor in the middle of town at the same time, these gold spammers have no pity on the rest of us and will spam us with their bots, their gold sales and currency crapola.
I think it’s sad that the need to succeed or pwn everyone has created this pickle we are in.
I also blame that it is almost impossible to legally prosecute any of these companies because they are in a place far, far away and the cost would be outrageous if it ever got anywhere. Perhaps one day the internet laws will apply to everyone, but I seriously doubt it!
Oh, happy new year to everyone, now go out and earn your gold. :)
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