Something big just happened in the world of virtual online gaming, but in order to get across just how big it was, I’ve got to give you a bit of background.
Most likely you’ve heard of online MMOGs (Massively Multiplayer Online Games) such as World of Warcraft and Second Life. The former is a fantasy quest game and the latter is a build-your-own-world-and-socialize kind of gaming experience. Well, there’s a Swedish-created MMOG called Entropia Universe that sorta combines the two concepts.
In this digital sci-fi future universe you create your own little colonist and set off for a nearby planet to tame the unknown—which can mean undertaking dangerous quests or jumping into some kind of money-making trade. The bottom line, however, is that this gaming cosmos lets you trade real-world money for in-game coin to buy and sell the stuff you need. Got that? Everything you own in this make-believe place can be considered to have a real value.
Well, it was just announced that one Jon Jacobs recently sold a bunch of his in-game stuff for a whopping $335,000. You read that right. For that low, low price, the buyer snatched up a number of bio domes, a mall, a stadium and a club.
Now, I understand that we live in a brave new world of computer-based virtuality. But spending hundreds of thousands of dollars for something that you can’t touch—invisible things that amount to a bunch of zeroes and ones on a data stream—that concept still boggles my brain. Of course, I guess that just points out how old school and behind the times I am.
Oh, by the way. I’ve got this virtual bridge in Brooklyn to sell ya.
Great price, too.
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