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Sunday, December 19, 2004

Money for Nothing but the Rent Ain't Free...
All right folk, I need help with a reality check, because either life has gotten outstandingly weird or I'm woefully out of touch with the fringes. (And we all know that's not possible) Here's part of the story from the BBC:

"A 22-year-old gamer has spent $26,500 (£13,700) on an island that exists only in a computer role-playing game (RPG). The Australian gamer, known only by his gaming moniker Deathifier, bought the island in an online auction. The land exists within the game Project Entropia, an RPG which allows thousands of players to interact with each other."

There's more to it, a lot more, that attempts to explain why this is a good deal. I was sitting here totally dumbfounded as I read it because it makes no sense to me. That was Friday. I went back and read the story again to the same conclusion. If anyone would like to mosey over, read the story, and then try to explain to me why this gentleman should not be kept under observation for his own protection, I'd appreciate it.
# Permalink Posted at 10:09 AM 10 comments Email this Link

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?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

# posted by JD 12:37 PM

Yeah, that's just about the way I felt...

# posted by Bill 12:49 PM

Even if ther is an existing market that allows him to sell peices of the land while recooping his money and profitting, this has to be the riskiest investment I've ever seen. He's betting the equivalent of a brand new japanese minivan that the game won't lose popularity and that the company will keep the game active. These are the kind of investments that a couple people clean up on and then the masses catch wind of it, try the same thing, swamp the market, and have their @sses handed to them.

# posted by Tom 3:07 PM

I recently started plaing Project Entropia, and after seeing "life" in that game, I could see him potentially making a profit in the long run, though probably a very small one.

However, there is no way I would have taken that risk... I joined the game because there is no monthly charge, and a lot of other people I've met online joined for the same reason. He'll just have to hope there are enough of the people who spent thousands of dollars on Ultima Online castles and EQ characters playing Project Entropia... if those people have any money left now.

# posted by ChinaOwensFam 3:33 PM

hmmmm.....i should have bought that Paradise Club in Vice City.

# posted by Anonymous 6:41 AM

There is two pieces of info that are critical to understanding why anyone would do this. One, the land can be developed: chopped up into lots and have buildings constructed on them. Two, like PayPal, money in the game can be transferred in and out of US bank accounts for US Dollars.

This is clearly a business venture. This guy wants to develope the property and sell it for a profit. The catch is, it's not tangible. Tell me how this is any different than software development?

# posted by Dean 8:52 AM

How is it different than software?

Software is usable.

Do people really think this way? Is this something that a real, sane, and healthy person would actually think?

Do people understand that if it is truly a business venture, $26K can go a long way towards making more money? It seems to me that it's an excuse for him to justify an extravagant purchase that is important to him. Same reason why you see kids driving Honda's with neon and big wings: peer respect.

From an outside point of view, however, they're all dumbasses.

# posted by Anonymous 11:58 AM

Right! When you're tired of this game, play PaultopiaWorld! The game where you can give me insane amounts of money for a moral return only, at the collapse of human civilization!

Hey, bandwagon...

# posted by Paul Gowder 5:06 PM

1) Alot of these 'marquee' amounts are publicity stunts. Amounts that Centerfold models, boxers, and others get is often far less than what you read in the press. I am also doubt that amounts bid for crazy stuff on eBay result in actual transactions. I would like to see proof that an 'arms length' irreversible transaction actually occured.

2) What is interesting is that it is claimed that there was an auction which means that there was another bid for $26,499, which was bested. So, if the auction was legit, there were atleast two lunatics.

3) I read there was some dude that made money buying characters and selling them and their junk on eBay.

# posted by georgef 8:12 PM

So, this is just another version of "MONOPOLY". If people are foolish enough to spend real money in hope of coercing another fool to part with his money, they all deserve what they get... or DON'T get... or give away.

# posted by Anonymous 3:05 PM

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