"China Bans Gold Farming"

[AmAvocet]

An article at MMORPG.com reports that China has outlawed the use of virtual currency for the purchase of real goods, and this apparently extends to cover gold farming.  Maybe now we will actually see a reduction in spam from these vermin.

[Leon]

hehe, seeing is believing, but here's some fingers crossed that it does create some inmpact.

[Brasse]

Current wisdom is that if there IS any reduction in Chinese gold farming, the void will be filled by similar companies in Eastern Europe. In fact, that is where almost all of the spammers on these forums come from. Ukraine, Poland, Czekoslovakia, Russia, Belarus.

Where there is a will for people to BUY, there will be vendors.
Simple law of economics.
;-)#

[Quinatan]

worce case senario it raises the price a little but supply/demand remain stable.  Best case, it raises the price a little and gold buyers get cranky over it and refuse to buy gold in protest.   I don't particularly like gold buying/selling but at this point its just part of the game and I don't see any reasonable way of getting rid of it.

[Merrieman]

LOL.  They might as well ban tea or WoW in China for all the luck they would have with that.  It will be interesting to see if the Free to play w/store  model spreads.  Turbine is making DDO free to play with a online store to get your premium items. 

Merrieman

[Erebethor]

Brasse is right demand equals supply. I reckon the only thing to do is for the gaming companies to sell virtual currency themselves, thus undercutting the spammers. Oh, and make it clear that any gamer caught using these services, or power-levelling, or anything along that kind, will be banned. On a slightly related note, Microoft are now threatening to remove the Gamer Score points and achievements, etc. of any gamer caught using cheats. The will also have a tag tacked onto them to reveal them as cheaters to fellow gamers. Lag switch users, beware!