the corner office

I was doing some more reading on the whole Ultima Online meets real world thing, and I was reminded of something I hadn't really considered: what Julian Dibbell does, is ethically questionable. The whole point of the online game is to earn money inside the game, and use that money to buy goodies in the fantasy world. By moving the economics to the real world, people are cheating by circumventing the hard work aspect of the game, and getting the goodies in that world by spending money from this world

Well, I did say it fascinates me that the good and bad bits of human nature are present. I'm not sure how I feel about this 'cheating' - how would I feel if I devoted hours and hours of real-world time to the game, trying to build up the funds to buy a nice pozzie next door to a home that some lazy, spoiled adolescent bought on eBay?

On the flip side, my thoughts run to two things: no matter how unsportsmanlike it may be, it's inevitable. Railing against it helps nobody, so perhaps this 'immorality' has to be tolerated and confronted, and perhaps accepted, irrespective of the ethics. Or not? Secondly, is it always purely a 'bad' thing? Who says that the Ultima Online world can't mingle with this world? Why can't a dedicated player lay down $750 of his own hard-earned cash for some real estate in the game? Sure, from a game-only perspective it's cheating because it wasn't 'earned', but on the other hand, this bloke spends his real-world money and time to buy and kit out a home, even if it's a virtual one. Is the 'home improvement' any less valid because it's virtual, as opposed to real bricks, plaster and paint? While it might seem a little odd, should a person be begrudged for deciding to spend real-world currency on virtual-world satisfaction, if nobody else is harmed?

The reason why I think it might be different is that these MMOGs are more than just burn & plunder, objective-based games in limited worlds that provide only a semblance of individuality and freedom. They're whole worlds, alternate realities, and sufficiently detailed and broad that a person could be said to 'live' in them, not just go a-hunting now and then. Much like real life, what business is it of yours if your neighbour has cooler stuff than you, unless he nicked it from you?

I'm not sure. It gets a bit messy. I'm still intrigued though.