Poster: Valimar at 5/3/2006 1:39:44 PM PDT
Subject: Game Economics Discussion |
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Hysteria about farmers: it's usually made by people that have a very skewed/mistaken sense of economics.
Farmers reduce scarcity of items and thus lower the prices. For every item people scream about as being over priced, there will be a 100 others that are available and cheap.
Moreso, an item that is "truly" over priced will never be sold.
Labels can be very convenient, but often misleading. If you look at your own activities in the game, you will notice that very many of the things you do could be described as "farming".
Yes, people do purchase gold on the web. And yes, people farm "gold" in the game to support that lucrative business.
But the gold is created in the game, it doesn't get teleported into it from outside. It's a somewhat unsportsmanlike action, but hardly merits a gamebreaking title.
Rude people that monopolize popular farming locations can be a nuisance, but crowds are often annoying when they get in your way for whatever reason.
So, I think much ado, has been made...not about nothing, but about all the little annoyances that get lumped under one misleading label.
Like the Red Scare of the 1950's, the Gold Farmer Scare has caused much furor and little benefit. It has only served to distract people from more important things. Beware the popular cause.
Comments?
Account Created: November 24, 2004 1:55 PM PST
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Poster: Tseric at 5/3/2006 2:59:56 PM PDT
Subject: Re: Game Economics Discussion |
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Good conversation.
Of course, the official blue poster is probably going to mention some positive points, so I'll just get right to it.
Soulbinding is, from my perspective, having definite effect on the market and, by association, the gold farming practice. At end-game levels, gold takes on a bit of a different value, as it can't be the sole factor in character development through itemization. Other games might have had a standard currency occupying a more fundamental role, where you could simply buy your way to leet-ness. While the gold standard is still fairly central to the economy, there are enough elements to assist in stabilizing the economy through a regular shedding of items. Some items can't enter the economy at large, due to drop location, soulbinding, etc.
What I see most from my end are two basic grudges with gold sellers/farmers:
The moral standpoint and it's resultant debates. Whether it's right, wrong and who it may affect in general terms and as a population.
The less abstract standpoint of "they are getting in my way and obstructing game play".
In many respects, the latter point is more pertinent and sensitive, as that is the most common method to encounter farmers. I have seen more people incensed because of game play disruption than for any one moral consideration.
Now, I can't say that is solely due to any one element such as soulbinding, but I think it changes the debate, if ever so gradually.
My 2cp[ post edited by Tseric ]
Repo man's got all night, every night!
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Poster: Tseric at 5/3/2006 3:07:04 PM PDT
Subject: Re: Game Economics Discussion |
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Q u o t e:
Why not ban known farmers and buyers? Clearing out DMN a few weeks ago was a good start, but until you start tracing buyers and sellers and DELETING accounts, the issue will not be made better.
We do. It's not a cut and dry matter.
You can't just say, "arrest the kingpin of the drug cartel and we won't have any drugs anymore!". You have to take steps to address the demand for such a thing, which is what really creates the market. Doing so in a game is obviously a little odd, because if you reduce the need for something in game, you disrupt the game. With something so central as currency, how do you create the demand for gold in the player, but not in the farmer?
Repo man's got all night, every night!
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Poster: Tseric at 5/3/2006 3:17:23 PM PDT
Subject: Re: Game Economics Discussion |
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Q u o t e:
Ironically, the "Red Scare of the 1950s" has been proven to have been right on the money. All of the people McCarthy accused have been proven to be Communists by evidence uncovered recently since the fall of the Soviet Union. Thus, your analogy fails.
On topic: who cares. Its a game.
You sure you're in the right thread?
edit - Let me elaborate. My analogy dealt with economics in the sense that, if the kingpin was removed another takes its place. Why? Because of the huge potential for profit.
My analogy is quite apt. Your's is about something totally unrelated.[ post edited by Tseric ]
Repo man's got all night, every night!
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Poster: Tseric at 5/3/2006 3:48:33 PM PDT
Subject: Re: Game Economics Discussion |
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Q u o t e:
He is referring to the OP's original comments, which likened the "Gold Scare" to the "Red Scare."
Gotcha. I missed that. Analogies are serious business.
Repo man's got all night, every night!
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| | http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.aspx?fn=wow-general&t=8144007&p=#post8145889 |
Poster: Tseric at 5/3/2006 3:17:23 PM PDT
Subject: Re: Game Economics Discussion *edited post* |
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Q u o t e:
Ironically, the "Red Scare of the 1950s" has been proven to have been right on the money. All of the people McCarthy accused have been proven to be Communists by evidence uncovered recently since the fall of the Soviet Union. Thus, your analogy fails.
On topic: who cares. Its a game.
You sure you're in the right thread?
edit - Let me elaborate. My analogy dealt with economics in the sense that, if the kingpin was removed another takes its place. Why? Because of the huge potential for profit.
My analogy is quite apt. Your's is about something totally unrelated.[ post edited by Tseric ]
Repo man's got all night, every night!
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| | http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.aspx?fn=wow-general&t=8144007&p=#post8145449 |
Poster: Tseric at 5/3/2006 3:48:33 PM PDT
Subject: Re: Game Economics Discussion *edited post* |
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Q u o t e:
He is referring to the OP's original comments, which likened the "Gold Scare" to the "Red Scare."
Gotcha. I missed that. Analogies are serious business.
Repo man's got all night, every night!
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| | http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.aspx?fn=wow-general&t=8144007&p=#post8145889 |
