Yeah, but the view is spectacular
Dig this: A space station inside the online, multiplayer game Project Entropia has just been sold for $100,000. The buyer was Jon Jacobs, a very popular in-game figured known as "Neverdie". Why spend so much on a piece of virtual property? Because it's just like owning the Mall of America -- it's a place to conduct business and make real-world cash. Indeed, Project Entropia currently has 236,000 registered accounts, and the game allows you to use Earth money to buy in-game currency, which makes it spectacular place for any entrepreneur to set up business, really.
From Project Entropia's web site, here's a description of the space station:
Designed as a Pleasure Paradise, the Resort built on an Asteroid is a monumental project aimed at being a primary destination for Entertainment in the known Virtual Universe.
Boasting a 1000 Apartment complex, Commercial Space Ship Docking, Themed Shopping Mall, Mega Stadium for championship sporting events, Nightclub with multiple Dance floors, Live Amphitheater, lounges, and 10 Hunting Biodomes with individual land management facilities which will enable the creative owner to create Rare, Unique and Exotic creatures. Mining and PVP areas are available. In addition the Resort will feature Owner Operated PA System for Streaming Music and Video to biodomes and screens/billboards strategically placed throughout the space resort and for a fee even a Planet side Video Billboard Network located in all major towns and cities can be accessed for marketing.
No teleporter available at the resort, travel to and from the resort only by Space ships.
Gotta love that last detail. As readers of this blog know, I've long been intrigued by in-game economics, and wrote a huge piece about this last year for The Walrus -- it's online here if you want to read it.
(By the way, that picture above is not of the space station -- I couldn't find any images of it online. That's just a random in-game shot.)
(Thanks to Morgan for this one!)
Posted by Clive Thompson at October 25, 2005 02:33 PM
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"Delivery to the new owner will be commence from 21st December 2005, until completion."
Are the T&Cs described in more detail anywhere? Can the space station be stolen, burnt down or otherwise be destroyed or compromised? Is it transferrable? Can it be sub-let? Is it protected from competition? (i.e. Project Entropia don't sell an identical space station next door.)
Posted by: Michael S. at October 25, 2005 6:34 PM
Posted by: Clive at October 25, 2005 6:40 PM
One of the "Readings" in this month's Harper's made me think of you: They excerpted some of James Lee's article from the July Computer Gaming Monthly, in which he interviews "managers and employees of computer game 'farms' in Romania, China, and Indonesia, where workers are hired, some for as little as $0.56/hour, to compete in online RPGs. The games reward players with 'gold' and other virtual goods, which can be illegally copied, or 'duped,' and sold to other players for hard currency. The annual market in such accessories is an estimated $500 million." In that context, 100G is a drop in the bucket, innit? :)
Posted by: Maryse at October 26, 2005 5:00 PM
Yes indeed! Online economies are crazy huge. There are about 3 or 4 million people playing Lineage in South Korea alone ...
Posted by: Clive at October 27, 2005 4:48 PM
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"Delivery to the new owner will be commence from 21st December 2005, until completion."
Are the T&Cs described in more detail anywhere? Can the space station be stolen, burnt down or otherwise be destroyed or compromised? Is it transferrable? Can it be sub-let? Is it protected from competition? (i.e. Project Entropia don't sell an identical space station next door.)
Posted by: Michael S.![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.collisiondetection.net/nav-commenters.gif)
at October 25, 2005 6:34 PM
Great questions! I have no idea, but this is sort of stuff the legal brainiacs over at Terra Nova love to chew over. I'd advise checking into their ongoing thread on this space-station thing.
Posted by: Clive![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.collisiondetection.net/nav-commenters.gif)
at October 25, 2005 6:40 PM
One of the "Readings" in this month's Harper's made me think of you: They excerpted some of James Lee's article from the July Computer Gaming Monthly, in which he interviews "managers and employees of computer game 'farms' in Romania, China, and Indonesia, where workers are hired, some for as little as $0.56/hour, to compete in online RPGs. The games reward players with 'gold' and other virtual goods, which can be illegally copied, or 'duped,' and sold to other players for hard currency. The annual market in such accessories is an estimated $500 million." In that context, 100G is a drop in the bucket, innit? :)
Posted by: Maryse![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.collisiondetection.net/nav-commenters.gif)
at October 26, 2005 5:00 PM
Yes indeed! Online economies are crazy huge. There are about 3 or 4 million people playing Lineage in South Korea alone ...
Posted by: Clive![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.collisiondetection.net/nav-commenters.gif)
at October 27, 2005 4:48 PM