virtual-property
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Entropia Universe players buy the moon
How would you like to own the moon? In the real world, it's not really possible. In Entropia Universe it's quite possible and has in fact already happened. A group of players purchased a moon for $150,000 as part of the game's 10-year anniversary celebration. But it's not just a super-expensive piece of property, it's a chance for the owners to make something unique and long-term in the game world. MindArk, the company behind Entropia Universe, offered the moon as a chance for players to shape something freely while sharing profits earned from the new location. That means that the investors have essentially licensed out a part of the game for their own development and customization even as it remains a part of the overall gameworld. The moon is expected to be fully added to the game in Q2 or Q3 of this year. If you're curious about the specifics in the community, you can check out the full rundown on the official site.
Academic talks MMO legalese and virtual property rights
Virtual item ownership has been a hot topic in MMO circles for a number of years now. Every so often, an academic will publish a paper regarding the legal and societal implications of trading real currency for fake goods, and the latest such academic is Rutgers University law professor Greg Lastowka. Lastowka examines a number of high-profile virtual goods disputes (including one that ended with the real-world stabbing death of a virtual thief who sold a rare sword after "borrowing" it from a friend). The piece also provides some interesting food for thought in the form of nightmare legal scenarios run amok (nerf patch lawsuits and legal action for server shutdowns are just two examples). You can read the full article text at Gamasutra.
Virtual asteroid in a virtual universe sells for a frighteningly real $635,000 (video)
We're pretty sure there are better ways to spend your cash than virtual real estate in the Entropia Universe MMORPG. Then again, we didn't spend $100,000 on a virtual asteroid -- John "NeverDie" Jacobs did, in 2005. And here we are, some five years later, only to learn that he flipped the thing for a staggering $635K -- enough to pay the salaries of roughly a dozen American high school teachers for a year. Apparently, both purchases have earned places in the Guinness Book of World Records for something like "most expensive virtual item," but our favorite part of this post was finding a video for Mr. Die's tune "My Girl's A Gamer Chick." Check it out after the break.
Entropia's Club NEVERDIE sets new record for most expensive virtual item sale
If you're a frequenter of Entropia Universe, chances are you've heard of Club NEVERDIE, the virtual night spot purchased by John "NeverDie" Jacobs in 2005 for the tidy sum of US $100,000. The club, located on a giant asteroid orbiting the planet Calypso, was history's most expensive virtual item for a number of years until it was surpassed by the purchase of the Crystal Palace Space Station in 2009 (a US $330,000 sale). Now, an Entropia Universe fansite is reporting that the remaining portions of Club NEVERDIE have been sold to a gamer named John Foma Kalun in a transaction valued at US $335,000. Jacobs had previously sold zones of the asteroid, known as Biodomes in game terms, for US $300,000. Read all about it at EntropiaPlanets.com. [Thanks to Peter for the tip.]
Minnesota gamer calls cops after virtual theft, cops shrug
What do you do when you find out your MMO account has been looted and pillaged of all its other-worldly goods? Many of us would make a quick phone call to a friendly CSR to see what they could do about things, but not one Minnesota gamer named Geoff Luurs, who woke up one morning to find his Final Fantasy XI character had been stripped of four years' worth of gear and gil. Suspecting a friend (man, they really use that term loosely in Minnesota) of having committed the theft, Luurs turned to the local police for help. Unfortunately, given the way virtual property is treated in the U.S., there wasn't much they could do besides shrug and give him in their number in case anything tangible turned up missing.Of course, the point left unemphasized in the original story is that Luurs willingly forked over his account details to this "friend," basically bringing the hurt on himself. He cites "loss of trust" as the largest personal fallout of this episode, which isn't surprising considering he was tossing around his password all mamby-pamby on the 'net. We don't agree with the lack of legal consideration for virtual property either, but we also know our responsibility as gamers in this crazy mixed up online world of ours.[Via Eurogamer]
