Yay bag, questionable RP, interesting Blizz.

[thistlechaser]

I finally, finally, finally found a good bag for my iPad. If you'll recall, I spent way too much money on assorted bags after I got it, but none of them were right and I ended up lugging it around in a backpack. I've only had it a day, but this bag seems perfect. It's as tall and long as an iPad, just wider, which is exactly what I wanted (if you look at the additional views on the image at that link, you'll see the pad in the bag). There's a safe, secure place for the iPad, plus room for extra things, like a notebook, wallet, camera, all that good stuff.

While wandering Silvermoon, I saw something that I have never seen there before. Oh, rapes happen all the time in SMC, but I've never before encountered girl-on-girl rape. Thistle didn't ICly see it, but I was in hearing range of the posts (yes, this was all out loud on public channels, /say and /emote). Alliance attacked in the middle of things, and while I'd usually just let them do what they like, for some reason today I felt like getting involved, so I rode off to defend the city. By the time I was done and back in the Row, things were wrapping up between the two. To their credit, at least they didn't end with cuddling and words of love, as so often happens with WoW IC rapes... (Edit: On checking the log, I see it did in fact end with cuddling/words of love. Blah.)


And the last thing is the really interesting thing that Blizzard is doing: Official RMT. (Real Money Trading, pay RL money for in-game money.) At the moment, they're going about it indirectly: buy an in-game pet for $10 and you can sell it on the in game auction house for in game money. However, this is just one step in things. (This post started out with the title 'how to boil a frog' and I was going to use that folklore example about boiling frogs, then I realized how disturbing that was, even as just an example.) The point of that folklore tale is that people accept things in small steps. In-game pets with a RL plushie for RL money. Only in in-game pet for RL money. Now an in-game pet that you can sell, bought with RL money.

I'm not in any way, shape, or form saying this is a bad thing. Blizzard is a company. Though this idea boggles most official forum users, Blizzard's goal is to make money. This step, as well as the eventual direct offering gold for RL money, should not surprise people.

I find it very, very interesting. All the gold-making blogs are atwitter about it. I would never ever ever buy one to sell to make in-game money, I would never buy in-game money myself. The very idea boggles me -- it's so easy to make money in game, why would I? Though I know others have a hard time of it, and so the option is there for them.

I do wonder what effect this will have on the economy. I find it really, really interesting. I almost hope they'll start selling gold directly soon, just so I can watch what will happen to the markets.

I was going to wait to post this until Terra Nova ended, but I find that even though I have nothing else to do, I'm paying no attention to it.

Comments

[quistie.livejournal.com]

I don't pretend to pay a lot of attention to Blizzard these days (I used to be a pretty big fan), but I still hope Blizzard does not go down that road.

Of course I understand that Blizzard's goal is to make more money. Just like McDonald's or Wizards of the Coast or Major League Baseball. They are all out to make money. But that doesn't mean I should be reminded of that fact every time I am eating a Chicken McNugget or playing magic or watching baseball. If anything, I want to be reminded how much the corporation in question cares about the product. Especially for a video game, where immersion is supposed to be important.

I am not exactly thrilled with the micro transactions, but at least it's an effort to provide some additional content to the game. But for Blizzard to sell virtual gold for money feels a bit like Blizzard just doesn't care anymore.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

I am not exactly thrilled with the micro transactions, but at least it's an effort to provide some additional content to the game.

Yeah, and (at this point) at least it has no real effect on things. The pet is "useless", it does nothing in game other than stand there and look cute (I find them ugly as heck, but others think they're cute).