Gaming is an escape. We all willingly abandon ourselves at the controller, suspend disbelief, and go to town on bad
guys who, in real life, would make most of us tinkle our underoos. But what if it was company policy to remind you that
the experience doesn't belong to you? Would that rain on your parade?
That's the world of massively multiplayer games. The game, every part of it, belongs to the company. The handle you
choose, the avatar you build, the skills you gain and the gold you accrue - it ain't yours. The only thing you own, as
far as the publishers are concerned, is the joy, or the fun, or whatever you want to call it. You can keep that. But
when you exit it, it's over, man.
Is that fair? More importantly, is that legal?
Sometimes it takes a simple article that deals with the basics of an issue, to remind you of the bottom line. The
piece on Games Domain, titled "Selling Your Loot: When Virtual Worlds Meet Real Cash"
doesn't cover any new ground, but it covers the basics well. A lot of people make real money by selling their in-game
accomplishments. And the publishers are taking extreme measures to stop it. To them, they own everything but the
fun.
Then again, the player?s labor didn?t yield something out of thin air. The fruits of the labor were actually created by artists, designers, and programmers. It was their labor, paid for by the company, which made the gamer?s ?work? pay off. If it?s a simple matter of which came first, the chicken or the egg, then the company is on solid ground. Their chickens made the nest, and don?t you forget it.
A best guess would have to conclude that the companies will win the day, once the courts get a good look at cases in front of them. Both sides make sense on some level. But, eventually, our legal system will claim only one is right.
Enjoy your game! Even though it?s not really yours to enjoy?
