

A startup idea - "Virtual World Users - 1 Billion, Roughly Half Under Age 15" - vsp

Following this article in readwriteweb, I got an idea.<p>How about starting a venture that combines real world jobs(part time jobs for kids) that could be paid for with virtual currency.<p>What do you think about this? what else can be done in this regard?<p>I have just started analysis. If any tech folks are interested to join me in this, please respond<p>-V
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Tichy
What article?

Anyway, I've thought about it back when I tried Second Life. Their currency
could have been used for micropayments. I think they even have an API to their
money system? Eventually the virtual currency will be taxed, though.
Ultimately, what is the advantage of the virtual currency?

Most virtual worlds also don't really like you taking the currency outside.
Otherwise it would be fun to create an exchange market for virtual currencies.

Second Life came to mind because unlike most other virtual worlds, they allow
you to script things.

For example, you could program an automated bank teller in SL. To exchange
currency with World Of Warcraft, you would (presumably) need a real person
acting as a bank (receiving money, notifying the exchange market to create a
transaction, and vice versa). Plus, that person would probably be banned from
WoW after a while.

Come to think about it, I am not sure if becoming a bank in WoW is actually
illegal, as long as you don't take the money outside of WoW. Might be a fun
thing to try.

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michael_dorfman
I'm not sure I understand this. Correct me if I am wrong, but you want to hire
children to do real-world jobs, in possible contravention of child labor laws
in about a zillion different jurisdictions worldwide, and then you are going
to pay them in a "virtual currency" which is either a) not transferrable to
legal tender, and thus essentially worthless, or b) transferrable to legal
tender, in which case you now have to deal with banking laws in about a
zillion jurisdictions?

Is that the pitch?

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vsp
Here is the article
[http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/number_of_virtual_world...](http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/number_of_virtual_world_users_breaks_the_1_billion.php)

My thoughts have been to build a bridge between numerous virtual-goods
marketplaces that exist today that require money to buy virutual
currency/goods and folks that can earn credits to pay for by working parttime
or running errands.

