

Fancy Horse Makes Blizzard $2 Million in Four Hours - orborde
http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3178849

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Aron
Doesn't second life allow people to develop their own in-game designs and sell
them? Seems like a logical extension for WoW, where one of the principal
motivations appears to be a virtual materialism (isn't the real one bad
enough?)

Probably only a matter of time before one of the most valuable items is
something certified to have been worn by some real-life celebrity's avatar.

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binarymax
Virtual monetisation is an excelent placeabo for consumer vanity.

I honestly believe physical materialism to be a much worse than virtual
materialism (even if it is less socially acceptable in the non-virtual
mainstream). This is because aside from the energy used to maintain the
virtual space, it has no physical waste (such as wrapping, receipt, carrier
bag, and the eventually discarded object).

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Aron
That's an interesting point. I imagine the topic of virtual vs. physical
consumption would make for a good thesis from some enterprising econ student.
You focus on the externalities of waste. I agree that's important. Of course,
the very fact that its socially looked down upon in comparison is relevant, as
a lower reputation hurts one's economic prospects. Maybe that's a zero-sum
game though.

