Comments on: RMT = Prostitution http://forge.ironrealms.com/2008/02/07/rmt-prostitution/ A blog on virtual worlds, games, and digital content, from Matt Mihaly Fri, 16 May 2008 12:04:28 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.3 by: So Great « Martha Mihaly http://forge.ironrealms.com/2008/02/07/rmt-prostitution/#comment-51125 Thu, 14 Feb 2008 21:54:42 +0000 http://forge.ironrealms.com/2008/02/07/rmt-prostitution/#comment-51125 [...] February 14, 2008 in Uncategorized My favourite cousin Matt Mihaly had some absolutely fantastic news today.  He is the founder and CEO of Sparkplay Media and Iron Realms Entertainment. His company has been around for a decade or so, and has been a leader in the development of online text-based role playing games like Achaea .  He also pioneered the sales of virtual goods for real money (you can see what he has to say on that topic here). [...] […] February 14, 2008 in Uncategorized My favourite cousin Matt Mihaly had some absolutely fantastic news today.  He is the founder and CEO of Sparkplay Media and Iron Realms Entertainment. His company has been around for a decade or so, and has been a leader in the development of online text-based role playing games like Achaea .  He also pioneered the sales of virtual goods for real money (you can see what he has to say on that topic here). […]

]]> by: wowpanda http://forge.ironrealms.com/2008/02/07/rmt-prostitution/#comment-50090 Fri, 08 Feb 2008 22:10:16 +0000 http://forge.ironrealms.com/2008/02/07/rmt-prostitution/#comment-50090 remind me of the prohibition era. Huge dumb asses in Government finally acknowledged what they did was bad. The only thing I am conflicted about is if drags should be legalized. I know I will never try drags but if someone you care about is in it then it really hurts. remind me of the prohibition era. Huge dumb asses in Government finally acknowledged what they did was bad.

The only thing I am conflicted about is if drags should be legalized. I know I will never try drags but if someone you care about is in it then it really hurts.

]]> by: Matt http://forge.ironrealms.com/2008/02/07/rmt-prostitution/#comment-49994 Thu, 07 Feb 2008 22:36:32 +0000 http://forge.ironrealms.com/2008/02/07/rmt-prostitution/#comment-49994 The article isn't about whether RMT itself is good or bad, as that's not what the Runescape fellow was commenting on. He was commenting on the ancillary activities that go on around illegal RMT. In other words the post isn't about whether RMT is good or bad, but whether making it illegal is what causes the actual problem. I don't have a problem with RMT, so from my perspective 100% of the problems regarding RMT are ancillary. With botting, I do believe it causes actual problems, and there are not really any ancillary activities surrounding botting that are negative, so in botting's case I view botting itself as the problem. --matt The article isn’t about whether RMT itself is good or bad, as that’s not what the Runescape fellow was commenting on. He was commenting on the ancillary activities that go on around illegal RMT. In other words the post isn’t about whether RMT is good or bad, but whether making it illegal is what causes the actual problem. I don’t have a problem with RMT, so from my perspective 100% of the problems regarding RMT are ancillary. With botting, I do believe it causes actual problems, and there are not really any ancillary activities surrounding botting that are negative, so in botting’s case I view botting itself as the problem.

–matt

]]> by: Eric Lamy http://forge.ironrealms.com/2008/02/07/rmt-prostitution/#comment-49993 Thu, 07 Feb 2008 22:34:30 +0000 http://forge.ironrealms.com/2008/02/07/rmt-prostitution/#comment-49993 Building RMT into a game and building mechanics around botting are vastly different enterprises. RMT is essentially a single activity, when it boils down to it, so it's as easy as providing a legal market. Where botting is concerned, there are a wide variety of activities that can be scripted, and balancing the game around both those who are and are not botting is nearly impossible. We've seen from experience, furthermore, that the majority of players are generally opposed to scripting most processes within the MUD, while I can guarantee that our players would have an extremely negative reaction if we removed the credit market in opposition to RMT. Building RMT into a game and building mechanics around botting are vastly different enterprises. RMT is essentially a single activity, when it boils down to it, so it’s as easy as providing a legal market. Where botting is concerned, there are a wide variety of activities that can be scripted, and balancing the game around both those who are and are not botting is nearly impossible. We’ve seen from experience, furthermore, that the majority of players are generally opposed to scripting most processes within the MUD, while I can guarantee that our players would have an extremely negative reaction if we removed the credit market in opposition to RMT.

]]> by: zabuni http://forge.ironrealms.com/2008/02/07/rmt-prostitution/#comment-49992 Thu, 07 Feb 2008 22:28:33 +0000 http://forge.ironrealms.com/2008/02/07/rmt-prostitution/#comment-49992 Couldn't the same be said about cheating in general though. It can't be stopped, so why not just build around it? There are many victimless crimes, at least directly victimless, that also fall under this, like botting, multiple accounts, character sharing, etc. Why hasn't any of the previous Iron Realms games provided a way to "channel this water"? As far as not having any of the same problems, you do have some of the same circumventions, like botting: http://forge.ironrealms.com/2007/02/21/blizzard-sues-wow-glider/ "our text MUD admins fight a constant battle against users who use botting scripts illegally (we allow botting in some circumstances, like combat, but not in others, like commerce)"? Why such a line on botting, and not on RMT? Couldn’t the same be said about cheating in general though. It can’t be stopped, so why not just build around it? There are many victimless crimes, at least directly victimless, that also fall under this, like botting, multiple accounts, character sharing, etc. Why hasn’t any of the previous Iron Realms games provided a way to “channel this water”?

As far as not having any of the same problems, you do have some of the same circumventions, like botting:

http://forge.ironrealms.com/2007/02/21/blizzard-sues-wow-glider/

“our text MUD admins fight a constant battle against users who use botting scripts illegally (we allow botting in some circumstances, like combat, but not in others, like commerce)”?

Why such a line on botting, and not on RMT?

]]> by: Cameron Sorden http://forge.ironrealms.com/2008/02/07/rmt-prostitution/#comment-49984 Thu, 07 Feb 2008 20:41:23 +0000 http://forge.ironrealms.com/2008/02/07/rmt-prostitution/#comment-49984 Agreed, and well said. Agreed, and well said.

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