Gold rush

In entertainment terms, the games industry is still a sprightly youngster, all wide-eyed and full of hope and excitement. But, perhaps a sign if its’ increasing maturity is the fact that almost 500,000 people in developing countries make money by developing “virtual goods” to sell to the more affluent players around the world. According to new research by Manchester University, those developing the “virtual goods” are earning up to $77 per month.

The practice known as gold-farming and is widely condemned by the games industry, but it’s becoming more common as gaming is becoming a more popular pastime. Recent stories about the price of "land" in online virtual worlds like Second Life also seem to back up the theory that online gaming has spawned a number of legitimate and not so legitimate money making schemes.

MyTake – Where there are eyeballs there’s an audience, and where there’s interaction, there’s a market. It’s clear that the games industry is a fertile market for companies of all shapes and sizes – hence Microsoft’s acquisition of Massive. The smaller, less legitimate players involved just goes to demonstrate the importance of the gaming industry and the influence it has on an audience. It’s funny, I was talking to a father of two yesterday about the need to understand technology (and gaming especially) in order to both protect and interact with our children – he completely agreed, even to the point that the modern day parent has to be respected both on and offline.