Gutspiller
08-08-2003, 12:16 PM
Over the past decade the world of computer games has grown from games that ran on an individual's computer to titles that allow thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of players to play against or with each other in virtual worlds that exist in cyberspace.
The traditional revenue model for online entertainment companies has been to sell individual copies of the software and then sell add-on packs and toolkits. Virtual game sites gain added revenue by charging a monthly subscription fee. In order for this model to work the particular game must be sufficiently entertaining to compel players to come back month after month.
Virtual worlds in which players are allowed to trade objects with each other have given rise to real economies inside the virtual world. Dr. Edward Castranova wrote a thesis on the economy inside the game “EverQuest" and reported that a black market exchange exists between the EverQuest currency and US Dollars. Sony has outlawed the exchange of EverQuest items for real money. More is the loss for Sony, which may be overlooking a virtual goldmine.
ProgrammersHeaven.com (http://www.programmersheaven.com/2/Art_MultiplayerGames)
The traditional revenue model for online entertainment companies has been to sell individual copies of the software and then sell add-on packs and toolkits. Virtual game sites gain added revenue by charging a monthly subscription fee. In order for this model to work the particular game must be sufficiently entertaining to compel players to come back month after month.
Virtual worlds in which players are allowed to trade objects with each other have given rise to real economies inside the virtual world. Dr. Edward Castranova wrote a thesis on the economy inside the game “EverQuest" and reported that a black market exchange exists between the EverQuest currency and US Dollars. Sony has outlawed the exchange of EverQuest items for real money. More is the loss for Sony, which may be overlooking a virtual goldmine.
ProgrammersHeaven.com (http://www.programmersheaven.com/2/Art_MultiplayerGames)