限制现金交易没有必要
行业观察 1 Comment »Game developer usually based argument on principal of mmg (money making game) to restrict rmt (real money trade), but that argument is flawed, in mmorpg there is a supply and demand between time and in-game currency, mmg does not have demand for time, nor in-game currency. mmg only has greed for money from beginning and end of the game, so like mlm pyramid, all the players’ base must contribute to support the top earners, while the rest received nothing but have to contribute.
Another argument is mudflation, but this is predictable by server’s population limit, and the “gold sink” should be adjusted to accommodate potential gold farmers population, after that adjustment, farmer only can grind so much per hour and no more due to human limitation, so that fear of mudflation should not have exist.
In the real world, Chinese farmer population is many times more than normal players, their inclusion in mmorpg is highly lucrative for mmorpg companies whose earning based exclusively on membership base. Mmorpg companies can maximized their earning potential by legalized inclusion of farmer population, and use that extra earning to develop a better game that will keep rich prayers wanting to play even though they have no time to grind but can pay for time.
Some argue that rmt ruined the fairness of the game, I do not see the parallel there. There is no difference between a paid character and item versus a grinded character and item. There is no difference between someone who grinded their money in a real life job to possess the game character and item versus someone who grinded the game character and item. They are the same in that they both work hard to contribute to the game. The objective of both is the same, i.e. they want to achieve the maximum potential in their character.
The only argument that is valid is the complication of rmt, in-game currency can never be made to represent real world currency, or else they are legal issues too big to resolved. And sometime, not legalizing rmt has its merit, it gives one the right to destroy in-game currency by banning accounts, thus effectively create a “gold-sink” whenever the need arise, but at a price to the poor who may have spent months grinding day and night only to see their character, items and accumulated gold disappeared. Thus, the whole rmt argument is more inclined to being ‘politically correct’ rather than economically sound thesis.
This is just a thought, not a voice of revolution, the future does not belong to players, as it is not them who will determine their fate in the mmorpg world ruled by rich companies.
以下中文部分感谢www.item4u.com 网站的Hao友情翻译。
为了限制现金交易,游戏开发商通常以具有MMG(赚钱游戏)的主体特点作为依据,但是这个依据却是站不住脚的。因为,在网络游戏中存在着时间与游戏币的供求关系,而赚钱游戏既没有时间的需求也没有游戏币的需求,自始自终以赚现金作为唯一目的。这类游戏就像分层次的金字塔结构,底层玩家必须向顶层的玩家进贡,除了做贡献之外什么也得不到。
为了限制现金交易,还有另外一种论点:Mudflation(网络游戏通货膨胀)。但这是可以预知的,因为一个服务器就能容纳这么多的玩家。货币的贬值应该会对金农数量的增加起到调节作用。经过调整,由于人口数量的限制,金农每小时只能产出一定量的游戏币。因此担心网络游戏通货膨胀是不必要的。
在现实世界中,金农的数量数倍于普通玩家的数量。金农的加入壮大了游戏人口队伍,对于依靠会员数盈利的游戏公司来说是一笔巨大的财富。通过对金农的管理,游戏公司能够使利润最大化,然后用这部分额外的钱来开发更好的游戏,留住那些有钱的玩家,有钱但是没时间呢,也好办,他们可以花钱买时间。
第三种论点是,现金交易破坏游戏平衡,而我却看不出它们之间有什么必然联系。用现金买的角色和装备与自己打出来的角色与装备没什么不同。在现实生活中赚钱购买游戏角色和装备的人与自己在游戏中升级角色打装备的人也没什么不同。他们是一样的,他们都在为游戏公司做贡献。他们的目标也是一样的,比如,他们都希望自己的角色是游戏中最优秀的角色。
唯一值得去探讨的是现金交易的复杂化。游戏币生产出来之后永远都不可以代替用来现实货币,不然的话,就会成为一个很棘手问题。有的时候,不谈现金交易的法制化是有它的好处的,这样的话,某些人就有权通过封号来消除游戏币,一旦游戏币需求旺盛可以制造货币贬值,让那些没钱玩家数日数夜打出来的角色和装备一夜之间化为乌有。这样一来,整个关于现金交易的讨论更加地倾向于政治决策的英明而与经济论题无关。
这只是一种想法,不是什么革命性的声音。未来并不属于玩家,因为游戏的一切被有钱的公司控制着,玩家无法决定自己游戏中的命运。