30 per cent of MMO players buy gold

By Oli Welsh Published 19 March, 2009

Market worth over 2 billion dollars.

In the first of a feature series on real money trading in MMOs published on Eurogamer today, the number of players that buy virtual goods and services is estimated at 30 per cent.

The figure is quoted by "Extreme Gamer", the anonymous player who runs RMT review site WoW Gold Facts. He argues that MMO companies should licence and support secure gold-trading facilities, rather than leave the practice to an unscrupulous grey market.

"In my opinion, the industry would be better served if publishers would recognise that lots of gamers – I've heard it's 30 per cent of the player base – like the benefits of RMT, and work with credible companies and allow it to happen," Extreme Gamer said.

"I don't see why this is not possible. They could make a condition of involvement in RMT that players give them a complete release of all forms of liability."

The first in Nick Ryan's feature series, Gold Trading Exposed, looks at the history and driving forces of the RMT market, which has an estimated worth of over USD 2 billion. Future instalments will look at gold trading from the perspectives of players, operators and gold sellers themselves.

Picture of Oli.

About Oli Welsh

Oli is Eurogamer's acting deputy editor and reviews editor and likes to take things one word at a time. He is among the best dressed people in South London.

Read more articles from Oli by visiting the Oli Welsh archive page.

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Comments (25) Latest comment 3 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Golgo #1 3 years ago

    I'm really glad I don't understand what the hell this is about as it sounds like a lousy way to enjoy games...

  • polaris70 #2 3 years ago

    Hey Eurogamer MMO when are you going to do a feature on Mortal Online? They are taking beta sign-ups and have just released the first gameplay footage. This game is forcing me to buy a new computer.

  • Dizzy #3 3 years ago

    30%? Absolute bollocks. Probably 3%.

  • iokthemonkey #4 3 years ago

    I wonder what games they're talking about.

    For WoW players - and this is not intended as an insult to the honest players - I could well believe it's that high. The last time I played WoW I found the level of superinflation had left my dormant (but fairly rich) character scrabbling now to buy the most basic of items on the AH. And I'd be quite willing to bet a huge influence on that was people buying gold.

  • MikeP #5 3 years ago

    "I've heard it's 30%...." If that's the only 'fact' that can be quoted then you'd be better off getting your stats off a bloke down the pub.


  • mkreku #6 3 years ago

    3% spending 2 billion? That's some wealthy 3%.

  • swills #7 3 years ago

    Was the link to 'WoWGoldFacts' really necessary?

    I understand people can Google the site anyway or whatever, but providing a direct link is somewhat akin to giving them a seal of approval (IMO).

  • DoctorZoidberg #8 3 years ago

    Swills, I've not been there, but is that not a site against it?

  • Canyarion #9 3 years ago

    I never bought gold. I played so much that I always had more than enough. Once I considered selling some gold to a friend, not sure if I ever did that.

  • stepneg #10 3 years ago

    How about an advert warning people that buying in game gold funds terrorism and paedophiles, I'm sure that would work.

  • Kami #11 3 years ago

    "Swills, I've not been there, but is that not a site against it?"

    Nope, it's a site for it. And they rate IGE, famously the worst "culprits" of the big Final Fantasy XI AH Swindle a few years back (these people may not have held the economy to ransom but they were MORE than happy to adjust gold sold and prices to take advantage!), are rated silver? SILVER?! Famously one of the sites that helped cripple a game and brought it to its knees in the name of lining their own pockets?!

    ...

    Credibility denied.

  • Eraysor #12 3 years ago

    A friend told me that his cousin once had a girlfriend whose aunt dated a guy who might have worked for Blizzard who could have said 30% of players buy gold.

  • wired009 #13 3 years ago

    WOW's auction system is a big contributing factor to the inflated prices and gold purchasing related to that game. Blizzard should take a hint from the EVE system by allowing longer auction times. It doesn't have to be months, but up to a week would be great so there can be some meaningful competition among sellers. Also, put emphasis on player crafted items to discourage everyone from farming the same things. The current crafting system is really uninspired (crappy rare items compared to drops, useless junk that is only good for skill points, little variation that would differentiate the crafter). Also, making players pay for game features like cold weather flying and epic mounts encourages ppl to purchase gold. They should do away with overpriced features/items and just make them quest rewards or use token/honor point style system where your points are account bound.

  • Branoic #14 3 years ago

    Let me get this right - the news headline is "30% of MMO players buy gold", and the source for this is an anonymous guy called Extreme Gamer who "heard" it's 30%?

    Wow, that's some top class journalism right there.

    You guys are now like The Sun of games journalism.

  • Silvervein #15 3 years ago

    As long as there are games so 'complex' that you can make a simple program to play them, and as long as their gameplay is based on spending insane amounts of time on boring activities compulsory to progress, there will be market for gold sellers. People talking about gold selling all agree that it's bad, but I didn't hear anyone wonder where did the gold selling practices come from.
    It's like a crowd watching smoke over burning house and generally agreeing that it's a very bad thing, but no one seems to pay any attention to the fact that the house is on fire, much less trying to put out the flames...

    What I'm trying to say is that gold selling *is* bad, but trying to attack the problem by banning it (or even worse, giving it a green light), is like trying to cure a cold by cutting off your nose.

  • sneetch #16 3 years ago

    Well, I was just gonna pounce on Oli for the 30% "estimation" but I see others have already. Good work lads, nice to see you all so alert. ;)

    I doubt either of these estimations have any real basis in reality. 2 billion dollars? Really? Hmmm. My institution has estimated that it's worth 17 trillion dollars annually and you read that estimate on a major games news site (albeit a comments thread, but still on a major site) and I have letters after my name too. Feel free to quote it. ;)

    Dr. Alphonse Q. Sneetch Phd
    CEO Irish Institute of Advanced Fact Fabrication (IIAFF)

    That said, I think they (the MMO companies) are mad to not offer this as a service themselves: people who want to buy gold will buy it, not everyone has the time it requires to grind that 5k for an epix flying mount, for example, it may as well be you that's making the profit and they can at least buy in confidence.
    Edited by 1 at 19/03/09 @ 18:29

  • scribe #17 3 years ago

    I didn't write the news story, but I did write the main piece. The following pieces, which are not yet up, answer some of the questions being posed right now. (Or, at least, put the views of those involved.)

    best,

    Nick R.

    http://www.nickryan.net< /a>

  • FortysixterUK #18 3 years ago

    Am I the only person who doesn't seem to care about this? If you want "gold" in a game earn it or buy it. If you don't then don't.....bit of a non issue article and subject really ?

  • Darkfie1d #19 3 years ago

    How 'bout revealing this guy's identity? hopefully there might be a serial killer with anti-MMO-corruption philosophy out there.

    This guy’s actually encouraging companies to make this official. I’m appreciate if MMO developers and companies publishing them just publicly execute those who actually make profit out of a virtual service and make the environment unfair and poisoned. I’d be even glad if they ask me to assist them on the way.

    Everybody should work hard to get their hands on golds, items, goodies in general. you know how many guilds have dedicated their time to farming and raids just to earn the rights to have those wealth and items? and then a lazy-arse fellow comes who thinks it’s hard to do all those and thinks “oh, well - why would I do that when I have 50 bucks in my pocket and those ppl always advertising their crime wih proud in every city square across the Azeroth?”

    well I think companies should find you and your kind and sue your a$$ for good, cause not only you ruining the game and it’s balanced environment, but you actually making profit out of other people’s business, illegally!!!

  • Jigglybean #20 3 years ago

    Most MMOs format means that those who are 'cash rich' but 'time poor' will spend money on gold. If they cant spend XX hours playing, they will feel left behind. The sooner MMOs move away from levelling up, and have more of a sandbox approach would balance things out - just.

    MMOs have created a new market and there are people out there taking advantage - and good luck to them!

  • scribe #21 3 years ago

    No offence, Darkfie1d, but I think you need to get a grip on reality before suggesting someone be killed over game. Unless you've a wonderfully ironic sense of humour and troll powers, in which case maybe I misunderstood your intent ...

    As for the rest: read more when the next part comes out next week. And thanks to everyone who has commented so far.
    Edited by 2 at 20/03/09 @ 09:26

  • iokthemonkey #22 3 years ago

    Am I the only person who doesn't seem to care about this? If you want "gold" in a game earn it or buy it. If you don't then don't.....bit of a non issue article and subject really ?

    ---

    But it's not that simple. The amount of gold in the world affects everybody. MMOs have economies that are often quite delicate and because money is "printed" whenever a mob is killed, having a massive amount of money in the world unbalances the economy. You might argue that "well, a player could do that himself" and yes, he could. But he wouldn't then be doing other stuff in the game, including - in many instances - levelling-up so he could meet the minimum level requirements for an item (for example.)

    Gold farmers on the other hand do nothing BUT kill creatures for cash, cash which is then sold to other players who've levelled up/spent their time doing other stuff.

    It's a classic example of having your cake and eating it.

  • iokthemonkey #23 3 years ago

    Most MMOs format means that those who are 'cash rich' but 'time poor' will spend money on gold. If they cant spend XX hours playing, they will feel left behind.

    ----

    Sorry, but that's no longer the case at all. It's piss-easy to level-up to the maximum level in modern MMOs, plus the whole "Level X = Win The Game" mentality is completely wrong and anybody who thinks that is missing the point.

    Yes, it's nice to play with friends who are the same level. But if you somehow get "left behind" then you can either try to "catch up" or you can actually, I don't know, maybe enjoy just playing the game...

  • scribe #24 3 years ago

    @iokthemonkey:

    I agree. But then why do people continue to buy game currencies or items from outside?

  • iokthemonkey #25 3 years ago

    I agree. But then why do people continue to buy game currencies or items from outside?

    ----

    Because everybody wants to WIN TEH GAEM, not understanding there is no "WIN."

    Anything I say is going to make me sound like an old fart, but the point is, you get what you work for and you get out of it what you put in. Blizzard could put out "WIN OF TEH INTERNETS" - an expansion that upon installation gives you a max level character and infinite cash and people would still complain that it was too much work.

    I understand to a certain extent the argument about not having time to play. But as I say, in that case, accept you're not going to make it to the upper ranks and enjoy the other bits of the game. But the fact is, the bulk of most MMO content in most games IS seen by most players.

    If you want to cheat and "WIN" then that's fine - just do it in a single-player game where your actions won't spoil the game for others.