Funny Game
December 4th, 2005 Jun Sok Huhh Posted in news |
* I'm not going to use any real name or link any of refered website, for there are some subtle legal issues.
What are main motives for your gaming? Pleasure? Killing time? Whatever. With the advent of MMORPG, we had another strong motive for gaming, money. RMT is not a surprising factor in Korea MMORPG scene. The biggest mediation player, I, has been more profitable than most of game developers. Is it a sort of “wag-the-dog?” Some people in this business said that the secret of huge success of Lineage series might lie in lively RMT around them. So, is there any reason not to use RMT to boost a specific game?
Recently, this idea might come upon to the boss of a Korean game company. 28th Nov, Company G, the servicing company of the game called AAA, had got a contract with mediation compnay I. What a big deal? Is it a already familiar activities around MMORPG scene of Korea?
In a sense, It is yes. Agreement between two is about policy for preventing hacking and frauds of RMT. At it face, it is good for all, players, the company and the mediator. But, at the other side of thing, this official tie-up is accepted as surprising or alarming. Maybe, it is first mutual agreement between game publishers and mediators. It is general manner that game publishers look RMT negative. Most of game developers in Korea took RMT as the evil axis of MMORPGs. But, the agreement between G and I turned this view up side down. It is natural that many game watchers were surpirsed by agreement between two companies.
Also, a rumor are circulating that G had an secretive intention to boost AAA with the help of RMT.(What is their method? Think about it. You can easily smell it.) This sneak marketing gimmick was detected by I, who ruthlessly got rid of accounts which were used for rogue marketing. Their final resolution was the mutual agreement that I won first to game servicing companies who look down on RMT mediators.
I cannot identify what has been really done in this process. But, at its logic, it might be probable storyline in this funny game. Boosting a game by RMT? It is not so unusual in Korean history of MMORPG.
December 9th, 2005 at 7:35 am
Do you mean to say that Company G was listing things on Itembay simply to market their game?
December 9th, 2005 at 2:26 pm
Oh, Maybe, my explanation is not so clear. It is kind of marketing meaning the vigorous acts of buying item of the game in mediation spaces. This action could temporarily give the game a strong attraction.
Actually, rising price of items is one of most attractive factor of MMORPG players in Korea. It was said that most of companies spent considerable amount of money on this kind of “marketing” costs.
December 9th, 2005 at 10:59 pm
Maybe it is good to think this kind of action as three parts
First step, Game developer makes two id groups in mediation spaces. And they trade items of their own game each other. During this process, they raise the price of items.
Second step, gamers who are attracted by this profit expectation enter the mediation spaces. And then the game developer buy gamer’s item. (Certain game developer had paid one million dollar per month to boom the item market of its game)
Third step, after booming the item market, they control the stable price.
If this market be stock market, this action is market manipulation and will be punished.