Tales of Third Party Sales

Like any other MMOG on the market, Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning has to contend with gold sellers attemping to capitalize on the games success. While the practice of purchasing currency for cash is condemned by many, especially the games developers, it still seems to thrive among the players. We recently were put in the unique position of meeting two people who admitted to purchasing gold for Warhammer Online. While it's easier to namecall it seemed a unique opportunity for insight into this illicit market. Of course their names and a few particulars of their situation have been changed, but without further delay, Ten Ton Hammer brings you Tales of Third Party sales.

Ten Ton Hammer: I appreciate you guys having the courage to actually talk to me about this. First why don't you tell me a little about your gaming experience and playstyle preference.

Matthew: I've been playing MMOG's for a number of years. I started out in EverQuest 1 and have played Lineage, World of Warcraft, and a few others. I'm a PvPer at heart and always have been.

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Mounts Cost a Pretty Penny

Daniel: My first MMOG was World of Warcraft and I've had a lot of fun with it over the years. Warhammer Online was something new and I've had fun with it so far. I would say I'm middle of the road. Not hardcore but more than casual.

Ten Ton Hammer: So you both admitted to us, openly in game, that you had purchased gold from a farmer.

Matthew: Yup.

Daniel: Yes I did.

Ten Ton Hammer: The most obvious question I have here, is why? Why would you admit that to a stranger? Aren't you worried someone will... I guess "tell on you?" There is usually a really heavy stigma associated with this behavior. You guys are breaking the EULA and all.

Matthew: That risk is always there I suppose when I do tell people I've done it. You always have those people that get really upset like we've trampled their religious beliefs or something. I personally don't think Mythic is out to get the customers as much as the sellers. It's not something I actively promote but if someone asks me flat out, I wouldn't lie about it.

Daniel: I agree that the customers aren't as much of an issue. We really aren't trying to hurt anyone by getting a slight leg up. The gold sellers are spamming any and everyone. I don't talk about it usually.

Ten Ton Hammer: Yes, but you are supporting that right? Purchasing their product is just giving these monkeys the money to buy accounts and spam. It's costing Mythic time and effort they could be spending on bugs and content and hurting all of us isn't it?

Matthew: I don't approve of their marketing tactics at all and I personally didn't use any company I saw advertised in game. I bought from a company I had used in World of Warcraft.

Daniel: The spammers are annoying but I guess I'm not someone who can complain huh?

Ten Ton Hammer: With risk involved, why are you even purchasing gold in the first place? The game doesn't seem like it's heavily market driven right now.

Matthew: I want to be the best. I want my (class removed) to be one of the most badass (class removed) out there. That means I want the best gear I can buy. Sure I'll get most of that from RvR and grinding PQ's but you can find some decent items for auction.

Daniel: That's easy, I don't have time to earn it myself. Look, I'm 29, have 2 kids, a wife, and a mortgage. I shouldn't have to sit for hours and hours on end repetitively grinding for cash just to get the full experience of the game. I'm not trying to unbalance the market or achieve uberness or anything. I just want my mount and to be able to buy the gear I need.

Ten Ton Hammer: So do you feel it's the responsibility of Mythic to have an approved RMT system for Warhammer Online?

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Does this Guy Need Gear That Bad?

Matthew: Absolutely. Now obviously you couldn't just go crazy and make it so you can purchase anything. Set limitations like you can't buy items, or only purchase X amount of gold every X number of days. Think about the cashflow Mythic would see and it'd put some of these spammers out of business.

Daniel: I'm not sure it would work but it would be interesting to see them try. The sellers definitely aren't going away so future games probably need to do something.

Ten Ton Hammer: Let's talk a little bit about your buying experience. I mean what did you do? Just Google "WAR gold?" Also, companies frequently use fraud as a monster to scare away potential buyers. Were you concerned?

Matthew: I wasn't worried a bit. Like I said, I used (company removed.com) which gave me decent service in World of Warcraft. The companies that rip people off? Word gets around and they don't stay in business very long but yeah you take risks on a new company.

Daniel: I'll admit I was little worried. I've heard all the horror stories about people getting ripped off, losing their characters, and having their accounts banned. I decided to make a very small purchase to see what happened. Fortunately it worked out.

We do thank both Matthew and Daniel for their honest feelings and thoughts on this subject. Ten Ton Hammer does not advocate in any way the use of the third party market for the purchase or sale of gold.