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Moral issue
boredatwork
Member Posts: 4
I am having a bit of a morality problem and I would like the advice of the masses. I have played EQ2 since launch (off and on) and talk about it quite a bit to my wife. As a casual gamer who crafts often and has a severe altaholic problem money is always an issue. My wife (wanting to do nothing but help me) bought me a large sum of gold off of some site. While I appreciate her enthusiasm and knowing her heart was in the right place I had to have a talk with her explaining how this breaks the economy and ruins the game taking the challenge out. She understands now but I am still left with a bank with more plat then I have seen before. My question is what should I do with it? I don't want it since I didn't really earn it myself... well.. my paycheck did, but thats another story. lol. I have debated finding a few newbies and giving them each a very good start... donating it to a guild... or just deleting it.
Opinions?
Comments
I say keep it. Since the deed is already done, might as well enjoy the money.
spend a little on yourself and pass the rest out to others. spread over a large group it won't really have much of an impact on the economy. Another idea is to maybe organize a few in game events with plat as the reward. Or buy a few decent items and let those be the reward. People would get to have some fun with you and have a nice little reward to boot. Some newbie type events might be just the thing.
uh... sell it to someone else, see if you can't sell it for more than your wife paid for it. It's called capitalism, and it's why we all live so good in this modern age.
(well, at least the ones who actually practice capitalism)
Addendum: your moral dilemma is an example of how the common man is enslaved by the words and ideas of others. The rich created religion and hire the priests of the world to preach to the masses... to keep them hoping for streets of gold in heaven after they die, while they themselves get to practice capitalism and live good. This sense of morality is just another form of mind-control. They actually increase their profits because of that feeling of right-and-wrong they've instilled so successfully in others. That feeling of guilt that arises whenever you do something selfish. Yea, give your money away... give it to me. lol
Do what you want with it. If you have a problem useing it because it was bought from a farmer then delete it. I understand why you would think of donating it or giving it to some new player but in all honesty for me, I wouldnt want goldseller's money regardless of where it came from. I know that is alittle stupid to say since you never know who buys your items at the AH or if you got a gold sellers item
Overall though, your wife did not understand what that does so keep it if you want and use it for your crafting ect.
The real problem is, and I hope you have the means to check it is check for viruses/keyloggers ect. I personally would also contact a GM or email SOE and explain to them what happened and either delete it or ask them to delete it. I dont know how SOE is on banning accounts that bought gold but in alot of games now the buyer gets a ban. I know your wifes heart was there, but if your account gets banned because of it she will feel really bad. May be best just to cover both of your arses (you so you can keep the account if then do ban buyers and her's so she doesnt feel terrible for getting your account banned). On the other hand her making it up to you could be worth it
In Real Life, let's imagine you do not GAMBLE in any way, a moral issue as you put it.
Your wife buys a lottery ticket now and then, doesn't really bother you much she has her own values.
She give you 5 Easy Pick lotto tickets for your birthday or Fathers Day or something like that...
One of the tickets hit the Jackpot for, oh maybe 500K or even 10M, doesn't matter as long as it's a substantial figure in your perspective.
Would you apply the SAME Morality issues to this situation that you do with the Plat?
His wife buying a lotto ticket doesn't negatively affect the economy.
MMORPG
I had considered contacting a GM and telling them but I was afraid they would just as quick ban me when I told them.
Take it out and play Santa Claus to the newbies. It will make you feel good and will make them feel ecstatic.
...
This is where I draw the line: __________________.
You're asking for us to bless your choices...but that's not how life works. Act as you see fit. It's your own moral dilemma...only you can find the answer that gives you peace of mind.
As the post above mine states you have to do what you think is best. Obviously your wife wasn't out to cheat the game, and it's affects on a game are debatable at best. Though I will tell you that most likely if you keep it you will find yourself real bored real quick. The chase of the carrot is what these games are based upon, for the most part, being able to buy anything you want doesn't exactly give you anything to work towards anymore.
http://www.speedtest.net/result/7300033012
But not all carrots are made of money, or things that money can buy. It just depends a great deal on one's own goals.
That's a matter of opinion and you are entitled to that
This is the exact reason I don't really want the money. I had bought gold before in another game and instantly was just bored. Yes... I could twink out every alt, and have whatever I wanted off the broker... but what was left was running around for gold I didn't need. On top of that I have read several compelling posts on how gold farmers effect the economy of a game and so I decided I would never do it again.
I don't know. Clearly your wife wanted you to have some enjoyment from the money she spent. Deleting it means her money was completely wasted.
Buying an item from another player means that money goes back into the econonmy, and could find its way back to the plat sellers.
However, buying something from an NPC merchant or vendor means that money is taken out of the system. You get something, your wife's RL $ wasn't wasted, and the plat sellers can't get any of it back again.
That would be my suggestion.
MMORPG
I would say grow a pair! Your wife was sweet enough to give you a gift and you complain about it? Its just a game and your wife is real should of said thanks and enjoy it and not of been such a tool.
It's a game. Spend the money and stop worrying about things like the games economy.
Gold will be sold and in game inflation will happen no matter what you do. Gold trading is more or less part of every game until a developer or game figures out some way of preventing it.
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As we Pirates say "Kepp everything, give nothing back."
Seriously, its nobodies damn business, so enjoy it. How can anything with money ever be moral? hrhr
People don't ask questions to get answers - they ask questions to show how smart they are. - Dogbert
I agree with the 2 posts above me.
Why should you worry about the economy of a game? Sooner or later the economy grows in every game.
The point is that you're wife gave you something and you're worrying about what you should do with it...
Just spend it on good items and play the game like you're somekind of God with Godly items.
Just spend it!
Short of your wife buying up half the server's plat, you won't impact the economy at all. Gold selling is only a negative influence once the amount being purchased is greater than the amount being earned naturally for the whole server.
I'd suggest spending what you need, tuck some away for a rainy day, and make a few friends happy, but cycle the money. You say you're a crafter, buy up a few raw materials, make some nice items, and pass out the items or sell them on for less than market value, so you make a loss.
Also, don't tell a GM or anyone official anything, SOE is very heavy handed with bans and unlikely to see your side of it.
Any game in which gold selling can ruin an economy doesn't really have an economy to begin with. The fact is most farmers can only "earn" gold in the same way that a player could and in the same time frame. Since the flow of ingame money already has that potential, the problem with "inflation" is more about age old bad design than it is actual player caused problems.
I'd really love to see one of you actually speak speak to someone who actually is involved with the inner workings of a REAL economy. Lemme tell ya, in a real one "new" money doesn't just pop out of thin air every 2 seconds. The amount in circulation is heavily controlled, because its the amount which determines the value. With or without gold farmers, if the game does not STRICTLY control the amount in circulation already...then the problem remains regardless. WoW is one of the best examples of this....because they do a very good job of combating farmers, yet have an inflated "economy" that grows faster than most MMO"s I've ever seen. Its got more to do with having soo many players earning soooooo much gold all the time.
So to answer your dilemma, keep it or share it. Honestly, no wrong was done. Don't buy into the hype around here about the "sins" of buying. I agree that it is cheap, and removes some of the fun of the game.....but it is not some wretched crime as they would have you believe. Only a fool who has no clue how a real economy works would believe that. The intelligent among us blame poor game design for it, because there are a couple of games out which CAN NOT suffer this problem due to actual thought being put into the economy (cough cough EVE cough cough)
Intention is what matters. It was all in good intention, so just keep it.
You know exactly what the practice does to an economy. Choosing to lable those effects as acceptable collatoral damage because of the personal benefits you receive does not negate the facts.
Chill out....My post did not support anything one way or the other. Only attempted to assist to OP to make his own decision.
I appreciate all the responses. After a nights sleep on it the wife and I logged in this afternoon and had some fun. We found every newbie we could find and set them up for the next couple tiers. I think it was the most fun the two of us have had gaming together in a while. One level 20 Kerra said "this is almost enough for me to finally buy a mount"... so we gave her a couple more plat and she was so happy she thanked us AS she was running towards the horse seller. We ended it with a game of hide and go seek. In the end the money my wife spent was well worth it just so we had that time together helping out a bunch of new folks.
I realized something quickly though while having it... having all that money actually made the game less fun. I could buy anything I wanted but what was the point then?
Playing a game of chance where you have no way of affecting the outcome is quite different then going out and buying items/gold from people who break the rules. You can't walk into your local 7/11 and say I'm going to buy this ticket and I'm going to pick the numbers that are guaranteed to win. You can however go out and pay $29.99 for a stack of platinum in EQ.
No required quests! And if I decide I want to be an assassin-cartographer-dancer-pastry chef who lives only to stalk and kill interior decorators, then that's who I want to be, even if it takes me four years to max all the skills and everyone else thinks I'm freaking nuts. -Madimorga-