Boundless Line: Gaming for a Living?

Gaming for a Living?
by Steve Watters on 10/03/2006 at 8:35 AM

Motte's post about orienting the workplace to videogamers reminded me of an item I came across a couple of years ago regarding the game Ultima Online. The game's creator, Richard Garriott, found out that people were playing Ultima and then selling their levels and characters on eBay for $2,000 and more. That led him to come up with a way for players to sell virtual goods and services within future versions of the game (so that he could get the transaction fees he was losing to eBay).

"One of my primary design philosophies," said Garriott, "is to create a game mechanic so people can earn an income in the game, quit their real jobs and live in the virtual world forever." Now that's crazy.

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