Tech & Biz

Virtual Warrior Duels World of Warcraft Gold Farmers in Court

by Rob Walker | May 5, 2008 at 11:04 am

2083 views | 2 Recommendations | 3 comments

It's a case that can seem very bizarre on the face of it.

On the one hand, you have Antonio Hernandez, a World of Warcraft gamer and enthusiast (to say the least). On the other, you have IGE, a company that pays people to 'farm' gold in-game, by playing as characters and accumulating gold and items. Hernandez is suing them, alleging that their 'farming' practices are hurting the games economy, and in turn his enjoyment of the product.

But wait, why do they do this? Why pay people to spend 10-12 hours in front of a computer, mindlessly hacking away at trolls for virtual gold and fancy gear for their avatars?

Real world profit, of course.

Companies like IGE and others are allegedly turning around and selling this top-market gear and their gold in bulk online through underground markets and Ebay (though they've warned it's against their terms of use and will shut them down if they find them).

The value of a WoW gold piece is worth more than that of Turkey's dollar, and it's not even real.

This brings about the ultimate question: is the real world pen mightier than the virtual sword?

If you want to know how in-depth the online black currency market has gone, you need only go as far as this article. While I was researching it and going to the Boston Herald website, the google ads it served up (due to the content of the page and my search terms, no doubt) came up as advertisements for, you guessed it, buying World of Warcraft gold online.

He wants justice in the mystical world of Azeroth, protecting warriors, warlocks and rogues from what he calls a conspiracy threatening their way of life.
Antonio Hernandez plays “World of Warcraft.” It’s the most popular online role-playing game in the world, with more than 10 million subscribers paying to create characters who go on quests, kill monsters and earn “virtual gold” in fantastical realms. The world—a direct descendant of J.R.R. Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings”—even has its own carefully calibrated economy. But an outside force threatens the game’s integrity, Hernandez says. He has called on his fellow adventurers to join him as he takes a stand. The battle won’t be fought with wands or swords.

It will be waged in the Fort Lauderdale federal courthouse. The former assistant manager at an Orlando-area video game store is suing a company he says sells “virtual gold” from the “World of Warcraft” for real money. He wants IGE U.S. banned from selling gold—a practice commonly called “gold farming” or “real money trading”—because it hurts the game’s economy and ruins the entertainment experience, according to the lawsuit. Virtual gold, earned within the game, can be used for such things as buying and repairing equipment or learning new skills.

One would have thought the lawsuit filed last May by Florida resident and WoW player Antonio Hernandez against gold farming juggernaut IGE would have disappeared long before now, but it's still alive and well. Despite IGE's claims that their U.S. operation is no longer involved in the virtual gold business, Hernandez's attorney C. Richard Newsome believes the pertinent issues still need to be addressed.

According to a report in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, a local World of Warcraft player is suing a gold trading firm IGE for damaging the game's economy and ruining the game experience.

Antonio Hernandez, a former assistant manager at a game shop in Orlando, is seeking certification of the case as a federal class action suit. It's thought to be the first case brought by a player seeking to ban real-money trading in an online world, and if certified, it would be the first class-action lawsuit involving MMO gaming.

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Rob Peters

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 13:37 on May 5th, 2008

I can understand getting sucked into a game, but I don't understand paying real money for virtual gold or swords or whatever it may be. Doesn't that ruin the enjoyment of the game not only for everyone else, but yourself as well?

fsdfdsfdfd (not verified)

at 17:56 on May 20th, 2009

lol hes a noob if he cant play even with the gold farmers. besides if anything blizzard should be sued. its their fault for not overriding the prices on the items to jack them back up or making the resources infinite (or just ban the macroers).

wow gold (not verified)

at 20:31 on June 22nd, 2009

While I was researching it and going to the Boston Herald website, the google ads it served up (due to the content of the page and my search terms, no doubt) came up as advertisements for, you guessed it, buying World of Warcraft gold online.