I read a blog post on LiquidGeneration: The Suck My Blog a while back, about online gamers paying BIG bucks for "virtual real estate". Yes, that's right! Gaming communities are doing the impossible: they are creating real estate out of thin air! And here I am, thinking that the real estate factory had closed down a long, long time ago...
Idiot that I am, I at first thaught that this virtual real estate thing was for something like server space. But NO! Someone has gone and paid a fortune for "real estate" in a game called Project Entropia, "a massive virtual universe with a real cash economy".
People actually pay the rent playing these games! They create weapons, clothing and other virtual products that they sell for very real money.
Now, this sure seems like a "money out of nothing" kinda business. Just use your imagination, programming know-how, piles of effort, a lot of marketing, some customer loyalty, and you have "easy" money! I like the non-virtual investment prospects in real estate, but I'd hate to lose my buyers to a virtual world...
Apparently they add a whole new virtual continent each month, so chances of a virtual real estate bubble is kinda slim...
I wonder what virtual real estate agents are like... : ponders :
Do you think one could charge virtual taxes?! Look out: The Republic of nafia is coming! Any immigrants?
I'd like to hear what you think of this. Here is also an article about the virtual real estate transaction.
