Gaming, Ethics, and Democracy

Reading the first article made me aware of what "Gold Farming" really is. Richard Heeks
describes "Gold Farming" as the real-world sale of virtual goods and services produced in online
gaming. Throughout his paper, Current Analysis and Future Research Agenda on "Gold Farming" Real-World Production In Developing Countries for the Virtual Economies of Online Games, I was able to see exactly how this impacted me. My family has three Xbox 360's and two Xbox live's subscriptions currently. My husband and son play games online and redeem points which is virtual cash used to purchase movies, games,etc... They also spend money purchasing subscriptions and building their avatars. This is "Gold Farming" right here in my own backyard! Twenty years ago I would've never believed that this was a possibility, let alone thought anyone would spend their money to play games online instead of interacting with a friend from down the street. "Gold Farming" is real and a definite asset for Asian countries. These countries can profit off online distribution and interaction. This new world of gamers depend on "Gold Farming" and are addicted to the virtual interaction, incentive and perks that make this market successful.

Andrew Leonard also discusses the topic of "Gold Farming" in his article How The World Works. Leonard paraphrases Heek's article. They both enlightened me regarding the impact this new form of trading or exporting has on these countries. After reading both articles I do believe that this "Gold Farming" aids in reducing unemployment and poverty. If the citizens of China and these other participating countries are voluntarily seeking these jobs, and are given reasonable pay rates, I don't see any major negative effects. They are virtually exporting goods, receiving revenue, aiding their economy, and globalizing the market. In every aspect of life there will be a positive and negative factor, however if the positive outweigh the negative then go with the greater good.

Cheating, the inevitable subject of gaming. Some believe it's just a game why cheat. Others believe it's a mission, use cheat codes, modified controllers, modded consoles, glitching, and clan vs. individuals. Cheaters: A Special Report by Game Informer Staff, gives examples of the anti-cheating tactics the game manufacturers and developers are using to decrease this problem. Xbox Live has an abuse reporting system manufactured by Microsoft, as well as the ability to detect modified games that are played prior to the release date. Infinity Ward also has an abuse reporting system that allows it's WOW users to report cheating or suspicious activity. As gaming continues to evolve and immerse itself into our culture the gaming industry will continue to develop anti cheating mechanism and identifiers. The real question is do they want to produce a system that is incapable of being cheated and has no glitches, or will this detour gamers from continually purchasing their products? Is this possible idea possible, won't there always be a cheater/hacker?

Social Network gaming is a form of gaming that is continually rising in the world today. I'm a member on facebook and have friends that play games on facebook and send invites for their friends to play. Online social network is increasing rapidly and globalizing the world. It was only natural for the gaming industry to capitalize on this market as well. Sande Chen's article The Social Network Game Boom discusses this topic very well. She she states over 200 million people are registered on facebook, this gives these companies access to over 200 million users as well. Social network gaming allows friends or associates to socialize, network, have fun and never physically interact. In return this allows the gaming industry to market to a mass number individuals, increase revenue, globalize the market, advertise, and host for minimal cost with maximum profit. We will continually see advancements in social network gaming as the demand increases.

Do you know someone that has a modified system? Do you know someone or do you have any backup games? Are you part of a clan? After reading Computer Game Modding, Intermediality, and Participatory Culture I could see how these practices are emerging in the gaming culture. Modified systems and backup games are becoming increasingly popular and are always going to be apart of the gaming industry, just like cheating and hacking. For every honest person you show me I'll show you three dishonest people. In other words there is always going to be someone that is motivated to find the glitch, or obtain games at little or no cost. I believe this in part is due to the economic factor in the gaming industry. Don't get me wrong I'm not saying that I advocate these practices, however I do believe that the cost of gaming is a main contributor. Game consoles, controllers, cords, games, etc.. cost immensely. Majority of gamers can't afford to spend $60 on a new game, or $200-$600 on a game console. Gamers are going to find any means possible to obtain these products at little or no cost to themselves. I believe if the gaming manufactures or distributors made these items more affordable it would decrease the amount of revenue lost from these practices. Again I'm not advocating this behavior but I do see both sides of the picture. What is your perspective on this issue?

In conclusion, your always going to have cheating, glitches, modified games, backup games, and "Gold Farming" in gaming. These same practices are what define the evolution of gaming. Cheating allows gamers to identify the glitches and imperfections in the game and in return make the developer work harder and bring about advanced technology and newer gaming concepts. Modified consoles and backup games may not benefit the developer at all but they definitely allow gamers that may not had the opportunity to experience the game due to financial constraints, to have access to it. "Gold Farming" is going to continue to increase profits and production because it's benefiting these countries economically. It is also globalizing the gaming industry and allowing gamers to network. All of these practices are characteristics of gaming, deal with it!