Gold Farming and my thoughts.

I want to present an opinion about gold farming and why I think it is illegal (beside the fact that company banned it) in light of Jasmine's question, which I haven't really thought about it.

In MMORPGs, my basic assumptions (the core level) is that it is - even though it is almost exclusively team-work oriented game - played by one human being, and that they shall acquire it within game only. I have not experienced a single game that supports or encourages outside exchange methods such as paying items in cash*

*Closest example I can think of it right now is that EVE online offers you to pay a monthly subscription fee in in-game currency/items, but that's about it.

Introduction of gold farming, most likely started in Korea/China, effectively drives down the cost of goods created in game dramatically, for obvious reasons; they do not exists to achieve their personal goals - rather, their 'goal' is to earn more profits. And to exchange the in-game profits to real-world currencies, they sell their items/golds/whatever is necessary.

I understand that as professor Nakamura mentions, some people maybe are doing it for their living; in this article, I do not want to go deep into moral issues that are raised in both side of players: that are aided by the presence of semi-legal market and that are damaged by the presence of gold farmers*

*I cannot understand the fact that they were angered by the term 'gold farmers' - it is their job.

People that are aided by gold farmers have much to say. They could say that they want to show off their characters*, they want to beat/enter certain dungeons, and many other goals there might be. However, as professor Nakamura says, their eventual goal is more or less to earn a profit out of their characters.

*This goes into Korean cultures, that they are really busy studying and since they all wear uniforms, they are forced to show off their characters in any way, and it usually is done throughout cyber world.

For many of people that are so-called 'damaged', their reason is to 'kicking the ladder away', that they want to keep their positions as they are stronger than others and want to keep their positions*

*this is from Ha-Joon Chang's famous book, which uses same concept in terms of developed nations-underdeveloping nations.

As I finish the 'for the win' book, I would like to discuss more into it. However, I want to hear many of others' opinions, on what they think about it, and others.