Taiwan Earthquake Disrupts Virtual Currency Market

miller60 writes "Telecommunications outages from Tuesday's earthquake in near Taiwan have disrupted the market for virtual currency from MMORPGs, with market leader IGE and other major online sellers reporting inventory and delivery problems. The market for the real money trading of game assets is highly dependent upon suppliers operating 'gold farms' in China and other Asian countries. With Internet access from Asia limited, these suppliers are apparently having trouble logging into games to make deliveries of gold and accounts. Online markets for the sale of game assets have grown in recent years, despite heated debates about the practice among gamers."

Pwned.

[SatanicPuppy]

Now THAT is how you wield the ban hammer.

Re:Prices?

[Average_Joe_Sixpack]

I think that would be a deflationary depression in traditional economics ... too few dollars to pay for goods and services leading to falling prices. Tell me, have you seen any unemployed avatars selling apples on street corners?

Re:I am probably a HORRIBLE person for this but...

[0xdeadbeef]

Is it because you can't afford to buy gold yourself? That's what I think. I think you're jealous.

You've got it backwards. MMOPRGs are contests to see whose time is the least valuable. Hiring a gold farmer is cheating.

Re:Yawn

[ClamIAm]

a virtual earthquake disrupting a real currency market

I think this is pronounced "Apple press release".