Curse

UndeadRoadkill · Oct 06, 2006, 04:49 AM // 04:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by arcanemacabre

So basically, the entire first part of your post agrees with my point of view, while the second disputes it? Not following you, here. It is 'silly' to regard something that simply looks nice as an accomplishment and something to prove. That's my point. Hit it on the head.

The point of expensive anything in the game is simple - gold sink. Once you play PvE long enough, you simply have way more gold than the simple, cheap max items can absorb. There needs to be end-game content to waste money on, thus gold sinks. If it's something you personally really want, and choose to save up for, then it can be a personal goal, for those that need any personal goal besides skill.

Attempting to sell anything that isn't yours is just simply illegal. As I said in my example in an earlier post, it's like trying to sell a sand trap in someone else's golf course. Sure you paid for a membership, it doesn't mean you own it. That is stupid, in my eyes. If you want to call it shrewd, fine, I can call cows chickens. It's all a matter of opinion. Disputing opinions based solely on how you perceive things is stupid, though.

The first part of my post is basically saying, "why should anyone care what armor anyone else is wearing, and why should anyone care how they got it?"

I don't follow your logic that if something is illegal (and I'm not sure this is technically against the law) it is therefore stupid. How is being able to get away with making money from selling a sand trap in someone else's course is stupid? Even if my assessment as "shrewd" is subjective (although I think it's the definition of the word), you haven't illustrated how your assessment as "stupid" applies at all, and your "cow/chicken" analogy really doesn't apply either. I can back up my opinion with reasoning, so don't be so quick to dismiss it. Please back up your own opinion with some kind of reasoning before you chastise me for dismissing it.

Priest Of Sin · Oct 06, 2006, 04:59 AM // 04:59

Personally, i saved my pre-searing armor for when I want to sell things. It does seem that most people with FoW are considered "eBayers".

Honestly, I DO look at FoW armor as an accomplishment, beanerman. Do you look at your Rank as an accomplishment? I killed things for money, you killed people for fame. Same thing, IMO. Sure, one takes more skill, but the other takes longer to do.

It is "silly" and stupid to purchase pixels... especially when the person selling them didn't own the pixels in the first place... but i've broadened my horizons in the past week, and I say "If you want to eBay armor, go ahead... it's wrong, it's immoral, but whatever.."

Rera · Oct 06, 2006, 05:11 AM // 05:11

In an argument about this sort of sensitive topic, it's probably smart to start with a disclaimer: I'm not explicitly for or against eBay - I just don't care about it either way, because I don't believe it affects me.

However, I don't agree with some of the arguments being posted here.

First of all, the argument about selling property that doesn't belong to you is inaccurate. In any kind of online game, whether it's D2, WoW, GW, EQ, what the eBayer is selling isn't the actual item itself, but the time and effort it took the seller to acquire that item. In other words, the selling of GW gold isn't selling an item, it's selling a service - a farming service, specifically. Although it's against the EULA in the specific case of GW (and, I suspect, in many other games), the sale of a service generally isn't in itself illegal.

Second, some of you are making essentially baseless moral judgments of eBaying. You say it's wrong, but can't come up with any reason for it except that it's not what you're 'supposed' to do, or it's not the 'right' way, whatever that means. Some of the examples brought up, such as working for a million dollars as opposed to stealing it, are ludicrous. eBaying GW gold is not anything like stealing - you are not taking your gold from unwilling parties, you are paying someone for a service they are offering. There is no victim, because all parties involved consent to (and in fact, mutually benefit) from the transaction. People tend to leave victimless crime alone, and it's difficult to pin any kind of universal moral offense on it.

I don't have to resort to moral judgments - if someone asks me why they shouldn't eBay, I just point them to the EULA.

Third, time = money. eBaying gold is just a way of manipulating that equation. Some people spend the time to farm the gold. Others won't spend the time, and would rather spend real money instead. In the end, it amounts to the same thing. While some of you would say that it's stupid to spend real money on ingame gold, those people would say that it's stupid to spend the time to farm it. You're saying, why waste money? And they'll say, why waste time? It's the same argument on either side, and the key point isn't how you're getting the gold, but the fact that you think it's worth spending *anything* (either time or money) to get it in the first place. Take a moment for that fact to sink in, because it's important, really.

To be entirely honest, if Anet can't stop the eBaying, I'd prefer if they sold the gold themselves. That removes the market for Chinese bot farmers, and the money goes to Anet, who can then turn around and use it for game features and whatnot. It would be an additional way to support the company. Unfortunately, with all of the stigma attached to eBaying, and their own strict stance on the matter, this simply isn't a viable option for them.

Again, I don't care either way about eBay, because I don't believe it affects my own personal enjoyment of the game. The reason why people shouldn't do it is because it's against the EULA, not because of any illusory moral objections.

Diablo™ · Oct 06, 2006, 05:15 AM // 05:15

As cruel as this ebaying money-machine may seem, it is unfortunately, a user-end driven system.

capitalist · Oct 06, 2006, 06:41 AM // 06:41

http://www.guildwarsguru.com/forum/s...php?t=10022148

Too bad this isn't a sticky...

DeathByAmor · Oct 06, 2006, 05:22 PM // 17:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by Former Ruling

No.

and FYI, I'd say only about 5% of the gold trafficing in the game goes through Ebay, its too obvious. Those are mostly just scammers that know they have nothing to loss anyway if they get caught.

I would say that 1/4 of all the GW players Ebay their gold.

Sir Skullcrasher · Oct 06, 2006, 07:27 PM // 19:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by DeathByAmor

I would say that 1/4 of all the GW players Ebay their gold.

Ebay.. Solution to all your problems!

I have to agree, far too easy for peoples to buy anything on ebay whether its that rare 15%^50 crystalline sword on ebay or those materials needed for Fow armor. I have a question. Couldn't A-Net make an agreement with Ebay to lock down those selling threads?

I know it might be against first (i don't know which) amendment rights but if they want to stop users from going to ebay, they should probably stop it from the source.

Horseman Of War · Oct 06, 2006, 07:50 PM // 19:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sir Skullcrasher

Ebay.. Solution to all your problems!

I have to agree, far too easy for peoples to buy anything on ebay whether its that rare 15%^50 crystalline sword on ebay or those materials needed for Fow armor. I have a question. Couldn't A-Net make an agreement with Ebay to lock down those selling threads?

I know it might be against first (i don't know which) amendment rights but if they want to stop users from going to ebay, they should probably stop it from the source.

Yeah youd think that ANet would be able to track down the Ebay Sellers' accounts right?

Unfortunately though, the Privacy Policy for ebay sellers protects them from anet getting any information about them.

Cant ANet just like have little alarms that go off if a player suddenly recieves a million gold and 250 ectos from someone for free (in game)?

Quote:

Originally Posted by DeathByAmor

I would say that 1/4 of all the GW players Ebay their gold.

I would say that every time you see a Guild Recruiting Spam like "omg we have every single merchant at our Guild Hall" which costs what like 500k for all merchants?- that unless its an old guild with dozens and dozens of members- its probably just one kid and his Ebay Gold.

In all honesty- Some punk noob who Ebays his whole character.... Skill buddy. Its all about skill. Youre gonna look so Hawt in your FoW Dirtnap Armor when I drop the hammer.

UndeadRoadkill · Oct 06, 2006, 08:24 PM // 20:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sir Skullcrasher

Couldn't A-Net make an agreement with Ebay to lock down those selling threads?

I know it might be against first (i don't know which) amendment rights but if they want to stop users from going to ebay, they should probably stop it from the source.

Why would Ebay go along with that?