I don't play MMOs atm...but I never bought gold and won't buy any in the future....it's cheating ;)

There should be an option for people who don't play MMORPGs.

Just bowhy? It is a poll for MMORPG players. If you dont' play MMORPG's just dont vote.

Though I don't think buying ingame cash has to be evil, I have never bought it, nor do I have the intention to do so. Gathering gold/money is often an aspect of the game, so buying it would be the same as playing a shooter with all the weapons from the start. It takes away part of the game.

I never have bought gold. Then again, I've never played an MMO. Monthly fee = no, I don't care how good the game is.

There is a lot of lieing mofo's out there. I think a lot of people have bought gold at one point or another... most likely in their new player phase. I knew no different from eBay to in-game when I was a newb UO player.

You get sucked in at first, but once you get more into the games you realize what it does. I have no friends who have not at least tried it once... but I know most of them would vote that they didn't ever buy it.

Maybe a "No, but I've thought about it." option is needed.

Steve, you really need to add the following to that poll:

"No, but I have nothing against the practice"

I havn't bought gold, and I don't plan to. However I have no problem with those who do, and no qualms about buying some for myself or others if the situation presented itself.

I personnaly am against gold buying and selling via real cash. It screws up the economy, even if it is small but still, gold in wow isn't real currency or a good, or a service!

Buying gold in an MMO is like paying for a movie ticket to a film you really want to see, then passing someone who is leaving the last showing as you are entering for yours, and paying that person to tell you the ending before going in.

Why are you playing it if all the work has been done for you? What could you possibly be getting from it at that point?

I haven't purchased gold for an MMORPG, but for Gunbound I have. However, that game doesn't allow for the sending of gold between players, but you can trade items, and the company itself sells gold for its own game. If Blizzard starting selling gold for example, I hope they don't, I would be tempted. Buying gold from gold farmers just feels wrong though.

I have never tried it, but if I wanted to one day I wouldnt mind buying gold. I dont think its bad at all.

I have never bought gold in WoW but I have bought gold in another mmorpg, Guild Wars. I have never played any mmos before guild wars so I wouldn't know what trouble gold farmers have caused honest gamers. All I know is in Guild Wars farming does not effect anything in game. The world is instanced so theres no spawn camping, or killing weaker characters who try to farm the same area, that stuff just isnt possible. So in Guils Wars I feel that farming or buying gold supporting the farming community isnt wrong. I can't say for other mmos but in terms of this game buying gold is logically a better use of time.

I think the poll shows that it doesn't take a lot of gold buyers to fund gold farmers. I bet that many are "repeat customers," but they can stop whenever they want. Really. Anytime they want. Just not now.

I would never buy gold, but if other people chose to do so, I think that is wonderful. From a non-gaming perspective it is a lovely business opportunity for 3rd world countries to earn some hard cash. It's easy to set up a shop with 10 computers in Chongqing and 20 gamers that play on 10-hour shifts each. They're dirt poor students and they need the money. Support gold farming today!

I voted the gold buying is evil.

The only thing is does it makes a person who can't farm gold for themselfs make other people who can't farm or are low unable to buy better equipment.
Level 10 blues can sell for 10g. Name 1 level 10 who got 10g farming with that account and not buying gold or getting help from others.
It's impossible and it leads to the sever hurting as a whole because people can't get better equipment.

I haven't bought gold in WoW, nor any other MMO. Although I voted for the "buying gold is evil" option, I don't actually view it that way. I have no opinion of it.

When people buy gold in an MMORPG it doesn't corrupt my game. It doesn't lessen it, or make it not worth playing.

If someone had a direct connection with what my character could do in the game, and consequences from their farming directly effected me (other than having to move to somewhere else to get what I wanted), then yes, I would be bothered by what happens. As it is, it makes no difference to me.
Someone might have all the best weapons and equipment, and they might not have worked for it; but why should that spoil my experience?

I, personally, very rarely take notice of the other players around me (apart from in obvious situations: groups, giving people Buffs etc.), so why would I take notice of their fancy items?
If anything, seeing people with all the best equipment and highest levels just makes me want to work harder to get it for myself.

If someone manages to earn real money for doing basically nothing, then good luck to them; I wish I'd thought of it. The only people they're effecting with it are people the that want to be a part of it too.

Gold Farming is just another Million Dollar Homepage to me.

While I've never bought MMORPG gold (probably because I don't play these alot) I have in other games cheated to get more money and it always seems to ruin the game for me in some way so I have to make a point to not try and get money this way. I can't tell you how may games in my youth were ruined by finding out that if you do this or that the game rewards you. I would think the same thing would happen to people buying gold since you are not earning it the hard way.

I agree with others - while I voted 'No, its evil' I don't really think it is evil. I just haven't and I'm not planning on it - that doesn't mean I might not ever do it though.

A group discussed this on our blog (www.gamingsignal.com) and believe that this is the future of MMO's. The bigger question is - when will one of the big players (like Sony) embrace this as part of their business model? Sooner rather than later I suspect, if John Smedley's comments (http://www.gamespot.com/news/6140991.html) are taken seriously.

The whole point of a game is to separate you from reality. Reality dictates how much money you have/make. To enter into a roleplaying character and then have money come from some outside source (your wallet in the real world) completely defeats the purpose of playing the game.

If you think buying gold is fine, then you've lost focus and given too much priority to a game. But then, you're probably the same kind of person who lets the game affect reality in other ways, too, like ignoring your wife, kids, friends, and personal hygene.

Here's a thought-- why not do what you need to do to get in-game gold IN-GAME? Isn't that the point? As soon as you bring in a RL advantage (more disposable income with which to buy stuff), you are screwing over people who may be playing the game earnestly and honestly who don't have enough to buy what they desire. You are also bypassing the work required to get that coveted item or mount, which devalues it for you. It frustrates others to know that people are running around in elite gear who just cha-chinged it. And those others matter, too. They make up the environment you play in.

To be fair, though, I don't see how it messes up the game economy. Any money attained in-game had to be made in-game, albeit by a gold "farmer," so if they were able to get it then the money was supposed to be released into the economy somehow. So, it doesn't devalue money or items in a monetary sense. Only in a value-added sense.

A fool and his money are soon parted. Keep on buying gold, you lowlife cheaters. ;)

This is a great question. Yes, I have bought gold. None yet for WoW, I'm only level 13 and have not found the need to. Fishing and cooking is making me all I need and I just made it out of the Night elf village. This game above all presents itself with ample opurtunities to aquire your own gold.

Anyone that has tried to play Lineage II legit usually buys at least their first few million adena just after if not before level 20. My legit char on Lineage II is 2 years old, level 56, and only has low grade C. My main is 72 with top A grade and is only about 9 months old.

The point here is that if you want to experience the game, sometimes you have to indulge yourself. I have had way more fun with the chars I bought gold, adena, gil, ect.. for than the legit chars because I can afford to blow some money sometimes. Yes, sometimes I like to bring the legit chars out and grind, but I would much rather take out the chars that are going to actually level and afford the items I need to get by.

First off the whole Real world for in-game cash is a lost cause. Anyone else paying the monthly fee (I think it's 14.95), well you need to quit, delete your chars, and un-install the game because paying that money each month for pixles on your computer is a waste of time and money.

As far as cheating goes, call it what you want. Cheating is gaining an unfair advantage over other players. Well we all have ample websites to buy it if we need it, so the unfair advantage is only for thoes who do not want to buy. So in my book it is not cheating, only using my own resources to further my gaming experience.

And about the economy. It really has no effect like the ones everyone says. Think about it. The famer farms 1 gold. Sells it to IGN for 5 dollars. IGN then sells it to a player for 7 dollars. That player then buys a piece of armor the farmer found and now the farmer has his 1 gold back. It's a vicious cycle.

Dont hate the players that buy gold, hate the websites that provide the service, and the farmers that keep it running. After all that person that bought your +15 Plate armor with +30 stamina and +600 HP probably bought his gold from somewhere, without which you may never sell that item. In-turn if you want to stop the buyers, you have to stop the selling, since thaty wont happen.....BUY ON!

It's not evil ... just not something I've done nor intend to do. For me, it's easy enough to farm, especially once you get past the initial areas and the drops improve (qualifying: I play Guild Wars, not WoW - I hate monthly fees, so I went the no-fee option).

Others in my guild have bought gold. It really doesn't affect me one way or the other. To me, it's like using a cheat code; but if they want to buy a game, then by-pass the normal flow of events, and if they can afford to do it, then no problem. It's the same with hiring a runner (with gold) to get to higher-level areas earlier than the character normally could. If they want to do it, no problem. The impact on me is so minimal, that's it's really not a concern for me.

I've played a lot of MMOGs, and no matter the genre I don't agree with buying in-game currency with real-life money. There's some that actually make this a central part of their business model, and I just don't play them so that's fine. Others though, are ruined by the greed.

For instance, SecondLife isn't as fun as it was 2 years ago, it used to be a closed economy but now it's quite the opposite, buying in-game currency with cash is supported by the developers as an integral part of the economy. Prices are kept high because the retailers want to convert the currency to real dollars. When you're new you require a huge amount of money in order to just =look= okay compared to everyone else, to get the clothes and "skins" and other accoutrements to not feel inferior. With prices far far higher than anyone could make through normal means, SecondLife is introduced as a harsh business simulator instead of the virtual paradise it was to my "generation". Retention rates are not as good, and those who stay spend 80% of their time AFK on 'money chairs' or playing "Tringo" or "Slingo" or "Thissucksgo" all day.

Actually, the only way for newbies to get ahead in SecondLife aside from buying money online, is to whore themselves. Hundreds, thousands do actually, and I'm not kidding. So hey if you've got money it's like a virtual red-light district, just remember nothing, nothing's for free.

Hi all, well I have never played WoW even though I think it's a kickass game, but I couldn't help, but to add my opinion in this matter. The only MMORPG I have played has been FFXI, and guys I must say that "Gil Sellers/Farmers" are really bad for the game >.< I think. They have created massive INFLATION in the game, the prices are really high, what used to cost 3k, has turned to 20k, what was once 200k is now like 1.2 mil. I mean really bad :(, not only that but here is the other part; You try to farm the land, and there is so much competition that it's not even funny, the Gil farmers are always or almost always in the same spot camping endlessly, and I'm not talking about 1 person, I mean like a group of them. And the same goes for those Rare monsters that spawn like 1 every day or every 2-3days or per week, they stay there all the damn time hogging everything. Thus making our lives horrible :(. I'm glad they Enix Square discontinued like 700 accounts for fraudalent actions on making/selling gil [FFXI money]. Just wanted to let you know that if ya'll didn't so you can have an idea of how bad it is.

Well if u ebay one time u cant quit it, becouse when u getting used to always afford things, u ebay again. First time i ebayed was in Lineage2 and if anyone has played l2 u know thats a really hard game to get cash in, i would say that u must ebay to get better gear it is no other way in that game.

And now im playing WoW and have bought gold a couple times, but im trying to quit ebay

Who Cares....let whomever do whatever they wanna do....Its just proof that everything does sell.

No, I answered. I do not buy gold.

Is it evil? I am not one to say. I find it personally hurtful. I spend my time walking through the game, meeting people, slowly coming to understand the universe that Blizzard has spent years developing, piece by piece, faction by faction, NPC by NPC. I use the "walk" key often, walking instead of running, running instead of riding, riding instead of flying. I value my armour, because I have put part of my own life into finding it. It is an investment. I meet people constantly who do not understand the world they play in, they only run through it at a mind-numbing blur, making the game an escape from life instead of a savoured morsel of life; it becomes a system of numbers instead of a world to make my own.

Because of my plodding pace, my value on the elements of the game, and a foolish desire for things to be Right, it is not uncommon for me to sell things for far less than suggested prices. I found it difficult when people tried to scalp me for Kingsblood when I came across a much greater need than my stash of Kingsblood could supply, and now I sell any surplus (which is relatively rare) for far less than is advised. This, for me, is the most rewarding way to play. If it were possible, I would play on a server with nothing but characters with my outlook on the game, but perhaps that would be just as detrimental to my enjoyment of the game as inflated prices.

Ive just bought gold for the first time in WOW.
Ive had a few months off and am startign completely anew, with a new server and new character etc. I have several high level characters on my old account which I gave to a friend.

I always was against gold selling.
However, as my wife and I have our first child now I just dont have the time to progress in the game and also spend time grinding for resources etc. I cant do big instances as I could be called away to look after the baby any second. so a lot of the nice gear is not available to me. I solo and enjoy the questing but really cant spend any time just getting money.

I feel that buying a set quantity of gold initially has allowed me to get a character going and with good management, means ill never have to buy gold again. I was playing yesterday and litterally had a few coppers and couldnt afford training. I know I can make that money but my hour for gaming which I get once per week night could be used for questing etc.

I kniow many wont agree with what I have done. However, when you find people who practically live in the gave 18 hours per day, I just cant compete with that. Why should they have the good stuff exclusively?

Basically, I want to enjoy playing the game the way that I can with the time ive got to game. I have bought gold not to spend all at once but instead of spending time gathering resources etc or grinding. It just means ill be able to equip my new character witha few bags and pay for training. Im not going to be buying epics items or anything liek that. Ill probably give some away to nice players here and there.

Cheers

i bought gold for wow, but i regret it... Should i turn myself in? They won't ban me then, right?