In our new MMO Manifesto video, ArenaNet Studio Lead Mike O’Brien and key creators explain how Guild Wars 2 will defy MMO conventions and create a new kind of game – free from boring grind and static, unchanging worlds. Loaded with incredible gameplay footage, the MMO Manifesto video charts a bold new direction in gaming. Watch it right here!

Awakening to this wide-spread practice in many online games governments are now investigating these practices[14]. In Australia the ATO has already stated it views all such income, whether from the real economy, or virtual, as taxable income[15]. The U.S. Congress, too, in a turn-around on its views in 2006 is now contemplating once again applying a tax on virtual goods which are traded for real world money, similar in a sense to the tax applied to goods traded online[16]. MMO Companies that wish to allow any legtimate trade may then be required to build in systems to track all such trades.[17]. For the IRS in the United states taxation of virtual assets has become not a matter of if they will be taxing them, but when taxation will begin.[18]

Law Enforcement Agencies have also begun to take and interest in investigating and tracking these activities, not only because of fraud and money laundering opportunities [19], but because these agencies will be required to take a view since public policy has shifted to include virtual assets as real world income revenue for many governments. The Korean government recently has enacted legislation that has banned the exchange of virtual goods for real money[20]. Though websites who conducted this trade banded together to mediate, with the legislators which eventually resulted in the bill only outlawing use of game exploits, prosecution for which could result in a $50,000 dollar fine and jail for up to 5 years[21].

In more significant development for gold farming operators throughout China, the authorities’ concern over recent fraud cases has led, according to its news agency, to “growing calls for virtual property to be defined and bound by laws that will protect it from theft and plagiarism”. Wang Xiaodong, a lawyer on intellectual property rights (IPR) from C&I Partners (Guangdong), told China Daily yesterday believes a specific law crafted by the Supreme Court of the People”to protect virtual property in the future.”[22]

As for the gamers who farm items themselves, in China under 18s will have difficulty playing for long hours required to farm any significant amounts online, given a new mandate by the Chinese Government according to a CNBC news report[23]. The mandate requires online games to have monitoring software for under 18 users to be warned to stop and exercise at the 3 hour mark, and after that to stop playing at 5 hours. Apparently under 18s who violate this new mandate may be required to attend an Internet Addiction Clinic if they don’t reform. To play online gamers will be required “to register with a real name and ID card number so that the system knows if they are under 18 or not”