These games are designed for specific reasons. I think Gold Farming will destroy the game in the end. I have played WoW for a long time and I know millions of other people too. It is a pain in the butt to get gold, but that is part of the experience. These Games Economies are fragile and when these ignorant people farm gold or find better ways to beat the games design. It destroys the enjoyment of the games. The game is designed the same way as our life, you get a reward for your accomplishments and hard work which makes the Games and Life exciting.

It is up to the Developers and True Players of these Games to stop these types of things. I hate Bots, and Hacks. Play the GAME! Thats what it's designed for.

STOP DESTROYING THE GAME!!!

No, please *do* destroy this game. MMOs are a fad. The sooner they're gone, the better.

You think the idea of playing a game and getting paid for it won't light up the eyes of many a gamer? I see there being degrees created in professional gaming. Nerds rejoicing of their dreams coming true. Rich gamer's will pay for being rushed to the high level parts of the game. MMOs aren't going anywhere as people keep trying to live fantasy social lives on a computer.

I believe that the way to go is to establish a method of buying Gametime through ingame currency. If done right, Players who need Gold can buy a GTC and sell it inGame for Gold.

This goes completly around the Goldfarmers (they cannot earn money this way) and being a legal way to aquire more Gold it would attract lots of ppl who would otherwise buy from the farmers.

This is a tried method. in the MMO "EVE Online" this has been working for over a year now, and I for one have seem much less farmers since then.

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He who finds spelling errors may keep them

I will have to agree with Portillo that MMOs aren't going anywhere for a long, long time. Too many people said gaming (then arcades) was just a fad, but, of course, people said the same thing when the highly expensive but magical "television" was introduced to the world. Games know no bounds as they are only limited by our imagination (unlimited) and our technology (raising exponentially all the time). They satisfy many needs of human beings, virtual or not, including social needs, however, Portillo. In fact, gaming provides an excellent source of socialization. One may meet, talk, discuss, and play with people from all across our wide planet with few restrictions such as prejudice as one cannot know if the people with which they converse are obese, skinny, tall, short, ugly, diseased, of one ethnicity or another, etc, and so people are not judged as such.

Though I feel it is wrong, people are always seeking an easier way in life, trying to cut corners, and are natural business people always trying to make some money. So, though ambitious and creative, these "farmers" and people who deal with them are hurting the MMOs that they play.

I am surprised this article did not mention these farmers and their associates doing this for actual, physical cash on eBay, for example, though.

Thats a very rosey happy picture of the joys of virtual emplyment but the writer appears to be new to MMORPG's and does realize one tiny issue.

Its against the EULA to participate in any way, in RMT (real money transactions)

Most MMO companies struggle constantely against both the dirtbag farmer and the dirtbags who buy the gold / power leveling services / bots or whatever other cheats they try to use.

In the end thats all it is, cheating and you will get banned if found out or reported.

OK, if any of you play runescape, you know about bots and marcoers. A few of you may know about gold farming. They did get rid of gold farming, but they destroyed the game as you may know if you played before 10/12/07. point is that it will destroy MMORPGs
Dustin H

People always praise those who donate to poor countries...this is their own way of getting money and it is way better than the money they are getting paid. A good gold farmer can make a hundred dollars a day, which is what a years pay for a Chinese child. I feel that some people are in debt to these people. If you have the money and willing to pay it why should it be stopped?