Man sells "virtual property" for over half million dollars.

Man sells virtual property for 653 thousand REAL dollars!

From Forbes:

blogs.forbes.com...

This is pretty wild. Virtual property...Next a virtual property tax!


I don't know what to think about this, it seems insane but you can't argue with results.

Is this a virtual post? Where are the words?

reply to post by Stewie


So what is this? A virtual post?

reply to post by thisguyrighthere

Sorry, the computer wigged out on me in the middle of the post.
Corrected.

I guess by extension there is a "virtual tax."

Ive read about people in Second Life selling real estate and things. All virtual. And if your real profit frokm selling virtual crap exceeds a certain amount in a given year you are obligated to pay taxes on it.

Every time some nerd buys a warcraft character or sells a warcraft character they're essentially doing the same thing and from what Ive seen on eBay and Craigslist an awful lot of virtual characters are being bought and sold.

reply to post by thisguyrighthere

This virtual property is actually property. As such, it will merit a property tax. It is tangible goods...until the power goes out.
I guess there will be insurance policies that will be offered on this virtual property against hackers?

reply to post by groingrinder

Aren't they all?

Could this be the real beginnings of a Matrix type existence?

Spending real money on make believe fantasies, this is completely unrealistic, but then we wonder why so many people have their heads stuck in the sand-or will it now be"the virtual world"

Why sell the investment for almost seven hundred thousand ? He states clearly he was making two hundred thousand a year from it ?

Would have set some alarm bells ringing in my head for certain if i was a possible buyer. Maybe he saw the ship sinking and got off before it sank.

Good luck to the moron that parted with all that money hahahaha !

Regards

reply to post by Pappa_Bear

The closest thing I can think of that compares to this is spending this kind of money on modern art. You know, the art that you look at and go, "wha the fu.."?
This is a vritual Vegas style complex, but not real, and you get to be the "owner". What a rip. You get to "run" it!
Real money, for a fantasy is what it boils down to.

reply to post by h3akalee

Yes, interesting. He may regret it.
Then again, he has something else planned,
Rocktropia?
I think this sort of thing, barring internet changes that could derail the industry, is just getting started.

reply to post by Stewie


great.. more ways to create insurance fraud...

i had virtual property, and it was blown up... wheres my money

guy's a genius, if you ask me.

took a working business/model, improved upon it and sold it at a decent profit for his efforts throughout.

in today's day and age who cares if it's virtual or physical, the lines between both seem to be blurring further with each and every passing day. no?

not much different than the .dot com boom years back .... where mere domain names were going for rather exorbitant prices left and right.

good for him, and look forward to more of the same in coming years, guaranteed.

Every time some nerd buys a warcraft character

You know over 12 million "nerds" play World of Warcraft, right?

I get really offended when people make these types of derogatory remarks about the "nerds" who live in their parents basements ect;

The truth is, millions of people play games like Second Life and World of Warcraft, it's a virtual society that is gaining more and more citizens. Pretty soon YOU will be the nerd if you're not a citizen of this complex virtual society. And it IS NOT mostly teenagers living in their parents basements. It is people just like me, middle aged, and female with jobs and families and responsibilities. The youngest member in my guild ( a group of people who band together in a "club") is 22. The oldest is 54. We are plumbers, accountants, nurses, and housewives.

I have spent hours, days, weeks months "playing" my avatar. It is A real investment. It has taken me the most valuable commodity of all, TIME , to get her where she is.

To laugh this trend off, to make fun, to insinuate that it is a joke, or a waste of time or other negative stereo types is not to be realistic about where we, as society, are going. These worlds are as real as the world I am in this second, sitting in front of my PC, they have REAL people, REAL investments, REAL commitments, and REAL achievements.

In World of Warcraft I am a priestess on whom a group of 25 people depend on to help them accomplish lofty goals. I call down the powers of holy magic to heal them of their wounds, cleanse them of their diseases and protect from danger.

In real life, I'm an accountant. I look at spreadsheets. I go to boring staff meetings.

I know which life I find more appealing.

P.S - A VAST majority of people never buy characters. It's a taboo, and frowned upon within the player community.

reply to post by 12m8keall2c

Good points.

But, think about it. There is really nothing "tangible" there, really. He is a genius, yes. People will buy this stuff and make geniuses like him and others lots of money, yes.

The idea isn't that foreign or far out to me. I've sold some virtual goods (feel free to lookup my name on TurboSquid if ya want), but never thought (or had the gall) to sell anything for $1,000,000. I've only put things up at bargain prices. Then again my things aren't overly hyped, unique, nor tied to any particular 3D game or simulation. They're just some half-decent 3D models in a very common format. Once purchased - you can use them however you want short of re-selling them.

In a way what this guy did is like hitting the lotto. The fact that somebody with enough real money appreciated his work takes some luck. Being in the right place at the right time and making the right pitch...

reply to post by Merigold


These worlds are not real!! They are virtual worlds in a video game, no different from someone playing call of duty or gta on an xbox.. I think it is a worrying situation when people start to get these virtual worlds confused with reality! Nerds is not a word I would use for these people, it would be disillusioned..
There is nothing wrong with playing video games in your spare time, but you have to accept that's all it is a game.. Don't lose touch with the real world. I imagine some of these people can't wait to finish work to get home and sit in front of a computer screen controlling a virtual character..
This sort if thing is becoming a real unseen problem in society, when I was a child we never had Internet or even a mobile phone, if I wanted to see my friends or have some fun, I had to go out and find my friends and we would make our own games alot of which were physical actvities, we had plenty of excersise.. Alot of The children today sit at home, sending emails to their friends next door, soon maybe they will even study at home then there will be no need to even leave the house.
Don't get me wrong, today's technology is fantastic but we have to draw the line somewhere.. And as for paying 700k for a virutual property that is just crazy!!

reply to post by Merigold


These worlds are not real!! They are virtual worlds in a video game, no different from someone playing call of duty or gta on an xbox.. I think it is a worrying situation when people start to get these virtual worlds confused with reality! Nerds is not a word I would use for these people, it would be disillusioned..
There is nothing wrong with playing video games in your spare time, but you have to accept that's all it is a game.. Don't lose touch with the real world. I imagine some of these people can't wait to finish work to get home and sit in front of a computer screen controlling a virtual character..
This sort if thing is becoming a real unseen problem in society, when I was a child we never had Internet or even a mobile phone, if I wanted to see my friends or have some fun, I had to go out and find my friends and we would make our own games alot of which were physical actvities, we had plenty of excersise.. Alot of The children today sit at home, sending emails to their friends next door, soon maybe they will even study at home then there will be no need to even leave the house.
Don't get me wrong, today's technology is fantastic but we have to draw the line somewhere.. And as for paying 700k for a virutual property that is just crazy!!

This is absolutely the truth.

I, myself, make a living from creating and selling virtual clothing in Second Life.
This man, isnt the only one who became a millionaire from Sl, Anshe Chung, is actually the first.

I started doing this 5 years ago, when SL was young, and now make a comfortable living, to where I work at home and it supports myself and my son.
My Creations in Second Life

This isnt for everyone, you really need some kind of talent, or at least lots of practice. I am professional Photoshop CS5.
But it only takes a business mind and a little starting money to be able to get rich with the "virutual" land.
This isnt a game, its a platform, really. You are able to do anything your heart desires in SL. Its really great for people who are otherwise, shy, or people who are wheelchair bound.
I know someone there who is paraplegic but is able to skydive, and deepsea fish, even took a ride on the "Black Pearl", so virtual life is helpful to some.

To me, now, its basically a job. But it's one of the best jobs anyone could have.

Originally posted by Misterlondon
reply to post by Merigold

 

These worlds are not real!! They are virtual worlds in a video game, no different from someone playing call of duty or gta on an xbox.. I think it is a worrying situation when people start to get these virtual worlds confused with reality! Nerds is not a word I would use for these people, it would be disillusioned..
There is nothing wrong with playing video games in your spare time, but you have to accept that's all it is a game.. Don't lose touch with the real world. I imagine some of these people can't wait to finish work to get home and sit in front of a computer screen controlling a virtual character..
This sort if thing is becoming a real unseen problem in society, when I was a child we never had Internet or even a mobile phone, if I wanted to see my friends or have some fun, I had to go out and find my friends and we would make our own games alot of which were physical actvities, we had plenty of excersise.. Alot of The children today sit at home, sending emails to their friends next door, soon maybe they will even study at home then there will be no need to even leave the house.
Don't get me wrong, today's technology is fantastic but we have to draw the line somewhere.. And as for paying 700k for a virutual property that is just crazy!!

This "virtual world" is as real as it gets without being real..lol

There is no limit to what you can do here. The platform is not static, as is WOW or other "games". In world of warcraft, the world never changes, only your characters. In SL, the entire platform is created by the users. It changes constantly. You build a house, it has changed, tear down the house, it has changed again.
SL is a one of a kind platform, hasnt been outdone yet. Its a billion dollar business, and continues to grow. You can even take REAL college classes from REAL colleges inside of SL.

Its also very adult orientated, with an entire island of Amsterdam. Which is so realistic, you can almost smell the surroundings It also includes the red light district.. Now remember, these are all REAL people who "dance" for you ..lol