Play Money

Play Money by Julian Dibbell- Online Copy

A little about the author.

Julian Dibbell quit his job to make money off of the Internet. On March 11, 2003 he did just that. Sounds crazy, but he actually did it. He didn't just wake up one more and decide to quit his job. Before he did so, he did much research and talked to many different people about this line of work. The first 2 parts of the book is where Dibbell searches for answers about the virtual economy.

THE NOOB
Trading of goods in the virtual world wasn't exactly new to Dibbell, he himself was a player of Despise. He is not quite sure when the idea first hit him, but it wasn't short after he got "pwned." Dibbell was happy being a small time trader, killing "lizard men" to make money off of their skin--leather. He wasn't aware of the hierarchy and seriousness of the virtual world until he got attacked by a stronger more experienced player. After the player killed him and went to rob him; all he had was leather. In anger the other player shouted out "fucking noob, next time bring something worth taking." This was a new and exciting experience for Dibbell, not exactly the one he was looking for though. As he contemplated the hierarchy and and what made people play this game. His initial answer was fun, "...but what was that?" He was soon to find out and ask more and more questions about this virtual economy. He thought about quitting, but the questions kept coming back.

TIJUANA
His first task was to find out how other companies made money off of the Internet. Lee Caldwell was the first he talked to, him and his roommates made profit off of a company they made called Blacksnow Interactive. It wasn't the eBay or other trading sites that interested Dibbell but Blacksnow made money selling items that didn't even exist! Massively multi player online role-playing games or MMORPG was what this trade was called. What makes these things desireable? If there is no winners or losers, why do people play and pay for this game?
He found out problems can arise with this business. Blacksnow sold its items on a game called Dark Age of Camelot, ran by Mystic Entertainment. The owner was not happy with what was being done and sued the company. This has happened in Secondlife also. This raised another question for Dibbell, "Exactly who owns the wealth of virtual worlds? The companies that create those worlds? Or the players who fuel those economies?"
The reason for Dibbell to go to Tijuana in the first place was because Caldwell told him that Blacksnow had a secret to their success, Mexican workers working for 19 dollars a day. They are not experienced, and some might not even know how to play the game, but they follow specific instructions everyday to make the virtual economy better for Blacksnow. However, Dibbell made the trip for nothing, Caldwell never showed up, stating, it could make their company look bad. This made Dibbell think if it really did exist.
Quote pg 23
Through his experience with Blacksnow, he stated "What Blacksnow's story was trying to tell me about contemporary economic life was this: It is becoming play. A game." Dibbell uses the Matrix as an example of virtual reality, " The Matrix, where, in a unsettlingly familiar future, the daily grind of economic production turns out to be no more then the rules of what is essentially a vast multi player computer game." Is that true? He is not talking about games as a metaphor but as a symptom. Players don't play just for fun, but what every human being wants, wealth. After Caldwell refused to show him the Blacksnow "sweatshop" he continued on his quest to "battle" more lizard men and find out the truth.
Questions that arises from Dibbell: What is the point, or the psychology, of games? Why do people play, and what makes some play have value, enough value that people will pay "real"money for virtual gaming items? Is the world's economy turning into a game, when game-like speculation on the "value" of shares in a company may be"worth" more than the goods or services produced?