Getcher Epic Mounts Right Here Folks...
The concept of virtual economies is fascinating, and for a while now I've been of the mind that it's only a matter of time before someone really capitalizes on it in the form of MMO commerce. What a great idea right? Setting up a system in which everyone can trade nothing for nothing and both sides feel like they've accomplished something or if nothing else gained something of value. You know those moments where someone makes a metric fuckton of money from an idea you discarded as silly? I just had one of those.
Playspan, a virtual world goods seller, has received $6.5 million in venture funding and they haven't even gotten off the ground yet. The kicker, the founder of the company is 12 years old and started the company with the profits he made from selling items he won from questing during his 5th grade school year. In 5th grade I was staring dreamily out the window imagining my classmates screaming in terror as death beams rained down from my moon fortress, not building the foundation of an empire.
Playspan has since changed management, which is good considering the first thing most 12 year olds with the inherent geekery required to start a virtual goods company would do with $6.5 million is buy and sell their tormentors outright. Playspan has signed up seven MMOG publishers and is currently making a bid to be the only official virtual goods trading service available.
Many people have problems with the virtual economies that tend to spring up around this kind of thing, but to be honest I'm fascinated. These worlds help create miniature versions of our world (at least when it comes to mundane functions like virus' and economies) and can help us study the effects of introducing a new element to an established system much like watching the effects of bacteria in a petri dish if the bacteria had +15 armor and a bitchin' sword. Regardless of your take on whether the establishment of virtual economies (and monopolies as it appears this kid is trying to set up) is good or bad you really have to hand it to junior for what is easily one of the best moves a 12 year old has made.
via N4G
