[Off Topic] Gold Sellers story

There was a great piece in this month's 'Wired' magazine about the founder of IGE (one of the largest companies which supplied gold, power levelling services, etc to MMO players), Brock Pierce:

Wired magazine <-- link

I'm doing a bit of research (as a journalist) on the same general area. If you think you can assist, do contact me offlist or via my site, www.nickryan.net

Basically I need help contacting people who've used gold sellers, power levelling or other 'paid' services. There's news that Sony has launched an 'official' service now that lets you do this legally within its games. Will WoW follow?

/bump

Contacts required for people who've used gold selling companies; experiences they had; links to gold sellers I could interview/chase; etc. Anonymity guaranteed. Will be for a big article to go an on well-known MMO site.

Well as a hint, apparently the chinese now tax the money earnt by goldfarmers. (may be rumour, as i often never bother checking 100%)

Pyschotaz wrote:

Well as a hint, apparently the chinese now tax the money earnt by goldfarmers. (may be rumour, as i often never bother checking 100%)

Thanks Taz, that's ... er ... reliable information

i dont thrust this.
i bet its a trap from blizzard to catch some gold buyers

munechi wrote:

i dont thrust this.
i bet its a trap from blizzard to catch some gold buyers

Lol you fucking numpty. It's me writing this. Don't you know who I am?

www.nickryan.net -> me -> investigative journalist = Opathu

you got beta from blizzard maybe this is how you repay them

I got a beta key as well, but you don't see me doing anything special (apart from the complimentary harassing of their GMs on a near-daily basis)

In all seriousness, my journalistic friend, I sincerely doubt that anybody who might populate these forums would step forwards (even in private) if they had bought gold or other such services; a fair few of us have... let's say... "slightly negative" views about such paid services, and I doubt anyone would willingly risk incurring the associated ire.

The story is this:

Intro: There are a lot of myths around gold sellers. Rip offs, hackers, Chinese etc. But a large number of people use them and the business is worth $millions. Also, Sony Entertainment is launching an official gold selling service now, perhaps forever changing the landscape of this area.

Part 1: Interview gold sellers. Who are they? What do they do? Are they really "Chinese gold farmers" Are there more and less legitimate versions of them? Nick Ryan talks to them.

Part 2: Interview players who've used their services. What happened? Did it go ok? Or wrong? Were you ripped off? Was it worth it? (etc) Nick Ryan profiles players (THIS CAN BE DONE ANONYMOUSLY)

Part 3: Interview MMO companies. What do they think about gold sellers? Why do they try and ban them? Why is Sony making its own gold selling service?

This will be appearing as a package of stories on a high-profile, internet based magazine.

Read the story from Wired (if you don't know what Wired is, please voluntarily report for our euthanasia programme ) I shall be writing myself for Wired in the coming months.

This is all there is to it. Don't tell me if you don't want to do it. Simply contact me if you do, or know someone else who will.

Other story, on WoW Families:

I hope to be continuing with this story in the New Year (how MMOs can be used to bring families together). I have to complete a story on how we approach death == a profile of 5 people near the end of life -- for the Times Magazine before I can then go onto the 'proper' write up of the WoW families story.

Thanks for your patience!

I've already had a couple of replies from SSLers on this, so thanks for those anonymous stories guys. Now, the rest of you, I'd appreciate any help.

You don't have to "shop" anyone: interesting articles, research you've seen, gold sellers you've heard of, etc. Anything like that could be helpful and I would be most grateful for your assistance.

Well, the only thing I know about the gold sellers is that they advertise on Facebook.

Gurfang wrote:

Well, the only thing I know about the gold sellers is that they advertise on Facebook.

Pray enlighten me more on this.

As a guild master/officer I've had problems with my guild members using such services, then later getting hacked. Equally I have friends who've had nothing but good things to say about it.

And families in WoW? well other than Sis not so much, though falling for men through wow thats another story, hell thats my autobiography.

Emanee wrote:

And families in WoW? well other than Sis not so much, though falling for men through wow thats another story, hell thats my autobiography.

Could do worse in terms of autobiographies. ;P

Opathu wrote:

Gurfang wrote:

Well, the only thing I know about the gold sellers is that they advertise on Facebook.

Pray enlighten me more on this.

If you use a web browser that does not remove adverts from the pages you view then you will eventually find them in FB, on the right hand side of the screen.

Gurfang wrote:

Opathu wrote:

Gurfang wrote:

Well, the only thing I know about the gold sellers is that they advertise on Facebook.

Pray enlighten me more on this.

If you use a web browser that does not remove adverts from the pages you view then you will eventually find them in FB, on the right hand side of the screen.

I think your browser is detecting cookies from previous visits to gold seller websites, Gurf .... tsk.

he clicked on a sex leg?

---deleted---

Sorry, was not in the best frames of mind when I replied

Have since eaten chocolate

/wrists

i like choclate

Smearing excrement on your clothes doesn't count.

Hi guys,

Ok I need to expedite this now. Would any (more) of you be so kind as to offer me your QUOTABLE - I repeat QUOTABLE (not flaming, not lol, and not random crap from Munechi either ^^) - on gold selling, power levelling and so on.

If you are AGAINST it, say why; if you are FOR it; say why; if you are neither FOR or AGAINST, again say why. Then tell me if you would like me to quote you as you (your real name); as your character name only; or anonymous.

Mori says: I'm sure I can post something (allegedly) funny before your "in before".

Oh yes: in before Mori, Vex, and random n00bs post something (allegedly) funny.

This is all going to go up on Eurogamer.net. Here's your chance for internet fame!

Nick

Internet fame? Yea right nevermind I feel like sharing my opinion and what I experienced in WoW.

First I am against gold selling because of the simple reason the way how gold sellers mostly obtain that gold. Besides the stereotype of a 12 year old Chinese kid who plays WoW 8 hours a day grinding gold in the world of Azeroth there a other method.

Its a system of keyloggers > account goes to hacker > steals your gold or uses your account as a farm char (mostly both) > and then sells your own gold back for real money if you do use this service. Now this is pretty fucked up as everyone can see, besides it kills the fun in a game designed to interact with other people online and explore fantasy worlds and not to hear from lvl 1 chars: Are you there?

Dont know if thats what you asked for, anyhow my opinion more or less as a victim of hackers myself.

About name, I dont give a damn use my real name or char name both can be found on WAL anyhow.

Good luck with that Article.

Damn was busy typing! Now that S-troll posted it before me!
We share views.

bitch!