I deal with the issue of gold farming and such the same way I deal with most other issues: apathy.

It's going to happen no matter what, blah blah blah the google ads can't be controlled, etc.

I suppose if you really wanted to take a stand you could put google ads on a global block, then at least you wouldn't be a part of it in any capacity, even an insignificant one.

I'm not at all finding fault with GFF here, or trying to "preach the evils of gold farming" here. I don't play MMORPGs and I don't think GFF is at fault for the ads Google delivers. But it sure seems like an interesting little issue, as apparently do other people, so let's chat about it.

Also, I have a name and you could be more respectful than to refer to me as "this guy" when I'm, metaphorically speaking, "in the room".

Haven't you ever cared about the principle of something? =\

I have an honest question about this thread.

Why is anybody honestly caring about the 'MMORPG black market' when we trade MP3s, ROMs, and other illegal materials?

Now I dont have a problem with people buying gold/items or whatever. The only problem I have is the people supplying them with such things AKA Gold farmers.

As someone already stated they tend to ruin alot of enjoyment out of the game. I, Myself play wow alot and It dosn't take long to figure out who is a gold farmer. I mean Gold farming has been getting worse as the days go by. When I first started playing WOW on the Medivh server There really wasn't many. But now when your in need of lets say a few potions and you know they drop off certain mobs, you know damn well when you go to that area and will already be populated with gold farmers. Hence lowering your ability to get said items while these dumb asses place them in auctions houses and try to sell shit for 20g higher then it should be (talking about common items not epics)

Even now Gold farmers have gotton even worse with most of them now being Bots. They program thier toon to go and find the same respawn areas of mobs and kill them automaticly and they path the same way each time. When they dont even have to be at the computer and still doign that do you you know something needs to be done.

In Blizzards defence(WOW) they appernly banned Thousands of accounts with suspected gold farmers and took millions of gold out of the market in hopes to cure the issue. But it wont go away. ITs just one of those annoying things you have to deal with to play an MMO it seems.

Side note, When Blizzard was about to ban those accounts a bunch of farmers made level 1 toons and spam the big cities about Farmer rights and were basicly begging not to ban them. I found it funny seeing as they can't speak a lick of english. But it is to my understanding that in the terms of use thing that selling gold like that is illegal right?

The issue is aybe not as apparent in WOW as other MMO's. I have been playing FFXI for over 2 years. And what I can say about how gold farming affects the game on the server Seraph. When I started the game you could buy an Emperor's hairpin that drops from an NM you can take when you hit 30+ if I remember right for 300k gil now last i saw it has hit 5 mill. The inflation of the game is insane things that where before thought of as something everyone could afford now only are avalible to the elite or those who buy gil. SE has even gone to the lenght of making some of these items RARE/EX to try to calm down the economy. Also theres the issue of gold farmers who grief you if you dare to touch THEIR nm.

Gold trade hurts MMO's on a deeper and bigger scale than any wallhack in CS will ever do.

Because this one has a negative impact on our lives unlike other illegal things, probably.

How about if we call it something like a symbolic gesture? You know, we take away at least one of their customers and that makes it worth it.

Try convincing a few million people to stop being customers...

Wait, these ads are being carried by Google. Anything sanctioned by Google can't possibly be unethical!