Governments bringing laws to the virtual world

Originally Posted by KrazyTaco

So for example, if you buy a mythical sword of awesomness from some guy who lives in California and pay for it in-game with in-game currency, you would have to pay a real life sales tax to the IRS in the form of a dollar.

err, i think you (and everyone that picked up your tremors) got the wrong end of the stick there

Originally Posted by THE NEWS

In the near future, the IRS could require game developers to keep records of all the transactions that take place in virtual economies and tax players on their gains before any game currency is converted into dollars.

This shadow of a law pertains to cases where in game currency crosses over with real world money. In which case I wouldn't have a problem with such a law; for a start it wouldn't apply to me. I play MMORPGS for 'fun' and 'escape' as you mention, and such a law doesn't remove from that. It's the dollar traders that started breaking down that wall of the artificial world, that would feel it; now they can play by the rules of other real world elements like the IRS too.

As for that other law and those crazy chinese

Originally Posted by The article linked to, what do you mean you didn't read it?

In January, in the aftermath of the public outcry (and virtual die-ins), the Chinese government announced that adults could play MMORPGs for as long as they like.

This thread is just a lot of smoke.

Jam it back in, in the dark.