Video games have come a long way. Within decades, they have gone from a fringe hobby to a major industry. But as sales increased and the market expanded, small and significant debates took place. As a child, your parents are … Continue reading
This week’s LGJ revisits the always popular topic of taxing virtual worlds. Read on! Disclaimer The content of this blog is not legal advice. It only constitutes commentary on legal issues, and is for educational and informational purposes only. Reading … Continue reading
This week’s Law of the Game on Joystiq tackles virtual world taxes. Read on! Disclaimer The content of this blog is not legal advice. It only constitutes commentary on legal issues, and is for educational and informational purposes only. Reading … Continue reading
The proposed “Game Tax” from Wisconsin state senator Jon Erpenbach has gained quite a bit of attention, and accordingly, I thought it was worth addressing a few key points. First, I’m sure many folks are wondering why they should care … Continue reading
A point I brought up in my 2005 paper, which was recently touched on by Symantec according to an article, is the possibility for money laundering through MMO games. The idea is simple enough: push money through virtual transactions to … Continue reading
Your “buy in” is the purchase of ammo. Your health bar is your wager. You lose money for damage taken, and gain money for damage inflicted. This is the basic concept behind the first true “gambling” First Person Shooter, Kwari, … Continue reading
While the US report is due in a little over a month, South Korea has decided to impose a Value Added Tax (VAT) on real money trading in virtual worlds starting in less than a week. Specifically, those who earn … Continue reading
It would appear the US Federal Government may finally be taking notice of virtual economies, as it is being reported that a report on the matter is due in August. Of course, an in depth dissection will appear on this … Continue reading
In my previous article, I outlined the basics of the World of Warcraft and Second Life licensing models, along with a business plan that could be applied in the way Sony has implemented Station Exchange for EverQuest II. This article … Continue reading
1UP recently posted this article, which originally ran in Games for Windows magazine this month. Taxing virtual economies has been something I’ve looked into since 2005, and based on the current state of the World (of Warcraft), residents of Azeroth … Continue reading
