From...

by Joe Nickell

(IDG) -- Last March, Ultima Online fanatic Dave Turner decided it was time to quit. The Texas firefighter had spent hundreds of hours playing Ultima and developing his digital character, from a lowly and weak novice to one of the most powerful and wealthy characters in the Ultima world through conquest after conquest. But in the real world, Turner had to face taking on a second job to help pay the bills. He "hated to see [the] character go away for good. ... [I] felt there was value in those assets."

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Realizing that many players would love to experience the game through the eyes of a nearly-invincible character capable of single-handedly taking on monsters, Turner decided to try something nutty: He offered his Ultima Online character account for sale on eBay, the popular online auction site. He made $521 on the sale, and became one of the first players to cash in on an unlikely secondary marketplace for Ultima – and, more recently, EverQuest – characters.

"I guess it beats bagging groceries at the corner store," laughs Lisa Simpson, president of Sony Online Entertainment, which hosts the EverQuest servers. More soberly, Simpson says she's not surprised by the more than 5,000 eBay auctions for EverQuest goods and characters that took place in September alone.

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"This is an extremely committed audience who relate to this game as a lifestyle," says Simpson. "Just like with other forms of entertainment, there'll be a number of secondary markets to emerge around these titles."

That's not to say the makers of EverQuest are completely supportive of this "secondary market." In late October, Sony subsidiary and EverQuest coproducer 989 Studios issued a warning to players that such auctions violate the EverQuest licensing agreement. While neither Sony nor 989 Studios plans to enforce the policy – the volume of new auctions hasn't slowed – the warning came in response to concerns from players regarding alleged bid-padding and fraudulent offers for sale.

A spokesperson for 989 Studios declined to comment on the warning. According to Simpson, Sony Online Entertainment "does not support or condone the selling of EverQuest characters on eBay or elsewhere."

The array of EverQuest biddable goods on eBay ranges from platinum pieces – the most valuable coin of the game, used for buying food and equipment – to magical items that offer greater protection or lethality in combat. On Sept. 28, one player paid $1,925 for a "flowing black haste sash," a piece of defensive armor with magical properties. Platinum pieces trade for real cash at an almost money-market-solid rate of $1 for 10 platinum pieces.

Contacted via e-mail a day before his auction ended in early October, one player, who asked to be identified only as Travis, dismissed the possibility that he would ever see the $1,000 that had been bid for his EverQuest character account on eBay. "I really don't think any sale of this size goes through. I'll believe it when I'm holding a fist fulla dollars."

The next day, Travis e-mailed us, elated: "It sold! $1,100 cash – I had the money in 30 minutes! Hah ... who woulda thought, eh?" Most players who've tried to sell their character accounts for cash go through the same process of disbelief. Yet the idea of paying for a persona – or for intangible goods – has roots that go back far beyond the digital age. During the heyday of traveling performers, famous magicians and clowns commonly sold their name and shtick to an apprentice. Even today, it's hardly a secret that royal titles can be bought in Britain and elsewhere. And ultimately, digital goods are no less tangible than cash itself: It's not the object that has value, but what you can do with it.

Still, when the computer is shut down, what do the people who've spent thousands of dollars on digital characters and loot have to show for it?

In a word, time. Most players who responded to queries about their purchase (none of whom wished to be identified) agreed that buying a powerful character allowed them to explore life at the top of the heap without having to spend months getting there.

"Liken it to buying godhood," says "Blazar," a 23-year-old EverQuest player from Galveston, Texas, who claims to hold the record for receiving the most money for a character account. In September, Blazar sold his ultrapowerful character for $4,850.

Blazar says it took him more than 1,900 hours of playing time to build the character. "Basically, I've had to be a total computer nerd to play for that long," he says. "Funny how much your social life improves after you sell your addiction."