Selling Virtual Economy: A Real World Definition A virtual...

Virtual Economy: A Real World Definition A virtual economy is sometimes used interchangeably with the term synthetic economy. A virtual economy is an emergent economy existing in a virtually persistent world. This usually contains the exchanging virtual goods for virtual payment of some form and is used in the context of an Internet or online game. People or characters who enter these virtual economies for predominately do so for recreation and entertainment. This being the case, virtual economies lack the aspects of a real economy. For instance, real economies are not considered to be "fun." Players or characters in a virtual reality have no need for the driving forces that are the basis for real economies. Characters have no need for employment for wages as they do not have any physical needs. Virtual people need not purchase food, clothing, shelter, not health care, as they have no biological needs at all. This is not to say that some people do interact with virtual economies for "real" economic benefit.