I just read an article in Business Week the growth of the business of buying virtual goods for social network games such as FarmVille, FishVille and Mafia Wars. In principle, I have nothing against buying virtual goods if that's what floats your boat. I buy loads of real golf balls for real golf, however, for as long as I keep them, they may as well be "virtual".
What really got me about the article was that there are companies out there (Boku, Zong, Kwedit) who are targeting people who don't have the money to pay!
Business Week reports: "Boku and Zong have created applications so gamers can easily pay for virtual goods via a mobile phone. They are appealing to kids who don't have bank accounts or credit cards.." Just maybe the kids should GET a bank account BEFORE they worry about buying a virtual helicopter for Mafia Wars.
Even more disturbing is that Kwedit, a Mountain View CA startup, has developed software that allows users to get game currency IMMEDIATELY, if they promise to pay for it later.
Whatever happened to good old fiscal restraint. Where did we loose sight of the idea that we just have to wait for some things. Put a dollar a week away and in 6 weeks I can buy a Helicopter. In the mean time, fantasize about how great it will be to have it, how you will use it, what you will save for next.
Greed and the desire for instant gratification (also spelled "overextended credit") to a large degree are what got us into the global economic mess we find ourselves in. When will we ever learn?? If corporate America won't take responsibility for reducing the glamor and ease of credit, we should take the lead ourselves, both in how we manage our desires and how we teach our children.
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