~~~(POV: Justin Xander)~~~
~~~(Location: Apartment, Los Angeles, California)~~~
~~~(Day, Date, Time: Sunday, April 14th, 9:47 PM PST)~~~
~~~(Current Age: 19 Years)~~~
The timer on the oven goes off, telling me it's heated up and I can put my food in. My stomach growls as I place the BBQ chicken inside the oven. In about 20 minutes, it'll be done.
Once I close the oven, I start the 20-minute timer on my phone and head over to the living room couch with the TV remote. The GNN is still playing on the TV; the guy is talking about how certain guilds invest a lot of money into AG.
"The top 100 guilds have collectively invested over 500 billion dollars into funding playing AG players. This has caused the exchange between dollars and AG currencies to skyrocket due to the demand."
In layman's terms, one Gold in AG could be worth a couple thousand dollars right now. People exchange real money for virtual money in games, but it's difficult with AG. The player base is broke, and it's a joke to try to convert real money into virtual money.
The price is inflating because no players are willing to sell their current in-game funds. In VRMMORPGs, you can't buy virtual currency with real money; you have to use the in-game economy. Making the desperation for AGs currency real.
"Items of Rare grade are selling close to 200 thousand dollars in value. The trading forums are littered with items going for more money than I make in a year."
The man chuckles a little as the screen shifts to show a scrolling forum screen where items are being sold. It's extremely sketchy trading on the forums and outside the game. The odds of getting scammed are a lot higher.
You can enter an agreement to sell something in the real world on the forums and pay upfront, then go into the game to meet whoever is selling the item to find out you got screwed. I've never been dumb enough to fall for it.
Anyone who fails to realize the odds of being in the same place as the seller deserves to get swindled. The only way I know of at the moment to trade between players is in person or by using the Auction Houses in some way.
"The Trades and Currencies of Games Commission is urging players to hold off on buying and selling on the games forum before a safe way to trade using this method is made for AG. Don't go losing your money, gamers."
He puts it in great context. You don't risk trading on the game's forums until a solution for that specific way is created. If you do, you're asking people to take money from you.
The TCGC will be active for the next couple of months. They'll make announcements and guidelines for public trades on AGs forums. They have no authority or rights to interfere in private trades, but anything traded in the public domain falls under their purview.
"Surprisingly, a Legendary graded shield has been put up for preview in the AG Auction Houses. At noon tomorrow Pacific time, the bidding war will begin for the item. It's the first item of its grade to be placed up for auction since AGs launch."
Wow, a Legendary graded item will be bid on tomorrow in AG. This means not a single player from the player base is getting their hands on it. It's actually an ingenious move, in my opinion. It's the best option if you can't use the shield now or in the foreseeable future.
By selling the Legendary graded item on AGs Auction Houses, where all the players and powerful guilds are broke as shit, you can sell the item to the NPCs of the game. Cutting off potential competition in the future by someone who bought an item you sold.
You're essentially flipping the bird at your fellow players and getting rich as a motherfucker while you do it. The inflation between AGs currencies and dollars in the real world means you'll become one of the wealthiest people in the world overnight.
"There has already been backlash and calls for the player's identity by the top 100 guilds. Saying that selling in the Auction Houses on AG will lock out the player base from participating in the bidding. However, there is no breach of legality with this choice."
Yeah, it's just brilliant. I would've done the same thing if I found a high-grade item that I couldn't use now or in the future by a reasonable margin. Meaning the shield must be unbelievably powerful.
I hope the person who is doing this stays anonymous. While the gaming pods and the VRMMORPGs can't be hacked, that doesn't mean people can't find out who you are in real life. There is a black market for player information.
People are smart. Especially when it comes to a lot of money and power, they can use other methods to discover who you are in the real world.
Since hacking for your personal information is impossible, an entire arm of the black market is based on gathering and selling other players' information they learn in-game.
For example, tactics include talking to them in-game. After gaining their trust, befriending them and asking where they live or who they are. They turn around and sell that on the black market. It's one of the black market's most significant revenue streams.
"The last bit of news before we sign off for tonight's update is a public announcement by the TCGC. They want to warn players that a recent spike in forged items has started appearing in AGs' auction houses."
Ahaha! How about that? The first time I checked out the auction houses, I saw one such forged item. It was something I was planning to check out on my own, but it'll have to wait until I finish everything else I have going on.
"Alright, ladies and gentlemen. That's the last update from me. GNN will return to air at 4:30 AM Pacific time for overnight updates. I'm Chris Crow, and I'll see you all next time."
The live broadcast ends as the man gives a small salute. GNN is a large company, to say the least. They're constantly updating the news that's happening in VRMMORPGs. Not just AG. I lift the remote and turn off the TV.
A few seconds after I do, the timer on my phone goes off. Telling me my BBQ chicken is done. I don't waste time preparing the food as I pull it out of the oven and set up my kitchen table with my laptop on the other side of my plate.
As my food cools down for about a minute, I first check out AGs player forums. Live conversations are happening about the Legendary grade shield being sold tomorrow and how players are pissed they can't participate.
"You idiots... You can participate; you just need to find an Auction House that's loose with the rules."
I clearly remember the rules for Zindars Auction House in Geonia. There are Auction Houses that allow you to bid with money you don't have. You just can't do that at Zindars in Geonia.
Seeing the outrage from everyone, you likely can't do that in any recognized Kingdom or Empire...
Does that mean there are secret Auction Houses out there or something? God, so much to find out and discover. But hey, I might just be wrong about this little thought.
If players can find an Auction House that allows them to bid with funds they don't have and start a price hike, it'd be easy for players to troll this guy. Make the price so damn high it won't sell to anyone. Good old toxicity.
I can see that happening tomorrow; it just depends on whether players have access to the Auction Houses that allow it. I think people don't have access to an Auction House with loose rules since I see no one talk about a place where they can do it.
It's not coming up anywhere, and I know I'm not the only one who thought this. It's pretty damn interesting, but I won't worry or think about it too much.
Once my food is cooled down, I take my attention from my laptop and start to devour the BBQ chicken with reckless abandon. I'm freaking starving.
BZZZ!
My phone goes off next to the laptop. I almost don't pick it up since I'm having a real moment with my food, but seeing it's pretty late. Someone wouldn't reach out unless it were important. I pick up my phone, and see it's a text from Lil's.
[I know you'll read this at some point when you're taking a break from AG. I want to ask if you know anything about pets. Like hatching them or growing them? I know it's unlikely, but I can't find anything on the forums. Please get back to me when you can. Love ya.]
I read the text thoroughly, and a large smile takes shape. Looks like Lil's has found something pretty special in AG. At least, right now, it is. Sadly, I don't know anything about pets.
But, thanks to her, I know the function exists. Maybe it's exclusive to a class? Or it might be locked behind a specific skill you need to buy or find somewhere.
After all, you need to find inspect-type skills independently. They don't come for free with classes or when you start the game. Whichever way taming or using pets might work in AG, it could be similar to how to find inspect-type skills work.
[If I find out anything, I'll let you know. Now, leave me alone.]
[Love ya, sis.]
I send the texts back and put my phone down, returning to my delicious food. But my mind is occupied. There is so much still to learn.
And I love it.