acters can obtain from Mission Terminals. Sure, the player could roll up a new character, level them a few times, and get a set of cushions that way but this would most likely require a couple hours or more. The level 100 character mentioned previously could easily make a million or more credits in that period of time. Thus it’s to their advantage to simply purchase the cushions.

It is this principle that drives a great many business both real and virtual. Anyone with a bucket and a sponge can wash a car, but after a certain point it makes more sense to pay someone else to do it if you could make more money in the amount of time it would require to accomplish the task. If someone has more money than you the odds are that they’d be willing to exchange money for time - find something you can do to save them some time and they’ll gladly part with the money. Powerleveling services, currency farming, and many other common virtual businesses operate on this mechanism. Many of the more casual players are considered “casual” because their real-world careers demand a great deal of time and as a result they end up with significantly more money than in-game playing time. They don’t like feeli

Any business owner working with Unreal Estate undoubtedly knows what sells well within their field of expertise. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist (or more accurately in this case, an economics major) to figure out what types of virtual goods and services are trafficked for a given game: a simple search of an auction site will yield those answers. But a sly entrepreneur looks for more than simply what others have done. Sure, it’s useful to examine (and often duplicate) other business models but to be as successful as possible it is important to be able to predict new avenues for profit.

It’s entirely possible that more than a few of the successful businessmen out there have employed the method of trial and error - trying to sell many different things and then focusing on those which earn money. While this method has success it is less than efficient. So exactly how does one figure out which products and services will be most profitable? Let’s examine Funcom’s Anarchy Online as this game is free to play and this will allow anyone to access the world to see how this works in action. (We’ll adopt the perspective of the free account or “froob”, ignoring expansion content that must be paid for.)

Things to look for:

1. Limited availability

While this is an easy answer for anyone to come up with, anything that is available only for a limited time, in a limited quantity, or is otherwise difficult to obtain a significant number of is likely to be considered valuable. In AO specifically these types of items can be many things. For example, certain tools like the Range Meter or Omni-Tek Technical Library which can be obtained only on the Newbie Island can fetch good prices once you arrive on the mainland. Other such items are given out during holiday special events - Halloween or Christmas items (usually ornamental only) can fetch millions of credits once the holiday is long past. Still other examples are the ultra-rare items such as Grid Armor or Nullity Sphere nanos.

In short, wherever demand significantly out paces supply there’s money to be made. Normally this field is the best-known by online sellers, so it can be difficult to spot a new market here. Look for new expansions coming out and try to predict potential shifts in supply and demand. Is the supply of something likely to diminish or the demand skyrocket? Stock up early while prices are low. (For example, a new tradeskill item might require a component that previously was not considered valuable.)

2. Unlimited demand

Look for items or services that have no practical maximum demand - if players are likely to believe they “never have enough” of something, that’s something you want to supply. Currency is a prime example. Can you ever have too much money? Most people would say “no”. In Anarchy Online you’d be hard-pressed to find someone of the opinion that they had too many Omnifiers or Clanalizers (depending on their faction).

Consumables are the name of the game here - unfortunately for our example here (AO) there just aren’t many consumables that aren’t purchasable directly from the shop. Food and drink in some games, magical potions in others - these are the types of market you’re looking for in this field. For the business owner looking to turn virtual goods into real cash this particular market is usually ignored (with the exception of currency) as the pricing of consumables generally is low enough that players prefer to purchase them in-game. Psychologically it seems like a waste of money to purchase make-believe food for a make-believe character, but perfectly logical to buy it virtual money.

3. Wealth vs. Patience

This is the primary mechanism that makes Unreal Estate agents rich. The wealthier a character is the less likely the player is to have the patience to track down a relatively inexpensive item themselves. Instead they’d rather part with a small portion of that wealth and have the item given to them. We’ll use Concrete Cushions as an example. In AO this item is highly useful at the ql (quality level) of 10. The one-handed item can be dual-wielded easily by most any character and imparts 8 strength and 8 stamina each. This allows a character to buff into equipment with higher attribute demands easily. Thus virtually player wants to have a pair for virtually every character they own (trying to trade them from one character to another on the same account is a hassle). For this reason ql 10 Concrete Cushions routinely sell for 250-300k per pair.

But there’s an additional element that helps out in AO: a level 100 character literally cannot obtain a ql 10 Concrete Cushion themselves (in fact, no one over level 15 can). These items are found exclusively within level 10 missions, which only very small characters can obtain from Mission Terminals. Sure, the player could roll up a new character, level them a few times, and get a set of cushions that way but this would most likely require a couple hours or more. The level 100 character mentioned previously could easily make a million or more credits in that period of time. Thus it’s to their advantage to simply purchase the cushions.

It is this principle that drives a great many business both real and virtual. Anyone with a bucket and a sponge can wash a car, but after a certain point it makes more sense to pay someone else to do it if you could make more money in the amount of time it would require to accomplish the task. If someone has more money than you the odds are that they’d be willing to exchange money for time - find something you can do to save them some time and they’ll gladly part with the money. Powerleveling services, currency farming, and many other common virtual businesses operate on this mechanism. Many of the more casual players are considered “casual” because their real-world careers demand a great deal of time and as a result they end up with significantly more money than in-game playing time. They don’t like feeli

ust be paid for.)

Things to look for:

1. Limited availability

While this is an easy answer for anyone to come up with, anything that is available only for a limited time, in a limited quantity, or is otherwise difficult to obtain a significant number of is likely to be considered valuable. In AO specifically these types of items can be many things. For example, certain tools like the Range Meter or Omni-Tek Technical Library which can be obtained only on the Newbie Island can fetch good prices once you arrive on the mainland. Other such items are given out during holiday special events - Halloween or Christmas items (usually ornamental only) can fetch millions of credits once the holiday is long past. Still other examples are the ultra-rare items such as Grid Armor or Nullity Sphere nanos.

In short, wherever demand significantly out paces supply there’s money to be made. Normally this field is the best-known by online sellers, so it can be difficult to spot a new market here. Look for new expansions coming out and try to predict potential shifts in supply and demand. Is the supply of something likely to diminish or the demand skyrocket? Stock up early while prices are low. (For example, a new tradeskill item might require a component that previously was not considered valuable.)

2. Unlimited demand

Look for items or services that have no practical maximum demand - if players are likely to believe they “never have enough” of something, that’s something you want to supply. Currency is a prime example. Can you ever have too much money? Most people would say “no”. In Anarchy Online you’d be hard-pressed to find someone of the opinion that they had too many Omnifiers or Clanalizers (depending on their faction).

Consumables are the name of the game here - unfortunately for our example here (AO) there just aren’t many consumables that aren’t purchasable directly from the shop. Food and drink in some games, magical potions in others - these are the types of market you’re looking for in this field. For the business owner looking to turn virtual goods into real cash this particular market is usually ignored (with the exception of currency) as the pricing of consumables generally is low enough that players prefer to purchase them in-game. Psychologically it seems like a waste of money to purchase make-believe food for a make-believe character, but perfectly logical to buy it virtual money.

3. Wealth vs. Patience

This is the primary mechanism that makes Unreal Estate agents rich. The wealthier a character is the less likely the player is to have the patience to track down a relatively inexpensive item themselves. Instead they’d rather part with a small portion of that wealth and have the item given to them. We’ll use Concrete Cushions as an example. In AO this item is highly useful at the ql (quality level) of 10. The one-handed item can be dual-wielded easily by most any character and imparts 8 strength and 8 stamina each. This allows a character to buff into equipment with higher attribute demands easily. Thus virtually player wants to have a pair for virtually every character they own (trying to trade them from one character to another on the same account is a hassle). For this reason ql 10 Concrete Cushions routinely sell for 250-300k per pair.

But there’s an additional element that helps out in AO: a level 100 character literally cannot obtain a ql 10 Concrete Cushion themselves (in fact, no one over level 15 can). These items are found exclusively within level 10 missions, which only very small characters can obtain from Mission Terminals. Sure, the player could roll up a new character, level them a few times, and get a set of cushions that way but this would most likely require a couple hours or more. The level 100 character mentioned previously could easily make a million or more credits in that period of time. Thus it’s to their advantage to simply purchase the cushions.

It is this principle that drives a great many business both real and virtual. Anyone with a bucket and a sponge can wash a car, but after a certain point it makes more sense to pay someone else to do it if you could make more money in the amount of time it would require to accomplish the task. If someone has more money than you the odds are that they’d be willing to exchange money for time - find something you can do to save them some time and they’ll gladly part with the money. Powerleveling services, currency farming, and many other common virtual businesses operate on this mechanism. Many of the more casual players are considered “casual” because their real-world careers demand a great deal of time and as a result they end up with significantly more money than in-game playing time. They don’t like feeli

are low. (For example, a new tradeskill item might require a component that previously was not considered valuable.)

2. Unlimited demand

Look for items or services that have no practical maximum demand - if players are likely to believe they “never have enough” of something, that’s something you want to supply. Currency is a prime example. Can you ever have too much money? Most people would say “no”. In Anarchy Online you’d be hard-pressed to find someone of the opinion that they had too many Omnifiers or Clanalizers (depending on their faction).

Consumables are the name of the game here - unfortunately for our example here (AO) there just aren’t many consumables that aren’t purchasable directly from the shop. Food and drink in some games, magical potions in others - these are the types of market you’re looking for in this field. For the business owner looking to turn virtual goods into real cash this particular market is usually ignored (with the exception of currency) as the pricing of consumables generally is low enough that players prefer to purchase them in-game. Psychologically it seems like a waste of money to purchase make-believe food for a make-believe character, but perfectly logical to buy it virtual money.

3. Wealth vs. Patience

This is the primary mechanism that makes Unreal Estate agents rich. The wealthier a character is the less likely the player is to have the patience to track down a relatively inexpensive item themselves. Instead they’d rather part with a small portion of that wealth and have the item given to them. We’ll use Concrete Cushions as an example. In AO this item is highly useful at the ql (quality level) of 10. The one-handed item can be dual-wielded easily by most any character and imparts 8 strength and 8 stamina each. This allows a character to buff into equipment with higher attribute demands easily. Thus virtually player wants to have a pair for virtually every character they own (trying to trade them from one character to another on the same account is a hassle). For this reason ql 10 Concrete Cushions routinely sell for 250-300k per pair.

But there’s an additional element that helps out in AO: a level 100 character literally cannot obtain a ql 10 Concrete Cushion themselves (in fact, no one over level 15 can). These items are found exclusively within level 10 missions, which only very small characters can obtain from Mission Terminals. Sure, the player could roll up a new character, level them a few times, and get a set of cushions that way but this would most likely require a couple hours or more. The level 100 character mentioned previously could easily make a million or more credits in that period of time. Thus it’s to their advantage to simply purchase the cushions.

It is this principle that drives a great many business both real and virtual. Anyone with a bucket and a sponge can wash a car, but after a certain point it makes more sense to pay someone else to do it if you could make more money in the amount of time it would require to accomplish the task. If someone has more money than you the odds are that they’d be willing to exchange money for time - find something you can do to save them some time and they’ll gladly part with the money. Powerleveling services, currency farming, and many other common virtual businesses operate on this mechanism. Many of the more casual players are considered “casual” because their real-world careers demand a great deal of time and as a result they end up with significantly more money than in-game playing time. They don’t like feeli

ter, but perfectly logical to buy it virtual money.

3. Wealth vs. Patience

This is the primary mechanism that makes Unreal Estate agents rich. The wealthier a character is the less likely the player is to have the patience to track down a relatively inexpensive item themselves. Instead they’d rather part with a small portion of that wealth and have the item given to them. We’ll use Concrete Cushions as an example. In AO this item is highly useful at the ql (quality level) of 10. The one-handed item can be dual-wielded easily by most any character and imparts 8 strength and 8 stamina each. This allows a character to buff into equipment with higher attribute demands easily. Thus virtually player wants to have a pair for virtually every character they own (trying to trade them from one character to another on the same account is a hassle). For this reason ql 10 Concrete Cushions routinely sell for 250-300k per pair.

But there’s an additional element that helps out in AO: a level 100 character literally cannot obtain a ql 10 Concrete Cushion themselves (in fact, no one over level 15 can). These items are found exclusively within level 10 missions, which only very small characters can obtain from Mission Terminals. Sure, the player could roll up a new character, level them a few times, and get a set of cushions that way but this would most likely require a couple hours or more. The level 100 character mentioned previously could easily make a million or more credits in that period of time. Thus it’s to their advantage to simply purchase the cushions.

It is this principle that drives a great many business both real and virtual. Anyone with a bucket and a sponge can wash a car, but after a certain point it makes more sense to pay someone else to do it if you could make more money in the amount of time it would require to accomplish the task. If someone has more money than you the odds are that they’d be willing to exchange money for time - find something you can do to save them some time and they’ll gladly part with the money. Powerleveling services, currency farming, and many other common virtual businesses operate on this mechanism. Many of the more casual players are considered “casual” because their real-world careers demand a great deal of time and as a result they end up with significantly more money than in-game playing time. They don’t like feeli

acters can obtain from Mission Terminals. Sure, the player could roll up a new character, level them a few times, and get a set of cushions that way but this would most likely require a couple hours or more. The level 100 character mentioned previously could easily make a million or more credits in that period of time. Thus it’s to their advantage to simply purchase the cushions.

It is this principle that drives a great many business both real and virtual. Anyone with a bucket and a sponge can wash a car, but after a certain point it makes more sense to pay someone else to do it if you could make more money in the amount of time it would require to accomplish the task. If someone has more money than you the odds are that they’d be willing to exchange money for time - find something you can do to save them some time and they’ll gladly part with the money. Powerleveling services, currency farming, and many other common virtual businesses operate on this mechanism. Many of the more casual players are considered “casual” because their real-world careers demand a great deal of time and as a result they end up with significantly more money than in-game playing time. They don’t like feeling like they’re being left behind by their friends with more available playing time, so it makes good sense to exchange some of that extra money for whatever will help them keep up.

4. In-game Mechanics

There’s a number of things that can qualify in this category. In Anarchy Online there are items which have significantly greater-than-average selling prices at shop terminals. If a player focuses their attention on obtaining these types of items (certain higher-quality battle suits and “Anima” nanocrystals, primarily) they can sell them directly to server-operated shops for currency at an unusually higher rate. While these mechanisms rarely outstrip the amount of profit possible by exchanging goods and services with living players, they should not be discounted. After all, any built-in mechanism of the game is not reliant upon the whimsical ebb and flow of a living market. There won’t be “slow days” or price fluctuations based upon supply and demand. In exchange for the reduce rate of profit there is an increased reliability. Of course the virtual currency would still require exchange for real-world currency, but that is generally the easiest sale.

Also worth mention are certain “unintended” mechanisms that can yield significant riches in either currency or items. Often referred to as “bugs” or “exploits”, these methods are by far the riskiest to make use of. The less useful of these are often simply patched out upon discovery, but if they’re particularly powerful the modern game company is likely to literally track down each and every coin earned through them and systematically eradicate it all. Even worse, this sort of thing has even resulted in universal resets of all character data.

So from a business standpoint this is the equivalent of “Junk Bond” trading. Many questions must be answered. What are the personal risks of using such a method? How likely is disciplinary action, and how would that action potentially impact future business? If the “ill-gotten” gains are tracked down and eliminated after you’ve sold them what stance would you take with your potentially irate customers? Is the potential smear to the character of your business worth the potential earnings?

Whatever the case or mechanism, it is vitally important to keep an open mind and watch for opportunities to arise. If you want to simplify things more, just ask yourself these questions over and over: “Who has the money, what do they want, and how do I sell it to them?”