I was struck by this paragraph in this Massively article about Live Gamer:
Raph’s idea seems to be that RMT is simply another ancillary service that can spring up and provide revenue around the MMO market (of which this very site you’re reading is one). But there is a serious difference between RMT, and services like the one this site provides (in the form of MMO news and guides). RMT is still, among most players, considered cheating. As most people trying to make money off of RMT have pointed out, it’s a cultural thing, much more ingrained among Westerners than anywhere else. But it’s still a perception that exists– it’s OK to look at a strategy guide to become a better player, but it’s not OK to pay real money for better gear.
The thing that’s funny is that yes, of course players regard RMT as cheating. But make no mistake, looking up the steps to a quest was once upon a time a bannable offense on many muds, and widely considered cheating. (Calling the sites out there today “strategy guides” is a bit of stretch — they’re more like complete walkthroughs). Powerlevelling someone was once upon a time a bannable offense on some muds. Going through a quest with someone and telling them the steps. Chatting the location of an item on a public channel. You get the idea. Yes, all of Allakhazam is the equivalent of something that would have gotten scorn and anger from among both the playerbase and the admins.
