virtual economy
Imaginary currency plays a huge role in some of the most popular video games. And much like reality, electronic money and virtual goods act as exchange systems, only within a simulated environment. Similarities with art and other areas of cultural interchange mean that games necessarily operate on the subjective theory of value. In other words, their importance lies solely in the significance that users place on them, rather than being measured with an unbiased meter stick. It’s all for the sake of entertainment and recreation, but when games cross over into the real world (eg in-app purchases), new and unresolved issues begin to emerge.
