RatOfTheLab's Journal: Project Entropia - a game world which will run on real cash

New Scientist are reporting in this article that a new game, Project Entropia, will require real cash to fund purchases of in-game merchandise.

The game, due for release in Jan 2003, will be free to download. However, gamers will be required to pay real money for goods which are required to survive. The purchases will also degrade over time - so more money will need to be funneled into the game..

The upside, gamers can also find/accumulate money within the game world and convert it back into real cash.

The article optimistically declares that "The games developers say early glitches, like disappearing money, have now been eliminated."

Now taking virtual cash bets to predict how long before someone takes advantage of this 'game' :)