Norton Gaming Articles

In my article about Spam in Multiplayer Online Games (smog), I talk about how spammers sell resources such as gold. These resources can be obtained with minimal user interaction, by using an automated program to control characters and play the game. By doing this, gold can be collected and either used or sold for real money.

As a massively multiplayer online game develops, an economy develops. The value of rare items tends to emerge, and people will make fair trades or purchases from each other. People who play the game for a reasonable amount of time are able to purchase the same items as others, by collecting gold (or whatever currency is used). Ideally, the economy will balance and end up at a fair point.

However, automated programs can be used to for this collection. A program can run 24/7, doing nothing but harvesting gold. This gold can then be used or sold to others. In both cases, it creates an abundance of gold for people who want to automate it, or who are willing to spend real money to buy it. Like in a real economy, an excess supply of gold being put into the marketplace devalues everybody else's gold, and the amount of time required earn enough gold to buy rare items increases. Suddenly, players have to work a lot harder because of cheaters.

A program known as Glider can be used for such purposes in Blizzard Entertainment's World of Warcraft. Glider automates the play of characters by sending fake key presses, fighting monsters, and implementing a number of anti-detection methods to try to fool Blizzard's protection. This week, however, Blizzard banned a large number of Glider users. This was reportedly the first time users on European servers were banned for cheat programs, and is the second major round of banning in World of Warcraft (the first one being November of 2006).

Were enough people banned to reduce the flow of illegitimately obtained gold? Will this serve as a deterrent to others? Will this help to reduce the amount of smog in World of Warcraft? Time will tell.