It's time to reevaluate the idea of adding a PLEX/Chronoscroll-like system to FFXIV

[Shougun]

How are we defining combat? I always felt it was a weird word choice. Does it matter if third party RMT makes less money? I thought the issue was the ability to buy in game currency with real money, not that it was third party. If the issue is buying a currency that -can- buy you end game content (leading to p2w and possibly a localized bulge in the market creating /local/ inflation*), then PLEX promotes RMT. If the issue is third party RMT, PLEX may lower their income but it does not end them - why do we care how much they make if they are still there in the same amount of force? *It is similar to those who just play FFXIV without using the market ward to those who use it, you will find your income/pocket money will be drastically different - now imagine spheres of income and imagine a sphere for those willing to purchase with real money in large sums, people who have a lot of money are able to pay more for particular products (or make even more money at a greater ability - separating those spheres even more). It probably won't mean end of the world, but the change could be palpable.

Another way to look at it is that because (we assume) lowered the price for gil with real cash, there is higher competition in the market and a higher demand as well - a higher demand means a higher supply and that means more RMT. Now of course there is a distinction on who that money is going to, but who obtains the money doesn't change that it is RMT... I thought. Real Money Trade (RMT) I thought did not mean Real Money Trade Except When We Do It (RMTEWWDI).

Also while it is possible third party RMT will make less money it isn't automatically known, by increasing demand they could find a better pricing point (selling 100 gil for 100$ once a day vs 100 gil for $10 two hundred times a day). WoW's system does prevent some manipulation of the currency but it still doesn't stop RMT, since (imo...) the system in and of itself is RMT.