[lbo-talk] workers take pay in virtual coin

[Alan Rudy]

So, the argument is that the avatar augmentations enhance the reputation of
the game player and are going to lead to future opportunities for real
money?
I don't see the foodstamps or webvertizement things as equivalent, you
(presumably) bought real food or gained real repute with them... unless, as
before, the cooler stuff for the woman's avatar are going to get her real
stuff or more real business...
I don't think Doug (and my) issue is that a person is living off of
unemployment insurance while working for play money of no material utility,
though it may be that such a strategy (of doing a great deal for nothing
tangible or reputational - unless I'm wrong about this woman in particular)
is so deeply class-bound.  This is the sort of work and remuneration simply
not available to the vast majority of those on or with creative access to
foodstamps, no?

On Sat, Jun 19, 2010 at 8:00 AM, shag carpet bomb <shag at cleandraws.com>wrote:


> At 07:45 AM 6/19/2010, Doug Henwood wrote:
>
>  Wait a minute - we've got people working for play money and you think
>> there's something *good* about it?
>>
>> Doug
>>
>
> Isn't it the same thing as me once babysitting in exchange for someone's
> foodstamps? the money was extra money to me. she, always 'creative' about
> her finances, had foodstamps to spare since she'd gotten 'paid' in
> foodstamps for some babysitting she'd done for someone.
>
> i mean, it's just the same as getting paid cash money. these folks were
> going to spend it on gaming anyway.
>
> i'm not saying it's right, good, true, or beautiful. but i don't see a
> whole lot of difference between that and, say, as a freelancer, creating
> someone's website in exchange for an advertisement placed on that web site.
> Dude could have paid me cash money and i could have turned around and paid
> him cash money for the ad placement. *shrug* Freelancers do this all the
> time. They provide services in exchange for the publicity they get from an
> appearance for instance.
>
>
> --
> http://cleandraws.com
> Wear Clean Draws
> ('coz there's 5 million ways to kill a CEO)
>
>
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-- 
*********************************************************
Alan P. Rudy
Dept. Sociology, Anthropology and Social Work
Central Michigan University
124 Anspach Hall
Mt Pleasant, MI 48858
517-881-6319