7,700 Suspended or Banned Final Fantasy XI Accounts

Well, it turns out that World of Warcraft owners aren't the only ones that love to ban accounts. On December 20th, "over 7,450 PlayOnline accounts were terminated while over 250 accounts were temporarily suspended indefinitely" in Final Fantasy XI, or FFXI. They were banned for the following reasons:

- Accounts confirmed using third party tools to illegally move their characters:
400 cases

- Accounts confirmed using third party tools to give an unfair advantage over other
players in order to get claim on Notorious Monsters.
4400 cases

- Accounts confirmed using illegal means to obtain items
100 cases

- Accounts from people that were previously confirmed to have RMT connections, or that had violated the user agreements but re-subscribed to PlayOnline.
2800 cases

The bans resulted in the loss of over 6.2 billion gil. That's a hell of a lot of gil.

As of Dec. 10, the development team implemented a fix to prevent items from being obtained in an illegal manner. Action has been taken against accounts that participated in these activities.

Remember: If you are buying or selling gold, it is against the rules, and you are under the risk of getting your account suspended, or perhaps you're even legible to be sued. Just because the game isn't as big as World of Warcraft doesn't mean they take less precautions over accounts!

Blizzard Bans WoW Accounts: 12 Million Gold Gone

From the WorldofWarcraft.com:

In our continued efforts to combat cheating in World of Warcraft, more than 105,000 accounts were closed and over 12 million gold was removed from the
game economies in Europe, Korea, and the US in the month of November. The
closed accounts were associated with activities that violate World of
Warcraft's Terms of Use, such as using third-party programs that allow
cheating, and farming gold and items.

12 million gold gone? Why get rid of it? I would gladly take it! On a more serious note, this just shows how serious Blizzard is on buying wow gold, illegally obtaining currency and violating their TOS. 105,000 accounts is an amount only a popular game like World of Warcraft can afford to ban with their userbase of multiple millions.

So how does 12 million gold suddenly disappearing affect the in-game economy? Well, Blizzard claims it improves it. This is Blizzard's view on obtaining gold unconventionally:

These types of activities can severely impact the economy of a realm and the
overall game enjoyment for all players.

Most large online gold sellers are very secure in transfering gold. Many use methods that make it hard for Blizzard to trace that gold was purchased. Here are some useful links if you're looking to buy gold from a secure place at a very competitive price: Buy WoW Gold US and Buy WoW Gold EU. Remember, buying gold is AGAINST Blizzard and World of Warcraft Terms of Service. I do believe it is an active part of the World of Warcraft economy, but many people believe it negatively impacts it. If you are a person who purchases gold on the internet, be sure it is secure. I know that I would hate to have my account banned after spending a nice amount of cash to improve my character.

A Guide to Buying MMORPG Currency Online

Selling and buying MMORPG currency online is a very large market that has grown exponentially in the past few years. As in many large markets there are individuals who attempt to take advantage of consumers who are not well informed about the product, the sellers, and the price.

Currency for MMORPGs is a 99% ecommerce market. Almost all sales take place over the internet. There are a few highly respected sellers in the market that have been around for a long time. Of course, there are always new sellers coming in everyday attempting to take advantage of this fast growing market. The question to the buyer still remains, "Which seller to choose?"
Before all other factors comes the question, "Is the seller well known and respected?" If you choose to buy on ebay, look for sellers with a high reputation. Though, ebay may not always be the best place to look. A few big names are IGE, Team-VIP, and MySuperSales. A more complete list can be found at Low Pricez.

The next thing to consider is the amount of currency you wish to buy. Certain sellers like to sell only large amounts of gold, which usually gives the buyer a greater dollar to currency ratio, but will quickly empty one's wallet. A buyer has to examine how much game currency he needs and how much money he can spend.

The last factor of course is price. With many sellers competing, it is sometimes difficult to find the fairest price online. To find the lowest price for WoW gold for example, you can use sites like this: Compare World of Warcraft Gold

Be careful when buying gold online, try to not get fooled by fakes or high prices.

World of Warcraft Buying Gold: Pros and Cons

As most World of Warcraft players know very well, buying gold is a part of the game. Not all my players participate in it, but most players know at least one other who does purchase gold online. So what is the big hype about buying World of Warcraft Gold? Lets examine the details.

Pros

• Saves time, no need to farm for hours to earn gold
• Allows players to be able to access epic items much easier
• Gives players without as much time on their hands the ability to be as good as players who have more time to play World of Warcraft

Cons

• Not approved by Blizzard, a bannable offense
• Disrespected by many players (viewed as cheating)
  
• Difficult to find a fair price on gold

Many players are not bothered by the public's view of buying gold. Those who seek a fair price on World of Warcraft gold often find themselves going to websites that compare gold prices, such as Low Pricez. It is often a difficult decision to make and often depends on your financial and in-game situation.