Blurred Lines, Real Value

As a member of the American Society for Quality (ASQ) I was recently reminded via email about their "Each One Reach One" program which awards members with 5 ASQ Bucks for every new member they recruit. Each ASQ Buck has a real workd value of 1 USD which can be used toward membership or merchandise. The reason I mention this on a "game" blog is that I think this many of the elements of a virtual economy. Here are some parallels between this program and what goes on in an MMORPG:

- You must be a member of the world (ASQ "game") to earn the reward
- The reward has both a virtual and a real-world monetary value
- The reward can be exchanged for goods or services in the world (ASQ)
- The game can be described as a "recruit people" game.
- Some people will devote more energy to this than others and will receive more benefits accordingly
- Members may feel a sense of competition as they try to reach more people than their peers, or at least use their recruitment number as a status or prestige symbol

On a larger scale, the ASQ can be described as an "education" game. They provide training and certifications for different quality disciplines. You can get certified (skills) in multiple disciplines if you like. Gold in a video game is not the end, it's means to improve your equipment so you can advance further in level, skills, etc. Likewise, the ASQ Bucks are used towards membership (guild dues), education (skills) and certification (abilities). I guess one nice thing about this system is that since you don't ever receive actual real money, there's nothing to pay taxes on. You only "activate" the virtual bucks when you use them for a purchase. Again, similar to the current treatment of virtual world gold holdings - as long as it stays inside the game world, it's not income.

Going one step further, the ASQ makes a correlation between certification and real-world income. So, in this "game" your virtual bucks go towards activities that ultimately should increase your real-world wealth (plus an added time component to attend the classes, study for exams, etc.). The ultimate value of an ASQ Buck may not be 1-to-1 with the dollar, but a portion of your net income increase that can be attributed to your ASQ Buck purchases, divided by the number of ASQ Bucks you used.

I'll expect you to keep an eye out for other real-world "games" you are invited to play which pay you in a virtual currency.