I’ve seen people complain about gold farmers in online roleplaying games, but what if virtual cash could be converted into real money (and not just the other way around)? Matt Slagle of the Associated Press (via The Seattle Post-Intelligencer) writes:

Who said you can’t make any money playing video games? The makers of the online sci-fi game “Entropia Universe” have come up with a way to let players withdraw the virtual cash they’ve amassed in the game as real money from select ATM machines.

The game’s 400,000 registered users will be eligible to obtain a bank card from “Entropia Universe” maker MindArk PE AB of Sweden.

With the card, players can view their virtual currency - called Project Entropia dollars - at select Versatel cash machines around the world.

And since PED are convertible to real-world dollars at a fixed exchange rate, gamers could also withdrawal real money, MindArk chief executive Jan Welter said.

“The ATM system is a crucial and significant element in the true monetization of virtual currency, by supporting instant and convenient conversion to real cash,” Welter said in a statement…

[tags]entropia,game atm,virtual money,virtual cash,mindark,jan welter[/tags]