Blizzard Wins $6M in World of Warcraft Bot Case
The software, which sold for $25, allows players to automate actions and gain experience while not actively playing the PC MMO. Back in July, the court ruled that bot author Michael Donnelly had violated World of Warcraft's license agreement.
Approximately 100,000 copies of the MMO Glider software are believed to have been sold. Combined with the software's $5 optional subscription, Blizzard believes Donnelly made at least $2.8 million.
Though the $6 million payout may seem extravagant, the BBC claims that the court's ruling denied Blizzard's motion to double or triple the overall amount.
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IndigoAK
replyGood. I like this outcome. Call me a purist or a nutcase, but I think even macros shouldn't be allowed. Mouse and keyboard, actually clicking buttons is where it's at.
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Yeap, a nutcase allright.
But I think that's the players loss if they don't wanna play the game itself from the beginning but from the all leveled up point. Sure, it was a violation of World of Warcraft's license agreement but that big payout is still kinda harsh considering that Blizzard didn't lose that much concrete money (but still lost when the bots do 24\7 workdays and level up in that manner faster --> not so much money from slower way of normal gamers)
So in the end Blizzard probably lost less money in the end than they got this way but who knows.-
Well if they are using that logic, then Blizz's new RAF system pretty much blows Gliding out the window. You can level up in minutes (on the extreme end) to just a few days. So Blizz themselves have lost the revenue.
The only concession I would be willing to make on the damages is the added financial burden for support costs. Developing Warden, CS complaints on botters, following up on those complaints, etc.
It's very odd they believe they lose subscription revenue when it's a known fact that botters are more dedicated to WoW then often players AND will quickly purchase a new box and subscription post banwave.
You non-botters also don't realize how many people would have quit WoW's mindless grind years ago if it weren't for botting (that mindless grind part). I would have quit 2 years ago because of boredom with the grind to progress if it weren't for botting. 2 years of revenue gained vs. lost is something to note.
And yes, jump on the blah blah blah bandwagon of "If you're bored don't play" etc. If you've made that statement then you aren't at the point of realizing the human-as-bot state that MMO grinds have created. Some people are just smart enough to bot the mundane things and hand-play the fun parts.
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this is off topic but... am i the only one that feels an immediate, intense, irrational compulsion to try and reach into the internet and smack the shit out of someone every time they see "lrn2play. thx." and the like?
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You'd just end up in jail for child abuse, but I feel ya.
Fuck botters and fuck gold farmers. Two of the many reasons I don't play MMO's anymore. Crap like this ruins game economies by artifically inflating prices of in-game items, thus making it harder for the casual player to have a good time.
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there, see, it just happened again... im going to break my monitor at this rate.
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*head explodes*
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