I suppose that being able to order pizza online was a natural evolution. It’s not perfect. A friend of mine once got charged $249.00 for two pizzas. They did get their money back, but it was quite a hassle. (And only somewhat embarassing when we went out to eat. When the check came, he found he was over his credit limit and could not figure out why. Turns out it was the pizzas.)
On the other hand, being able to order pizza online, while “in game” is a social symptom on an entirely. Different. Level.
For gods’ sake! (Ah, the Battlestar Galactica reference—but I digress. It’s a good show—and another digression.) Get off of the couch. Granted, I’m one of the last people that should be talking about limiting time spent playing video games, but this is just unhealthy. We’re talking “blood clot forms in the leg and travels to the heart” unhealthy.
What I find amusing about this bit of news, is that a current legal issue surrounding these online games is the “Secondary market.” The game companies take issue with people taking virtual “goods” (like a sword or in game currency) from the game, and selling them online for real money. The company line states that this practice violates the EULA, which in most cases is true. However, they haven’t really pursued litigation against these individuals, and in some cases companies.
Now, you can buy a real life product, pizza, from within the “game world.”
All they need now is an NPC* that sells pizza you can pay for in game currency that you bought online with real money.
* Non Player Character, basically an in game robot (See: Daemon, Bot) that provides information, quests, goods, or a service to Player Characters.