WoW: Quantifying 'Toons' & Comparisons to Corporate Giants

Yahoo! feature writer, Mike Smith takes a provocative look at the "corporate strength" of the World of Warcraft in comparison to global giants like Exxon, Microsoft, and others. It's a pure financial fantasy but is interesting not withstanding:

Try using your virtual holdings to back up a loan, of course, and you'll discover that this back-of-the-envelope stuff is just for fun. When you decide to monetize your Warcraft gear, you'll face some major logistical challenges, not the least of which is that the game's terms of service expressly forbids such activity. Moreover, to whatever extent your virtual loot has real value, Blizzard claims it owns it.

All the same, it's one thing to say it, and another to actually make it stick. Top-specced Warcraft accounts have certainly changed hands for real-life four-figure sums in the past. There's money to be made out there, imaginary or not. Watching a bustling Warcraft auction house in action, it's tempting to wonder if the next Warren Buffet is already cutting his or her teeth selling copper futures in Azeroth.

Check it out at Yahoo. It's worth the time.