Chinese firm introduces 'virtual property' insurance

Want to protect that summer home in Silvermoon City? Anxious about someone jacking your ballin' ride in Second Life? An insurance company in China is now offering a little MMO peace of mind in the form of what it claims to bethe world's first form of 'virtual property' insurance.

The service, launched by the Beijing-based Sunshine Insurance Group Corporation in partnership with the online game operator Gamebar, offers MMO players monetary compensation for the loss or theft of virtual possessions such as land, loot or digital currency (for a small monthly payment, of course). The insurance is also available to MMO operators as a meansof protectionfrom any damages resulting from player disputes over theloss ofmake-believe goods.

Sunshine Insurance Group claims it isthe first company of its kind to offer this type of insurance to online clients, and it certainly doesn't appear as though any otherfirmsare chomping at the bit toparticipate inMMO affairs. Not that we can blame them, either; the real value of virtual goods is still up for debate, and if any group knows how to play the system, it's gamers. On a related note, how cool would it be to work as a MMO claims investigator? Seriously, where do I send a resume?

Jul 7, 2011

Source:China Daily