Bitcoin, the “currency of the Internet”, is now accepted by Zynga, whose FarmVille franchise also celebrates the economic ideal of paying real cash to acquire completely abstract commodities.
Zynga said very early this morning it was beginning a Bitcoin test using BitPay, a “leading Bitcoin service provider,” to pay for virtual crap in FarmVille 2, CastleVille, ChefVille, CoasterVille, CityVille and more.
You can see the payment in action in that video above. The announcement was made in a post to the Bitcoin subreddit.
“Zynga is always working to improve our customer experience by incorporating player feedback into our games,” the statement said. “We look forward to hearing from our players about the Bitcoin test so we can continue in our efforts to provide the best possible gaming experience.”
If you’re wondering what the hell Bitcoin is, no it is not a video game. This post by our friends at Gizmodo explains it best, but it’s basically a currency not controlled by any government. That makes it extremely useful for buying stuff your government doesn’t want you to buy, whether that’s goods from a nation under embargo or just some good, good drugs.
It’s also a highly speculative currency, so wide swings in its value are usually what get it into the news. That means you could really lose your arse, so either know what you’re doing or have a high tolerance for risk. Bitcoin had a couple of huge plunges (losing $US400 to 500 in a three day span or shorter in December before steadying out and inching back above $US900 for one bitcoin. Most folks buy things in decimals of bitcoins, so it’s not like someone’s laying down a thou for some virtual chickens and getting $US998 back in change.
Zynga Launches Bitcoin Test With BitPay [YouTube video by Anthony Di Iorio]
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