"These
virtual currencies, as they grow, are going to become competitors
to real-world currencies – and apparently that's what happening
in China. These QQ coins are becoming things you can use at the
corner store to top off your bill."
It's difficult
to say how large virtual economies have become, because governments
don't conduct surveys, Castronova said, but the popularity of online
cash is reportedly growing by as much as 20 percent per year.
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