Ever sent or received a gift on Facebook–and enjoyed doing so? Experts say virtual goods and money are all the rage.

• Virtual currencies and gifts are becoming more and more popular, especially in the gaming community.
• Some experts say there may be a future where virtual currencies are traded in the same markets as real-world currencies. Right now, there’s even a black market for certain virtual currencies.
• Joe Seller, a virtual world expert, believes the popularity of virtual goods stems from people wanting to take their online identities more seriously.

Facts & Figures

• People transfer at least $1 billion into the virtual currencies each year, most of that going into online games.
• WoW Gold, the World of Warcraft currency, is so popular that some low-wage workers in China play the game for a living and then sell their earnings to determined gamers in the West.

Best Quote

“They can’t eat the cake. It’s an image–the thing that it represents. You can send the feeling of that [cake] that you want to send.” – Santiago Martinez, virtual currency user

Tags: black market, currency, virtual currency