On June 22, administrators at Iceland-based CCP Games cut off 6,200 users--about 2 percent of its total user base--in the science-fiction-themed multiplayer game EVE Online.

The operation, dubbed Unholy Rage by CCP, targeted accounts used to build up experience or obtain goods that could then be sold for real money, a practice known as gold farming. These real-money traders (RMTs) plague many massively multiplayer online role-playing games, including the immensely popular sword-and-sorcery title World of Warcraft.

Immediately after Unholy Rage, the load on CCP's servers dropped by 30 percent, as automated accounts suddenly were no longer demanding resources.

"This clearly shows the very disproportionate load the RMT type accounts imposed on our system," the company said in a blog post describing the operation. "That is a whole lot of CPU for the rest of you to play with, people."

Cutting off 6,200 accounts -- about 2 percent of the EVE Online user base -- returned 30 percent of its server capacity back to CCP Games. (Source: CCP Games)

Currency traders typically pay players in developing countries or use automated game-playing bots to create a steady supply of virtual money. Game companies actively pursue such traders, as well as the software developers that enable the automated playing of online games. Blizzard Entertainment, for example, which runs World of Warcraft, has created a program to prevent bots from playing and has taken legal action against the developers of such add-ons.

Gold farmers don't just spoil the game. The FBI and the U.S. Secret Service, both of which pursue online criminals, have started looking at game-currency traders as a potential front for money launderers.

CCP Games, which has its own on-staff economist--a Ben Bernanke of the EVE Online universe--promises that Unholy Rage is just the beginning.

"The war against the RMT element continues," the company stated. "Our objective is to get rid of them, plain and simple. They are a heinous nuisance and a serious drawback on our systems and resources."

When I wrote this article for Technology Review, I sent a request for comment to Blizzard Entertainment, but the company was unable to get me the answers until earlier today. Since the game maker's responses are interesting, I have included them here.

Will Blizzard comment on their policy about in-game helpers/bots?

Any "bot" or in-game helper designed to play World of Warcraft automatically with little or no player input is strictly forbidden. We take violations of this policy very seriously and have consistently worked to identify the use of bots in game and suspend or close the associated accounts.

Does Blizzard consider this sort of research/activity to be against the EULA? If so, what parts?

We consider such automated play to be cheating because it goes against the spirit of the game and provides unfair advantages over other players. We have expressly forbidden the use of bots in the World of Warcraft Terms of Use (ToU), which all players are required to agree to before playing, because of this.

The programmers have called for Blizzard to offer third-party developers a separate set of servers to allow them to program their bots. From a technology perspective, WoW could give such researchers a good environment in which to advance AI programming. Is Blizzard considering such a move?

No, we definitely don't intend to offer separate realms for the development of bots, automated software, in-game helpers, or any other tools that violate our Terms of Use. World of Warcraft is intended to offer a high-quality entertainment environment for players, not a lab for AI researchers, and as such, we will continue to make decisions to protect the player experience over other concerns. We remain vigilant in defending our games against cheaters and unauthorized third-party hack programs, and to that end, we will continue to take any measure necessary to protect our games and our intellectual property rights.