By Brian Perry

Information Weekly (via 1up) is reporting on the Chinese Government’s most recent crack down on the digital world. This time Virtual Currency exchanges.

“The virtual currency, which is converted into real money at a certain exchange rate, will only be allowed to trade in virtual goods and services provided by its issuer, not real goods and services,”

Many media outlets are calling this the end of Gold Farming, if this is the case it paints an interesting new landscape for MMO’s as the article quotes and estimated 80-85% of gold farmers are located in China.

However the wording of the the release doesn’t necessarily ban the trade of virtual currency into real money, only Real Goods and Services an example of which would be EVE online’s game time cards program.

While a sign for the better a wait and see approach is in order for this new announcement. Not just for what China means, but also how strict they will really be for a multi-billion Yuan a year industry.