Daughter Needs to Get Real

Friday, July 21, 2006

Page 15

AT THE SIDEBAR (Column)

Daughter Needs to Get Real

By J’AMY PACHECO

Referring to people who bond over bizarre behavior or common interests, somebody once said, “God makes ‘em, and they get together.” Whoever said that left out one important line: “And then they put stuff on eBay.”

One need be only marginally conscious to know about the strange things that show up on that iconic Internet auction site. Dinner dates, pieces of things, inanimate objects – even a left leg have been offered to the highest bidder.

I didn’t give it much thought, until my 10-year-old daughter morphed into an eBay addict right before my very eyes. It started when a beloved doll experienced one adventure too many and required a body transplant.

The medical emergency took us to eBay, where we found a similar doll to serve as a body donor. Seeing page after page of listings of Barbie stuff made her head spin, and since then, a longing for one item or another has regularly caused her to ask me to “check eBay.”

The latest requests involve an online game she plays on a daily basis. Created by Disney, it’s called VMK —short for Virtual Magic Kingdom. In the game, the largely ‘tween players build theme rooms, buy clothing, create rides and contests, and essentially walk around a Disneyland-type setting asking one another if they’d like to be a boyfriend/girlfriend.

Some items can be purchased with online credits earned through game playing. Others can be obtained with codes taken from cereal boxes or earned in other online games.

Some of the most desirable items are earned by doing in-person quests at Disney theme parks. These quests involve roving the parks with questionnaires and exchanging the correct answers for codes.

From the first time she saw it, my daughter’s virtual character has pined for a yellow princess gown. Unfortunately, these dresses were only offered for sale early in the game, and the only way a player can obtain one now is by trading.

Thanks to our in-part quests, she has plenty to trade. If some girl in Iowa, for example, wants a High School Musical piano, she has to go on vacation, or get one from somebody who did the quest at Disneyland. We’ve got a spare – but my daughter been unable to find anyone who wants to trade a yellow gown.

She did manage to get a crown, but the dress has thus far eluded her. So when she suggested we “check eBay,” I did – assuming nobody would be crazy enough to sell a virtual item that way. Hah.

The VMK listings took me by surprise. I did find a yellow princess dress, with bidding at about $17 with days to go. I also found a blue traveling trunk that went for $24.39 this week, and a set of in-park quest codes, of which we have many, for $19.99. I found pirate code cards that went for $52. (I had an identical set, but gave them to the children of a friend — who no longer even play the game. Who knew?)

The biggest surprise came from a listing for something called “green flips.” Its “Look at ME” auction described the shoes as “the rarest item in the game.” Bidding was at $102 early this week, and 19 bidders had already named their price.

If the green flip flops are the rarest item in the game, the Stitch hat has to be the most sought after. It’s a hat that looks like the Disney alien of the same name, and the only way you can get it is to book a trip through Disney Travel. One sold on eBay for $149 and change.

One enterprising auctioneer has a listing for something called “Inferno.” This allows the character to utter a certain word or phrase, burst into flame, and then return to normal. The opening bid amount? $239.

“Not a rip-off, this is a great deal!” the auction proclaimed. “The rarest magic of all! Be on fire!”

Here’s what gets me. None of it is real. People are forking over big bucks for something that could disappear forever with the click of a key, or the effective use of a big magnet. It’s not a dress, I keep telling my princess-wannabe. It’s a series of bits and bytes. She still wants one.

I recently read an article about a guy who managed to trade a paper clip for a house. There were many trades in between, but it started small and ended big.

I think I’ll employ a similar concept to help my princess get her dress. We’ve got a lot to trade, and somebody, somewhere, has got to want it.

If we can’t get a gown, well, who knows — maybe we’ll end up with a nice new house…