[Xerihae]

Naive? I'd say idealistic perhaps, but not everyone is so jaded as to believe that there's no such thing as an instance where such a transaction would not affect gameplay. To use MMO's as an example, do you believe that a bunch of fans buying their favourite MMO t-shirt/baseball cap/mug would affect the way they're treated in-game in any way? Or is your objection solely applicable to MUDs because the player-base tends to be smaller and there is more chance of interactivity between staff and players?