Patent ID: 7645194

Claim:
A method performed by a computer, the method comprising: running, by a Video Game Central Server, a massive multi player online game that is operable to simultaneously support a plurality of players via a plurality of video game devices, in which each of the players controls at least one player character, in which play of the game continues regardless of whether players are logged in to the game; providing, by the Video Game Central Server, a virtual financial intermediary that is operable to store accounts for the plurality of player characters; providing, by the Video Game Central Server, a means for each of the plurality of players to open a respective account at the virtual financial intermediary via the game; providing, by the Video Game Central Server, a means for the plurality of player characters to perform transactions at the virtual financial intermediary via the game, in which each of a plurality of the transactions comprises at least one of a deposit of virtual currency to the account of the respective player character, and a withdrawal from the account of the respective player character; securing transactions by each player by means of a real world financial security, in which the real world financial security comprises a credit card account of the respective player; receiving a request by a player character to withdraw an amount of a virtual cash deposit from an account of the plurality of accounts; determining an amount of virtual cash the financial intermediary has available; determining that the amount of virtual cash the financial intermediary has available is insufficient to cover the withdrawal request based on a reserve requirement of the financial intermediary; determining an amount of shortfall in the amount of virtual cash the financial intermediary would have available after the withdrawal request; determining a conversion rate of real cash to virtual cash; determining a real cash value of the amount of shortfall; charging the real cash value to the credit card accounts; permitting withdrawal of the amount of the virtual cash deposit from the account.