• BBC, Wednesday, December 30, 2009 11:09 AM

Sure the real global economy may be tanking, but the future is looking very rosy indeed -- if you are a Facebook crime boss or a farmer, perhaps. The virtual economy, already worth around $5 billion in Asia, is set to rake in billions in the U.S. in the next five years -- despite the fact that neither you, nor anyone you know has ever spent a dime on these games.

"This is just an exploding part of the gaming business right now," venture capitalist Jeremy Liew told the BBC. The sale of virtual goods are crucial to the success of virtual gaming, as people upgrade and pay their ways through the games. At this point, in-game advertising is still a very small piece of the revenue pie for these games.

So hoist an imaginary Moet and fire your pretend glock in the air -- here comes the dough.

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