The size of the video game micro transaction market is enormous, growing, and consists almost entirely of ways to extract money from individuals for goods which don't exist or provide utility.
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/online-microtransaction-globa...
You may not think it provides utility. If someone else is willing to pay for it – whatever 'it' is – then by definition they do.
I think people are bananas for spending $200k on a car when you can get the bus. But hey, not my money. You do you.
Not to mention NFTs.
Oubliette, a PLATO graphical (well lines :)) multiplayer RPG had a secondary market where people would in-game items for real-world cash.
It’s already a billion dollar industry.
Source: https://appleinsider.com/articles/21/06/07/apple-earns-close...
Maybe we can make our own neo-luddite community, where people do real things with real objects.