Black Friday doorbusters: Coming to an online game near you?

Black Friday is the biggest shopping day of the year in retail stores and, apparently, in online games.

Maple Story creator Nexon reports a massive surge in in-game item purchases during BF 2010 and expects history will repeat itself this year. On that day, which is generally devoted to gorging on Thanksgiving leftovers and stalking doorbuster deals, the company saw a 240% increase in virtual goods sales compared to the previous week. What were virtual shoppers snapping up like cheap flat-screen TVs? An item called a Miracle Cube in Maple Story, which can be used to randomly upgrade in-game items.

That statistic certainly leads one to wonder if other online games will roll out some doorbuster deals of their own. I'm sure more than a few people would be willing to wait on a virtual queue to buy, say, a deeply discounted FarmVille Unwither Ring, a rare (and pricey) item that ensures you'll never see a withered crop on your farm ever again.

Black Friday deals in games -- would that entice you to buy virtual goods?