There used to be a time when beta tests were just a chance for developers to check on their titles by using the free manpower of the fan community, rather than the internal quality assurance departments in their companies. Beta testers were often given unpolished version of a game and there are some who never played the game because of awful beta impressions.

Nowadays a beta is more often seen as an early peek at the game, with players lining up to get a look at an upcoming blockbuster. Recently, Wrath of the Lich King, the second expansion to Blizzard's World of Warcraft, has entered the public beta stage and fans would do anything to be among the lucky few to experience it first-hand.

It seems that eBay United Kingdom has seen a beta key change hands for around 1,000 dollars and the eBay from the United States has also seen prices from 400 to 800 dollars in auctions involving Wrath of the Lich King beta keys. The money would be more than enough for a year's worth of a subscription in one of the other MMOs on the market.

What makes these auctioned keys special is that they are not attached to any user profile. Normally you get into the beta by checking a box in your online World of Warcraft profile and waiting for Blizzard to contact you. In the case of these beta keys they were handed out at various Blizzard events and only latter were they revealed as being usable for Wrath of the Lich King. This means that they can change hands many times without the users being kicked out of the beta.

Before dishing out the money for such a key keep in mind the fact that Blizzard usually opens up a game to beta testing by the public only when it is pretty close to the launch date. Also it might be that all progress in the game made during the beta period will be erased once the expansion launches.