... so why can't they email you out of game? I can't think of a time I've wanted someone outside the game emailing me inside it.
Honestly, the biggest reason against this that I can see is that it'd bypass all the spam efforts the devs have put in already. No reason to make it easier for the G-based RMTers... or any/every other company that gets ahold of the list.
Hmm... perhaps a separate e-mail address that is linked to your global, so that the blasted spammers can't just grab globals.
The BIG problem is, how does is cope with people in-game e-mailing people out-of-game?
Something like that could be VERY badly exploited by spammers.
Granted, the amount of damage they could do would be limited (as the in-game mail client is very rudimentary), but still. I SERIOUSLY doubt NCSoft would want to be tagged as a spam house.
Clicking on the linked image above will take you off the City of Heroes site. However, the guides will be linked back here.
One issue I see is that the typical e-mail system is far more complex than CoX's. For example, how would CoX handle the formatting? There is no such thing as an italic, bold, or underline in game. What if the e-mail has attatched files? Or worse, what if it's got html-coded format that inclues images or links?
Far too difficult to create a system that could handle trnaslating that, and the people who would benefit most are spammers.
The off-beat space pirate...Capt. Stormrider (50+3 Elec/Storm Science Corruptor)
The mysterious Djinn...Emerald Dervish (50+1 DB/DA Magic Stalker)
The psychotic inventor...Dollmaster (50 Bot/FF Tech Mastermind)
Virtue Forever.
Actually I would like an option to turn OFF ingame email period. If any of my friends want to email me they use regular email. And the ONLY email I get ingame is SPAM! 5million influence for $50 or some other lame offer to power level you. I get tired of going in and hitting SPAM button EVERY DAY on 10 emails with these offers. 
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I am curious. How difficult would it be to link the in game e-mail system to an actual e-mail? Like we would be able to receive e-mails from outside of the game. Obviously it would have to be based on global name, and would have to then just dump into whatever toon we first log into or are currently on when it arrives.
Still. I'm curious. I know it'd likely be a lot of effort, but I think it'd be cool, and would allow people who couldn't play to keep in contact while people like me who have trouble running windowed mode and other programs are playing.