Chinese workers slaying monsters to earn gold for western consumers. It sounds surreal, but it is a far from virtual reality for the so-called 'gold farmers', who are working in 10-hour shifts to help players gain levels, and wealth, in online roleplaying games like World of Warcraft.


For thousands of Chinese workers, gold farming is a way of life. Workers earn between €85-€130 a month which, given the long hours and night shifts, can amount to as little as 30 cent an hour. After completing a shift, they are given a basic meal of rice, meat and vegetables and falls into a bunk bed in a room that eight other gold farmers share. Wages may be low, but food and accommodation are included. You can hire your own gold farming slave employee via wow7gold.com.


According to an extensive report by Richard Heeks at Manchester University (pdf), a few hundred thousand Asian workers are now employed in gold farming in a trade worth up to 730 million a year. With so many gamers now online, these industries are estimated to have a consumer base of five million to 10 million, and numbers are expected to grow with widening internet access. Recently, the Chinese government started taxing gold farmers.


Games become jobs. And where there's a demand, China will supply it.


Via: Guardian. Related: Cellphone minutes: the next currency, Wow funeral gets ambushed, Millionaire in Second Life, Online gamers unmasked, WoWoW.

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  • Hey! Someone in my Facebook group shared this site with us so I came to look it over. I'm definitely enjoying the information. I'm bookmarking and will be tweeting this to my followers! Exceptional blog and superb design.

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  • You've made some decent points there. I checked on the internet to learn more about the issue and found most individuals will go along with your views on this site.

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  • Gold farming with an old fasion CRT screen !

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  • Modern games on old fashioned screens !

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  • I have observed these farmers firsthand in many of my favorite MMO's... I do not mean to say that they should not have a job (I admit, the prospect is appealing), but their presence detracts from the gameplay experience, and can even get in the way of legitimate players... and of course, the practice of acting in any capacity as part of a service that provides in-game currency in exchange for monetary or commercial gain is, in fact, against the Terms of Service of many game companies, and as such is against the law... I also do not agree with a player being "as powerful as one's credit limit", it's not fair to the people who have to work hard for that level 60 ultra-rare power armor, or the 250-rating 3-socket weapon.

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  • Hi I need details of playing this games. If possible, please send an instruction of it. Thanks Sajjad Hossain

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  • We are still getting used to the fact that you can earn an income with gaming nowadays, but how amazing is it anyway that at the bakery round the corner, you can trade a piece of paper – called money – for a bread?

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  • Games become jobs. virtuals becomes real. Mind blowing. Amazing development.

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  • Klopt Niels, That documentary was indeed excellent.

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  • NP

    Vpro's tegelicht had er een paar jaar geleden een gave documentaire over: http://www.vpro.nl/programma/tegenlicht/afleveringen/34826717/

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