The Life of the Chinese Gold Farmer

An anonymous reader writes "This weekend's New York Times Magazine puts a human face to the 'gold farming' profession. Virtual world economist Julian Dibbell travels to Nanjing, China, for a look at the working conditions and first-hand experience of farming gold from virtual monsters as a way to make a living. From the article: 'At the end of each shift, Li reports the night's haul to his supervisor, and at the end of the week, he, like his nine co-workers, will be paid in full. For every 100 gold coins he gathers, Li makes 10 yuan, or about $1.25, earning an effective wage of 30 cents an hour, more or less. The boss, in turn, receives $3 or more when he sells those same coins to an online retailer, who will sell them to the final customer (an American or European player) for as much as $20. The small commercial space Li and his colleagues work in -- two rooms, one for the workers and another for the supervisor -- along with a rudimentary workers' dorm, a half-hour's bus ride away, are the entire physical plant of this modest $80,000-a-year business.'"

Comments

Re:i look at it this way

[Hognoxious]

Being a level 23 million wizard is a status symbol, just like wearing a Rolex or driving a Hummer.

Or in two words: small cocks.

Re:dude: he's poor

[MysteriousPreacher]

If you're so concerned with poverty, why are you wasting your time on Slashdot. You could be selling that computer or using your spare time to take a second job and send your wages to China. If you don't believe in charity then just use the money to pay someone in China to do a job for you.

Like you said it's a fucking GAME. It's not a place for people to make a living any more than it would be acceptable for you to stroll on to a football pitch during a game so you could set-up a fair-trade stall. Most people try to do their bit to help-out their fellow man but ultimately, we care about what is closest to us.

Regarding WoW, my colourful distraction is more important than a 'poor guy' feeding himself. That poor guy is disrupting a game I pay money to play.