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Chinese Couple Sells Kids To Fund Online Gaming

Posted by samzenpus on from the achievement-unlocked dept.

A Chinese couple who really like to game are under arrest for selling their kids and converting the money into game currency. From the article: "In 2009, Li Lin and Li Juan welcomed their second child, a baby girl, and came up with the idea to sell her for money to fund their online game obsession. They did so, receiving RMB 3,000 (less than $500), which they spent entirely shortly after. The couple then proceeded to sell their first child and got 10 times as much for him -- RMB 30,000, or about $4600. Upon having their third child -- another boy -- the parents followed in their previous footsteps and also got RMB 30,000 for him." I wonder what the "kid seller" achievement looks like?

13 of 223 comments (clear)

  1. Gold? by mfh · · Score: 3, Funny

    What exactly would that be in wow gold?

    --
    The dangers of knowledge trigger emotional distress in human beings.
  2. Industrious by MischaNix · · Score: 4, Funny

    Three? That's far more children than your average non-Chinese WoW player could produce. Industrious folks, those.

    1. Re:Industrious by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

      : Why do Canadians do it doggy style? A: So they can both watch the hockey game.

    2. Re:Industrious by Opportunist · · Score: 3, Funny

      The joke being?

      Unless you give me a good way to watch the game upside down and still enjoy it, I cannot see the problem.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  3. Good for the kids by Manfre · · Score: 3, Insightful

    The couple clearly should not have any kids. It's good that other, hopefully more capable, people will properly care and provide for them.

    1. Re:Good for the kids by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

      People who buy other people's kids frequently don't have their best interests in mind.

    2. Re:Good for the kids by DrgnDancer · · Score: 3, Informative

      In most developed countries if a child runs away from home and shows signs of abuse or neglect, not only will they not be sent back home immediately, but the family will be investigated: possibly losing all their kids and/or going to jail. A friend of mine laid down to take a nap with her 1 and 3 year olds. She was awakened around 35 minutes later by a knock on the door. It was the police, with her 3 year old. He'd apparently decided that he wasn't sleepy, and wanted to walk to gramma's house. He'd created a stool from some books to reach the front doorknob and had walked about three blocks before a neighbor saw him and called the cops.

      Since the kids was obviously cared for and not abused, the cops brought him home; but child services was by the next day to talk about it and continued to check in for a few months. This was for an obviously well dressed, well fed, kid with no bruises or signs of abuse, who had clearly "escaped" at nap time. You can bet things wouldn't have been nearly as polite if there were any signs of abuse or neglect. Now I thought child services was being ridiculously over cautious, but then again I know my friends and I know they take care of their kids. From an outsider's perspective I suppose they were just being prudent.

      --
      I don't need a million points of light, just two points of multi-mode fiber and a 10 Gig-E router.
    3. Re:Good for the kids by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

      My wife can't have kids. We are in the process of adoption. Going thru the standard channels (that what we do), adoption in china is about 17.000-23.000$ where we live. The relatively big part of that is for the 1 month travel there where you receive some courses on the chinese culture and some endoctrination, the second big part is to put some grease in the channel else your dossier will be stuck, and then all the little costs to do documents translations, organisation costs and so on....

      500$ with all the paper in due form, I take it now !

  4. not neccessarily a "gaming" story by rjejr · · Score: 5, Insightful

    People have been selling their kids since, well, people have been having kids. I'll admit this is the first time I've heard of it strictly for gaming purposes, but they didn't trade in their kids for games - they sold them for money - only what they did with the money is different.

  5. It must be true!! by Dr+Kool,+PhD · · Score: 5, Insightful

    No link to original source? And original source is supposedly Chinese state-run media??

    Don't believe everything you read on the Internet.

  6. Achievement! by bradorsomething · · Score: 5, Funny

    You have earned the Achievement: "Know When to Hold 'Em, Know When to Gold 'Em!"

  7. China Daily and Global Times Links Right Here by eldavojohn · · Score: 5, Informative

    No link to original source? And original source is supposedly Chinese state-run media??

    Don't believe everything you read on the Internet.

    Here is a link from the English China Daily which is state run. And here's a tabloid branch of the People's Daily running the story but usually this paper focuses on global issues.

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    My work here is dung.
  8. Re:Who did they sell to? by digitig · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Also, organised crime rings use them for begging. It's not unknown for them to kidnap children and starve them to death (because people tend to be more generous if the child is in a desperate state). Presumably if they paid for these kids there would be more incentive to keep them alive, but I'm undecided about whether that would be better.

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