It seems that there are few things more fun than playing massive multiplayer online role-playing games like World of Warcraft. I don’t play these games, but an incredible number of people do, investing significant amounts of time and money in them.
Last week, the New York Times Magazine published an article on what it seems to consider the dark side of these games: Chinese gold farmers. These are Chinese workers who are paid to “play” these games all day, capturing as much loot as possible so their employers can sell it to Americans who don’t want to spend the time earning it the old-fashioned way. (Not long ago, we blogged about an upcoming documentary film on the subject; the Times has also written about gold farming before.)
While Times writer Julian Dibbell seemed troubled by gold farming, I could not agree less with that assessment. From the perspective of demonstrating how free markets work, how reassuring it is that the exact same forces that lead us to import clothes and Thomas the Tank Engine toys from China also work when the good is virtual doubloons?
In addition, is playing these games all day such a bad job? My assistant Amber would love it if I paid her to do that instead of her current duties. My sister-in-law “Saint” Theresa Ewing willingly breaks virtual rocks for hours at a time online, just so that her son Scott can acquire the latest weaponry. She says she finds it relaxing. All of this made me think of the recent New York Times column that Dubner and I wrote, in which we pondered what turned something from a hobby into a chore. Our answer, more or less, was that it is a job if someone else makes you to do it.
and 
. You can also watch it on 
Wish I’d jumped into playing virtual economies. How long until there’s a virtual stock market for you to invest your virtual gold, and when it’s all lost a virtual finance agency reposes your virtual house?
Wish I’d jumped into playing virtual economies. How long until there’s a virtual stock market for you to invest your virtual gold, and when it’s all lost a virtual finance agency reposes your virtual house?
sounds like exploitation to me- yeah, it’s a kinder and gentler exploitation, but it’s not really any different (or ethical) than the other labor ‘markets’ between the US and China
sounds like exploitation to me- yeah, it’s a kinder and gentler exploitation, but it’s not really any different (or ethical) than the other labor ‘markets’ between the US and China
The gold-farming phenomenon is troublesome for a lot of reasons. The fact that it violates the EULA is probably the least of these.
Gold farmers are not just some guy at a computer in China playing for 12 hours a day. These companies use various means to get access to players’ accounts and then log into those accounts, steal the players’ stuff and then delete the accounts. This may not sound traumatic to someone who does not play WoW, but when you consider that a lot of players devote several months of their lives to this game, this can be devastating. (Please set aside the debate about whether playing WoW that much is healthy or not for now).
There are other reasons, but I’m running out of room to list them.
The gold-farming phenomenon is troublesome for a lot of reasons. The fact that it violates the EULA is probably the least of these.
Gold farmers are not just some guy at a computer in China playing for 12 hours a day. These companies use various means to get access to players’ accounts and then log into those accounts, steal the players’ stuff and then delete the accounts. This may not sound traumatic to someone who does not play WoW, but when you consider that a lot of players devote several months of their lives to this game, this can be devastating. (Please set aside the debate about whether playing WoW that much is healthy or not for now).
There are other reasons, but I’m running out of room to list them.
Yes, because it’s better than people not have jobs at all, than be paid to play video games all day.
/sarcasm.
There is a direct correlation between time and money — the more time something can save me from having to do something I don’t want to do, the more money I am willing to pay for it.
Some people /like/ farming gold. Some people prefer to do other things, and are willing to pay people to do the mundane junk so they can go be heroes instead.
Incidentally — with regards to the EULA: the new gimmick is if you’re buying gold from me, you’re paying me for /my time/. The gold I’m giving you for free — hence, not in violation. The cash exchange is for my labor, which Blizz does not own any IP rights on.
I don’t really consider buying gold in WoW “cheating.” None of the best stuff in the game can be directly purchased. Having mounds of gold helps, but without a solid support structure (guilds) and some ability to play the game (else said guild would probably not want you), being King Midas is pretty pointless.
And is it really possible to “cheat” in a game you can’t win anyway? I don’t recall there being any kind of “win” condition in WoW. Perhaps the PvP ranking system — but all the gold in the world isn’t going to help you there.
Yes, because it’s better than people not have jobs at all, than be paid to play video games all day.
/sarcasm.
There is a direct correlation between time and money — the more time something can save me from having to do something I don’t want to do, the more money I am willing to pay for it.
Some people /like/ farming gold. Some people prefer to do other things, and are willing to pay people to do the mundane junk so they can go be heroes instead.
Incidentally — with regards to the EULA: the new gimmick is if you’re buying gold from me, you’re paying me for /my time/. The gold I’m giving you for free — hence, not in violation. The cash exchange is for my labor, which Blizz does not own any IP rights on.
I don’t really consider buying gold in WoW “cheating.” None of the best stuff in the game can be directly purchased. Having mounds of gold helps, but without a solid support structure (guilds) and some ability to play the game (else said guild would probably not want you), being King Midas is pretty pointless.
And is it really possible to “cheat” in a game you can’t win anyway? I don’t recall there being any kind of “win” condition in WoW. Perhaps the PvP ranking system — but all the gold in the world isn’t going to help you there.