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Chinese government banning gold farming photo

The Chinese government has banned gold farming and trading of virtual currency for real money. This is a big deal for China as about 85 percent of gold farmers are believed to be based in China. Gold farming is believed to generate between 200 million to one billion annually worldwide.

The banning is set to have an effect on the hundreds of thousands of people that farm for gold, but that may be a good thing. Most people that farm for gold go do it all day long and earn next to nothing for the work they put into it. Sure, it's not hard work at all. But being hunched over, looking at a computer screen all day and doing the same thing over and over can have a really sh*tty affect on your body and life.

[via GameIndustryBiz -- Image] 


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29 comments | showing # 1 to 29

Barcode's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/30/2009 21:47
Barcode
I seriously LOLed reading that.

Sounds like that job market is going to purge to another country perhaps.
Diverse's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/30/2009 21:48
Diverse
Gold farming is believed to generate between 200 million to one billion annually worldwide.

My mind is fucking blown.
Takeshi's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/30/2009 21:55
Takeshi
Gold farming is serious business.
bleep's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/30/2009 21:57
bleep
I think they just ran out of room for all the poopsocks that were piling up.....
NateT's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/30/2009 21:58
NateT
The Chinese have outlawed allot of things, e.g. internet porn, etc. and it has not gone anywhere (unless it directly effects public order or the Party). This probably will not change things much.

Even if the law is enforced, the companies will probably shift to someplace else, Mexico, Brazil, Vietnam, etc. An "industry" that makes that kind of money is unlikely to disappear.
Tubatic's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/30/2009 21:59
Tubatic
WHOA

I knew this was big business but I honestly never thought China would give s shit, considering how lucrative it is.

I mean, wow. Gold farming and power-leveling has been a thorn in Blizzard's side fro quite a while now. Aside from the extreme gaming of the system and unregulated/no legal recourse nature of dealing with these guys as a consumer, there's also account hacking. Its atleast alleged that account hacking has been spured greatly by these farmers to get an edge in their market by using hacked accounts for ad spamming and quick vendor gold.

Its going to be a special episode of The Instance podcast this week. One of the hosts was hacked by chinese farmers himself a few years ago.
Naim Master's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/30/2009 22:02
Naim Master
Ya , like NateT said , it'll go to another third world country with minimal tech , like Mexico or Brazil ...Also , what can you do in China? Jesus, the internet there must be a looping flashing image of Jet Li ...
segWAY's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/30/2009 22:36
segWAY
As much as this helps people in MMOs, it (the Chinese Government) really doesn't take into account the THOUSANDS of people whose jobs are going to be lost. Like the blog said, it wasn't much, but some gold farmers LIVE there, they get their food/drinks there (said one documentary about gold farming), that's basically their life, and it's sad that China has so many people that they don't care about a few tens (or hundreds) of thousands of people losing their jobs, and the economy.
Hamza CTZ Aziz's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/30/2009 22:40
Hamza CTZ Aziz
Moto: Totally. These guys should be allowed to work 12 hour days for less than a dollar an hour and continue to be exploited.
Jon B's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/30/2009 22:43
Jon B
Bad that jobs are lost.

Good for MMO players.

But surely this amount of persistance and grinding on a screen could be used for a more legitimate venture?
ShadowKirby's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/30/2009 23:06
ShadowKirby
Good thing they are taking down some of the 21st century sweatshop.
Stella Wong's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/30/2009 23:10
Stella Wong
I wished this happened when I was playing MMO a long time ago. Late to the party China.
atastysammich's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/30/2009 23:16
atastysammich
Was that a crack at desk jobs?
sleeper6405's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/30/2009 23:25
sleeper6405
I'm highly interested to see what the fallout from this whole situation is...maybe all the gold farmers band together and start a company that works around the laws banning their means of currency.
Chronic Logic's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/30/2009 23:51
Chronic Logic
For the Chinese officials, this a big threat to the economy. Would you want hundreds of millions of your citizens wasting money on virtual stuff?
Tubatic's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/30/2009 23:58
Tubatic
@Chronic Logic

If that virtual stuff then takes no resources to make and takes no space, I dunno that its the worst thing in the world.

Also, gold farming brings in revenue from other countries.
GoldenGamerXero's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/01/2009 02:27
GoldenGamerXero
Why? Does the Chinese goverment want them to work for them instead? "You! Get me to lv100 ASAP!"
Infininja's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/01/2009 02:36
Infininja
@Hamza
That sounds more like a minimum wage and other workplace 'fairness/safety' laws issue rather than something bad about the work itself.
Professor Pew's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/01/2009 03:47
Professor Pew
This is pretty good actually. Some of the gold farmer company workers are pretty close to being slave labor. Add that to the big urban/rural economic divide. Things like this are counterproductive to the social harmony for the nation as a whole and while chinese work ridiculously hard, they don't like slave labor :P

Also, I'm sure they are kind of biased against a sector that makes money off virtual financial goods in this economic climate, haha!
SetoChaos's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/01/2009 04:45
SetoChaos
Finally! No more damn bots =D
Coldbrand's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/01/2009 04:46
Coldbrand
Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! H A L L E L U J A H!
Vrynix's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/01/2009 05:19
Vrynix
Wasn't China pondering a tax for that sector though? As well as improving working conditions?
Oh well, at least they've done sómething. Next step: official gold selling from the game companies themselves.
Maybe they should take a pointer from CCP
Magnalon's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/01/2009 05:26
Magnalon
Maybe flydream will stop posting blogs, suddenly.
Soulwax's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/01/2009 05:51
Soulwax
Nevermind the millions of others working for next to nothing and being exploited in other industries. I'm glad the Chinese Government have focused their concern on such a pressing issue.
Zepwich's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/01/2009 06:05
Zepwich
One step closer to banning ISK farming.
Midgetsnowman's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/01/2009 07:49
Midgetsnowman
I love how people think this will magically get rid of gold/isk/influence/platinum/whatevercurrencyyourgamehas farmers
NateT's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/01/2009 11:39
NateT
On the exploitation issue, it is probably true these people would prefer what we term exploitation and a paycheck to being exploitation free and broke. It sucks, but that is how allot of places in the world are unfortunately.

I speak Chinese and have lived in China. I have had the chance to chat with some of these people in game. They are really not that different from you and me that want to make an admittedly temporary living doing something they at least moderately enjoy so they have a roof over their heads and eat.
Holyetheline's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/01/2009 11:39
Holyetheline
My friend Jeff knows an Asian named "Ping" who he often calls internationally for WOW gold.... I wonder if Ping will be shut down too... but I dunno what country he's in... or care. Just a little story, hope you liked it.
Trafalg's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/07/2009 21:55
Trafalg
When I heard this news, I almost panicked. I play a lot of WoW and I don't know what to do. I have to know if this is really true. I thank this particular site which made me realize what really is happening. -- http://www.wowgoldfacts.com/2009/07/06/the-story-behind-the-chinese-brouhaha-lost-in-translation-indeed/

I guess I can calm down now. whew!
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