MMO Wage Slaves

1Up.com has put together a fascinating piece about the sweatshop labor behind "gold farming". If you aren't familiar with "gold farming", the phrase refers to gamers who collect massive amounts of in-game gold (usually through game exploits and/or macros), then illegally sell that gold for real world currency. According to 1Up's article, this newfound business grossed roughly $500 million last year. Because those who run online MMOs are aware of this illegal practice, GMs (Guild/Game Masters) often check in when they see suspicious behavior to make sure there's actually a person behind the computer. That's where the sweatshot labor comes in. Thousands of people in Asia are working ten to twelve hour days (with no holidays) and are being paid just over $100/month to be those people behind the computers, while those who employ them are making about $60,000/month.
Read 1Up's Wage Slaves Article

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