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Ogre to Slay? Outsource It to Chinese (People Pay Other to Play Video Games for Them)
New York Times ^ | December 9, 2005 | DAVID BARBOZA

Posted on 12/10/2005 7:59:32 PM PST by nickcarraway

One of China's newest factories operates here in the basement of an old warehouse. Posters of World of Warcraft and Magic Land hang above a corps of young people glued to their computer screens, pounding away at their keyboards in the latest hustle for money.

The people working at this clandestine locale are "gold farmers." Every day, in 12-hour shifts, they "play" computer games by killing onscreen monsters and winning battles, harvesting artificial gold coins and other virtual goods as rewards that, as it turns out, can be transformed into real cash.

That is because, from Seoul to San Francisco, affluent online gamers who lack the time and patience to work their way up to the higher levels of gamedom are willing to pay the young Chinese here to play the early rounds for them.

"For 12 hours a day, 7 days a week, my colleagues and I are killing monsters," said a 23-year-old gamer who works here in this makeshift factory and goes by the online code name Wandering. "I make about $250 a month, which is pretty good compared with the other jobs I've had. And I can play games all day."

He and his comrades have created yet another new business out of cheap Chinese labor. They are tapping into the fast-growing world of "massively multiplayer online games," which involve role playing and often revolve around fantasy or warfare in medieval kingdoms or distant galaxies.

With more than 100 million people worldwide logging on every month to play interactive computer games, game companies are already generating revenues of $3.6 billion a year from subscriptions, according to DFC Intelligence, which tracks the computer gaming market.

For the Chinese in game-playing factories like these, though, it is not all fun and games. These workers have strict quotas and are

(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; Extended News; Foreign Affairs; Miscellaneous; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: busines; china; games; onlinegaming; videogames
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To: EsmeraldaA

lOL I agree. I would not enjoy if somone took over my character in Diabo or any other game.


41 posted on 12/10/2005 9:04:08 PM PST by Paul_Denton (The U.S. should adopt the policy of Oom Shmoom: Israeli policy where no one gives a sh*t about U.N.)
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To: Paul_Denton

I also have an old Atari 2600/VCS and Sears Pong Sport's IV too. B-) Computers, I have a TI-99/4A, Apple //e, a 1992 Dell'486SX/25 (which Mom still uses) and two Pentium II's (one desktop and one laptop) which are my current computers.


42 posted on 12/10/2005 9:05:07 PM PST by Nowhere Man (Lutheran, Conservative, Neo-Victorian/Edwardian, Michael Savage in '08! - Any Questions?)
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To: tuliptree76

How's it going tonite?


43 posted on 12/10/2005 9:06:40 PM PST by Nowhere Man (Lutheran, Conservative, Neo-Victorian/Edwardian, Michael Savage in '08! - Any Questions?)
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To: Paul_Denton

I also play Diablo and Diablo II.


44 posted on 12/10/2005 9:08:02 PM PST by Nowhere Man (Lutheran, Conservative, Neo-Victorian/Edwardian, Michael Savage in '08! - Any Questions?)
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To: badpacifist

Some people take WoW waaaay too seriously. I mean, to pay for the software, pay the fee to actually have access to the game, and then pay someone else because theyre too lazy to do the work and actually play the game, but just want to prance around in their level 60 character? Geez. How are they going to explain why they're level 60 and suck on raids?


45 posted on 12/10/2005 9:08:58 PM PST by The Phantom FReeper (Have you hugged your soldier today?)
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To: Nowhere Man

Cool. I currently have a Rogue (D1), a Paladn (D2 of course), a Barbarian, an Amazon and an Assassin. I never reached Hell difficulty yet though lol.


46 posted on 12/10/2005 9:09:18 PM PST by Paul_Denton (The U.S. should adopt the policy of Oom Shmoom: Israeli policy where no one gives a sh*t about U.N.)
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To: tuliptree76

How are you doing tonight?


47 posted on 12/10/2005 9:10:00 PM PST by Paul_Denton (The U.S. should adopt the policy of Oom Shmoom: Israeli policy where no one gives a sh*t about U.N.)
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To: King Prout
too... lazy... to play... video... games...

NOW... we have reached the nadir of sloth

Sloth? I worth 50+ hours a week. I've bought gold on Sony's Station Exchange. I also bought fragments in Asheron's call.

No, I don't buy characters already levelled, but a bit of gold or key pieces here and there for $5 bucks or whatever is fantastic. My choice, I can spend 10s of hours bashing low level garbage or spent 8 bucks and bypass it so I can have fun doing other stuff...well the choice is obvious to me. Buying a platinum piece in Everquest 2 for $7 is a fantastic bargain for me. It allows me to get better gear and go on raids that are fun. I don't have the time a 21 year old college student has. I make significantly more dollars per hour doing what I do for a living.

Over the past 6 years, I've spent under a hundred bucks on this stuff, but it's all been worth it. I make 100 bucks in a few hours, so I think this is a non-issue.

It's capitalism at it's best, I mean, if I were some young Chinese kid and got a job offer to play WOW instead of sewing shirts on piece rate, I'd be all over it.

48 posted on 12/10/2005 9:11:08 PM PST by Malsua
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To: The Phantom FReeper

I do not even bother with pay-to-play games. Online I prefer free like Battle.net or Novaworld.


49 posted on 12/10/2005 9:11:45 PM PST by Paul_Denton (The U.S. should adopt the policy of Oom Shmoom: Israeli policy where no one gives a sh*t about U.N.)
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To: Nowhere Man; Paul_Denton

I'm doing okay.


50 posted on 12/10/2005 9:12:16 PM PST by tuliptree76 (Has anyone seen my ornithoid?)
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To: tuliptree76

I am doing okay here myself lol. Is everything okay?


51 posted on 12/10/2005 9:13:04 PM PST by Paul_Denton (The U.S. should adopt the policy of Oom Shmoom: Israeli policy where no one gives a sh*t about U.N.)
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To: Paul_Denton

Yep. Everything is okay.


52 posted on 12/10/2005 9:14:15 PM PST by tuliptree76 (Has anyone seen my ornithoid?)
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To: tuliptree76

Thats good to hear :)


53 posted on 12/10/2005 9:14:52 PM PST by Paul_Denton (The U.S. should adopt the policy of Oom Shmoom: Israeli policy where no one gives a sh*t about U.N.)
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To: tuliptree76

Everything fine here although the accounting world is busy (I work in accounts payable for a shipping firm)


54 posted on 12/10/2005 9:15:10 PM PST by Nowhere Man (Lutheran, Conservative, Neo-Victorian/Edwardian, Michael Savage in '08! - Any Questions?)
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To: The Phantom FReeper
How are they going to explain why they're level 60 and suck on raids?

On a 40 man raid you can put up with one or two e-bayers, but when you have put together a 5 man Baron run and you ask the priest to shackle on the next pull and they ask "wat is shakle ?", you just want to shoot someone.

E-bayers make me much more upset than some Chinese kid getting a decent paycheck for mindless grinding. Take away the buyers and there are no Chinese farmers.

55 posted on 12/10/2005 9:18:46 PM PST by Anitius Severinus Boethius
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To: Anitius Severinus Boethius

I've got to ask, since I don't have a priest and my highest-level character is only at 30. What does it mean to "shackle on the next pull?" And what are the e-bayers? Do you really come across people who basically "bought" their high-level characters that often?


56 posted on 12/10/2005 9:21:22 PM PST by The Phantom FReeper (Have you hugged your soldier today?)
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To: The Phantom FReeper
Priests have an ability to "Shackle" an undead creature, immobilizing them for 30 seconds or so in combat. Makes fights go much smoother. The Baron side of Stratholme is mostly undead, so a very typical thing for Priests to do there.

And yes, almost every week I end up in a pickup group with an e-bayer. No communication, poor equipment and very, very bad skills with their character. A poor player at lower levels I can understand (you are just learning the ropes), but by level 60 there should be a basic level of competence.
57 posted on 12/10/2005 9:26:35 PM PST by Anitius Severinus Boethius
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To: Malsua
If all the Chinese kids are playing computer games for money instead of sewing shirts, how will Wal-Mart be able to make money? Hmmm, Wal-Mart brand pre-played characters....
58 posted on 12/10/2005 9:53:02 PM PST by KarlInOhio (In memory of Alvin Owen, Thsai-Shai Yang, Yen-I Yang and Yee Chen Lin:the victims of Tookie Williams)
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To: KarlInOhio
If all the Chinese kids are playing computer games for money instead of sewing shirts, how will Wal-Mart be able to make money? Hmmm, Wal-Mart brand pre-played characters....

Well, what I've got to say about this comes from personal experience. I've spent about 8 weeks of my life in mainland China(over 4 trips). I've been into the mainland, and beyond 100 klicks or so past Shenzhen, it's all farmland. The people farm rice. Walmart will have no issue finding folks willing to accept 50 cents an hour to make junk for us. If you lived in farm country China, that's good money. Selling rice to the gov't in China earns you something like $400/year. You figure the hourly rate.

59 posted on 12/10/2005 10:08:24 PM PST by Malsua
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To: The Phantom FReeper

Yep. It really doesnt take that much effort to get the gold or loot in the game if you know what you are doing. And you can always tell who buys their gold :)

Chinese gold farmers are ruining the game. They ruined EQ and Star Wars Galaxies. There are certain areas in the game that are pretty much off-limits on many servers (places that drop much needed items and gold) because the Chinese gold farmers have staked out the place and will do anything force you to leave cuz you are on their turf. Some aren't Chinese but most are. Some of these people blatantly hack and use exploits. If you go to the auction house on some servers (like mine), 3/4 of the people selling stuff (at inflated prices) have chinese names or names like wowfun. They will often come along on instance runs, not say anything, suck, and then take off with loot (ninja loot).

Me on Chinese farmers turf:

Ccyydd: u need?
Me: excuse me?
Ccyydd: 17g u buy!
Me: im not doing business with you unless you can quote shakespeare
Ccydd: yes
Ccydd: 17g u buy! k thx!
Me: /ignore Ccydd



60 posted on 12/10/2005 11:57:46 PM PST by the right side jedi
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