If you're reading this blog, you're most likely a gamer. We play games for a multitude of reasons; whether it be for relaxation, competition, or social interaction, we invariably enter these virtual worlds as an escape from the monotony of our daily lives. Video games are entertainment, after all, and it's hard to imagine a scenario where gaming could actually manage to become a laborious, monotonous task that feels closer to punishment as opposed to a reward for completing our tasks at work or school.
Unfortunately, that's been the exact plight of some Chinese prisoners.
Gold farming – the business of grinding through games like "World of Warcraft" in an effort to exchange virtual currency for real world cash – is unfortunately an all-too-familiar phenomenon to massively-multiplayer online game players. Who hasn't found themselves aggravated by the incessant private chat messages from random players promising, "5000G JUST $8!?" It's an annoyance, but it's where that cheap gold comes from that should have our community concerned.
Speaking to the Guardian, former Chinese prisoner Liu Dali – whose name was changed for the article – spoke of intense mental and physical abuse at the hands of prison guards while he was jailed from 2004 to 2009. An unfortunately common occurrence in China, Liu was a political prisoner; he was imprisoned for "illegally petitioning" the Chinese government in regards to supposed corruption.
Besides arduous daily mining work, carving toothpicks until his hands bled, and assembling car seat covers, Liu claims that prisoners were forced to play online games like "World of Warcraft" until they "could barely see things."
"There were 300 prisoners forced to play games. We worked 12-hour shifts in the camp. I heard them say they could earn 5,000-6,000rmb [$740-$925] a day. We didn't see any of the money," Liu told the Guardian.
According to the article, 80-percent of online gold farming is taking place in China, with an estimated 100,000 Chinese working full-time in the lucrative (if nefarious) business. While the country did pass regulations in 2009, requiring businesses to attain a license in order to trade virtual currency, Liu believes that prisoners are still being forced to play games for the profit of others.
In the case of "World of Warcraft," Blizzard has routinely stated that they do not condone the practice. The act of gold farming is prohibited under the game's Terms of Use, and the company issued an official statement on the subject back in 2008. Blizzard's statement, however, only appears to warn of the potential negative impact on players; the majority of their sentiment conveys how those utilizing gold farming businesses are leaving themselves open for hacked accounts and stolen personal data. What about people like Liu Dali, the individuals who are forced to provide the virtual currency?
We, as gamers, spend a great deal of time defending our hobby. We're constantly under attack from both government and private interests who claim that our pastime somehow instills negative impulses in the youth. We're consistently misrepresented by those without any real understanding of our culture as reclusive nerds, too obsessed with our virtual worlds to have any real understanding of how the real world operates.
When news like this rises to the surface, it's important that we're vocal in speaking out against such heinous practices. It's easy to shrug off gold farming as just another way that some obsessive individuals are making an extra buck, but the fact is, real people are being hurt as a result of this, and we as a culture should remain vigilant in demanding it stops.
"If I couldn't complete my work quota, they would punish me physically," Liu stated. "They would make me stand with my hands raised in the air and after I returned to my dormitory they would beat me with plastic pipes."
I've reached out to Blizzard for comment on this story, but have not received a response as of this writing.