Hey, WoWcraft Gold-Buyers!

[Fifthfiend]

There is a high chance you are supporting forced slave labor of political prisoners!

[Professor Smarmiarty]

I'm surprised at how profitable it apparentely is. I've been missing out

[Pip Boy]

You're also supporting an industry that survives by hacking the accounts of legitimate law-abiding users through the use of key-loggers and similar tools to take all of their gold and items.

Although the whole forced labor of prisoners thing does sound a lot worse in comparison.

[Amake]

You guys are forgetting that buying gold makes the game easier. That's paramount to any effects it may have to people who're not the gold buyer. If they cared about people they probably wouldn't be investing money in a videogame to avoid playing it without giving up the possession of the shiniest items in the game world. It's like when you spend a ton of money on a replica medal of honor with a sign on the back that says "Authentic child labor product". I mean, who doesn't need a status symbol to prove their worth to society?

[synkr0nized]

My only interaction with gold sellers is when I report them.


Despite the serious nature of the article, I chuckled that the chosen picture was a close-up of a blood elf female's face. Wouldn't, like, a grab of a gold seller's chat spam or even in-game images of items or gold or something have been more relevant? I mean obviously you, as the author or editor, choose WoW over other games 'cause it's got such a friggin' huge subscription base and established identity, but they may as well have just put up like a famous Chinese model or actress or something as the image.


I can see how playing forever like that is worse -- you're sedentary, abusing the crap out of your eyes, getting no exercise, and physically harmed for failure. Not that mining or assembling shit is any fun, either, but I suspect its easier to overwork someone you've got glued to a computer than someone who will more readily tire out swinging a pick or working with tools.

[Aerozord]

This does drive home what MMOs really are. Ultimately you are grinding for satisfaction, you want the best armor, weapons, the most money, whatever, just to have it, just to be able to say you have it. To the point you will trade real life money for it. now why would you trade real life money for it instead of doing it yourself? Because the "game" part of this RPG is so tedious it is actually being used as torture in China.

[Seil]