Being a former avid gamer myself I could relate a lot to Vincent Lee’s blog https://blogs.ubc.ca/vincentl/author/vincentlee/  on micro transactions in video games. He talked about how one can essentially buy upgrades and better equipment to get ahead in the game with real money. Although he mentioned freemium games, games which you do not have to pay to play, subscription based games also have this same kind of “pay to get ahead” mentality. Games such as World of Warcraft, Maplestory, and Runescape have subscription fees, but what’s interesting is that the way one gets ahead in these games is actually illegal. All of the in game virtual items are actually worth real money, and one can sell these items for real cash, or buy virtual items with real cash to get ahead in the game. However, doing any of these trades goes against the creating company’s rules and can get your account suspended or even permanently banned, and for those who invest a lot of time in the game this can be an incredible risk to take.

This has led to a whole new underground black market for essentially “farming” or “grinding” virtual items by spending countless hours so that one can obtain these items and sell them for actual money. In grades 7 and 8 I remember playing Runescape and becoming extremely skilled at making in game virtual money, and was considering making it my “job” at the time. But after doing some opportunity cost calcuations I was disappointed to learn that I was only making a measly 3$ an hour; not even minimum wage. After my dreams were completely  shattered, I realized video games are meant for fun and enjoyment and not for making money. For those living in the poorer parts of China, however, this is a full time job for many and a decent source of income.

Here is a video that illustrates how paying real money for virtual items works:

Here is another video that illustrates the many “gold farmers” in China who farm virtual currency for a living: