A look on gilsellers.Follow

First off, I want to say that I am not trying to insult or degrade these people, just to avoid any flaming at me.

Check this article.

Also, CGM has a similar one out in last month's issue.

Whenever you see a gilseller on our server, someone like Elsianie, Elynydydd (sp?), or Kourtney, you you know they're chinese, but just to dispel any rumors, they are handeled like slaves in order to make pennies on a dollar. Though IGE claims they don't care where the money comes from, it started faqrming up money from other games, and is growing to be a multi-million dollar business. When was the point between innocent gaming and enslavement crossed?

I had a talk with one once, Elsianie on Castle oztroja, and he/she described his/her daily life. Working on an "internet cafe", they switch users to have a 24hr grasp of it. At a teenage age, without an education, they depend on a game for food. Sad really, it was the best job available, and even though IGE doesn't care where it comes from, they are trying to do their best to stop illegal practices. Ha, that's not another one of those "out of context" things, in my opinion he just stumbled on himself. I'm rather indifferent on the gilselling subject, but there wouldn't be any gilsellers if there weren't any gilbuyers.

Still I'll look at them with apathy, but this is just how the other side lives.

All things in context.

Ignoring the 'moral' issue (how goffy THAT idea is) of gil selling/buying), the people that weird me out are the one's that look at the story and go "oh thats so sad! something should be done!", but have no context or frame of reference.

The "sweatshop" image doesn't even work. There people aren't locked in sweltering rooms where heavy machinery puts them at constant risk of life and limb. In point of fact, this particular type of 'sweatshop' (the MMO farming kind) probably is FAR better than their other options.

Consider in China here if you make 600-700 USD PER YEAR you are pretty much 'middle class'. True, that's sad and when you think of the 14-15 hour days spent in fields, mining, or other extremely rigirous and/or hazardous jobs, 10-14 hours sitting in front of a PC for 3-5 TIMES the 'average' wage, it's hard to get all busted up about how sadly 'mistreated' they are.

Average Chinese farmer working from before sun up to after sunrise, $600 per year

Average Chiese MMO farmer, working 10-14 hours a day inside, with no risk to life, limb, or needing to break their backs, $1400+ per year.

In context, it's hard to get misty about people having found a way to make more money with less effort.