News

Neal Stephenson Imagined Snow Crash, But Not Gold Farming

Gold farming boggles the brightest of minds, as Neal Stephenson discusses the inspiration for his novel Reamde during his GDC Online 2011 keynote speech.


August 15, 2011
In Real Life

North Korean Gold-Farming Allegations Officially Denied By Official North Korean News

North Korea has officially responded to allegations it supported a hacking network that allowed it to gold-farm some $US7 million out of South Korea-based MMOs. North Korea’s (adjusts glasses, clears throat) “Committee for Peaceful Unification of the Fatherland” on Sunday released a statement saying, in effect, “no u.”


August 8, 2011
In Real Life

Hans Brix Might Want To Send Inspectors To Kim Jong-il’s Gold Farm

An awesome tale from Friday’s New York Times alleges that Mister Fun himself, Kim Jong-il, finances his nookular ambitions with the proceeds of an MMO-gold farming operation.


May 26, 2011
In Real Life

Chinese Prisoners Forced To Play World Of Warcraft In Labour Camps

Kotaku AU

This is just an incredible story. The Guardian reports that Chinese prisoners in labour camps are being forced to put in 12 hour World of Warcraft gold farming shifts in a lucrative scam being run by prison guards.


April 15, 2011
PC

FBI Raids Students, Looking For Gold Farming Fraud

The FBI now is raiding homes looking for World of Warcraft gold farmers. The party van showed up March 30 at an apartment shared by two University of Michigan students (building pictured), who say the feds have got the wrong suspects.


April 11, 2011
In Real Life

Wow, There Are A LOT Of Gold Farmers Out There

Gold farming is the practice of harvesting crap in online worlds with the aim of selling it for real-world money. Most developers frown on the practice, but that’s not stopping an estimated 100,000 people from doing it.


April 8, 2011
News

The World Bank Proposes Fair Trade Gold Farming

An analysis by a World Bank initiative recommends that gold farming – you read that right – is a substantial growth opportunity for developing nations’ economies, and that NGOs – bureaucrat speak for do-gooder agencies – begin connecting the rural poor in these nations to gold farming enterprises under a fair-trade modelling.


January 31, 2011
News

While You Were Sleeping

Kotaku AU

While You Were Sleeping was a well-received romantic comedy starring the luminous Sandra Bullock and the irrepressible Bill Pullman.

It’s also the name of a regular section here at Kotaku, where we round up all the best news coming in overnight, to save you trawling down the page for an excuse to not start work. Don’t say we’re not good to you!


In Real Life

Warcraft Gold Farmers Get An Ultimatum From PayPal

The makers of World of Warcraft have struck back at the game’s gold-farming black market, convincing PayPal to suspend the accounts of those using the service for gold-selling transactions. Warning letters went out this month.


July 23, 2010
In Real Life

Gold Farming Research Digs Up Similarities Between Drug Dealers

A study by a student at the University of Minnesota suggests that gold farmers – the unscrupulous salt mine workers of the MMO world – have a lot in common with other undesirable lots, like drug dealers and street gangs.