Forced labour of the digital age aka forced gold farming in China

**Salvatorel** · May 26, 2011, 01:28 AM

As a prisoner at the Jixi labour camp, Liu Dali would slog through tough days breaking rocks and digging trenches in the open cast coalmines of north-east China. By night, he would slay demons, battle goblins and cast spells. Liu says he was one of scores of prisoners forced to play online games to build up credits that prison guards would then trade for real money. The 54-year-old, a former prison guard who was jailed for three years in 2004 for "illegally petitioning" the central government about corruption in his hometown, reckons the operation was even more lucrative than the physical labour that prisoners were also forced to do.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011...et-gaming-scam

And as our society progresses,so do means of punishment/repression and sometimes they take really ridiculous forms... and at the same time it makes interesting, what would happen if there were MMOs in Stalin's USSR.

**~~Exarch~~** · May 26, 2011, 01:31 AM

lol can't blame them for not being communists anymore

**Babur** · May 26, 2011, 02:45 AM

In North Korea they probably force them to play Starcraft II and exchange resources gathered in the game for real resources

**athanaric** · May 26, 2011, 02:58 AM

Originally Posted by Babur

In North Korea they probably force them to play Starcraft II and exchange resources gathered in the game for real resources

Kim Jong-Il needs more Vespene gas...

**~~sabaku_no_gaara~~** · May 26, 2011, 04:22 AM

Why aren't human rights organisations making a fuss about this? Is it because MMO's are games and thus people just asume every aspect is actually fun?

EDIT: come on people, don't make jokes and turn this into a thema devia thread, this is a serious issue, I've read articles about the gold farming buisnesses, and whilst some companies pay their employees a fair amount of money, some treat their workers as slaves

**Sir Pignans** · May 26, 2011, 04:43 AM

I'd be more worried about them not getting enough sleep. Playing games may be a form of punishment, but lets face it, at the end of the day, we should be making more of a fuss about the physical labour if we make a fuss at all. I'd be more concerned with the prisoners suffering from sleep deprivation.

**Jedi1** · May 26, 2011, 05:27 AM

I'd be concerned that he's been imprisoned for ""illegally petitioning" the central government about corruption in his hometown".

**~~sabaku_no_gaara~~** · May 26, 2011, 06:13 AM

yeah, that too, how do you illegally petition the gouverment about corruption in your hometown exactly?

**Hong Kong PHOOEY** · May 26, 2011, 07:57 AM

Originally Posted by sabaku_no_gaara

yeah, that too, how do you illegally petition the gouverment about corruption in your hometown exactly?

You have already answered your own question, the very fact that this guy tried to do something about corrupt government officials in it's self was enough to get him in trouble with the powers that be in china.

Government corruption does not exist in china or so they would like you to believe. In fact the government loves to blame any one but themselves.

They Evan tried to blame high class prostitutes & mistresses for the soring housing costs in Beijing

. Yet they fail to factor in the fact that local govement officails get large pay offs from the property developers.As well as charging very high prices for government land.

Asia Times
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/LE26Ad01.html

"However, as many analysts point out, keeping housing prices high is in the interests of local governments (to boost revenues from land sales) as well as for local officials (to collude with developers for kickbacks). Reducing housing prices may be impossible unless the central government finds a way to rein in local governments and officials. "