Chinese prisoners forced to gold farm in World of Warcraft

[econ21]

I wasn't sure whether to post this in news of the weird, as it qualifies, but it is sad and serious enough not to be bracketed with the lighter stuff there. The Guardian covered the case of a Chinese ex-prisoner, sentenced to hard labour for criticising corruption, who on release claimed he had been forced to do manual labour during the day and then farm gold for the guards at night. The implication is that the guards personally profited from the exploitation and that the activity was more remunerative for them/the prison than the manual labour:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/may/25/china-prisoners-internet-gaming-scam

I rather see it as another reason to be courteous to people in online games - you never know what they are going through in real life.

[Shibumi]

I wasn't sure whether to post this in news of the weird, as it qualifies, but it is sad and serious enough not to be bracketed with the lighter stuff there. The Guardian covered the case of a Chinese ex-prisoner, sentenced to hard labour for criticising corruption, who on release claimed he had been forced to do manual labour during the day and then farm gold for the guards at night. The implication is that the guards personally profited from the exploitation and that the activity was more remunerative for them/the prison than the manual labour:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/may/25/china-prisoners-internet-gaming-scam

I rather see it as another reason to be courteous to people in online games - you never know what they are going through in real life.

I am lost for words.

There are so many jokes to be made about this, so many political implications, so much.. Its is a whole bucket load of "win" - except of course for the prisoner.

[HopAlongBunny]

Slave labor and corruption...the more things change the more they stay the same

[a completely inoffensive name]

Umm, anyone who has been playing WoW will probably tell you that this has been going on since 2005.

[Strike For The South]

And these people are supposed usurp us?

This is kind of insulting

[Ronin]

when the choice is to be executed or forced to play WOW what do you choose?

I mean seriously.....that's a flip a coin situation.

[Samurai Waki]

when the choice is to be executed or forced to play WOW what do you choose?

I mean seriously.....that's a flip a coin situation.

I don't know... I'd be very tempted by the execution option.

[CrossLOPER]

manual labour during the day and then farm gold for the guards at night.
Replace labour with studying and you have a fair description every other individual's life at my uni.

Jokes aside, this is rather unsavory.

[Cute Wolf]

well, I start to think my fellow chinese orcs as one of them, better to say something this night