Leeroy Jenkins

Gold farming Gold farming is playing a massively multiplayer online game to acquire in-game currency that other players purchase in exchange for real-world money.[1][2] People in several developing nations have held full-time employment as gold farmers.[3] While most game operators expressly ban the practice of selling in-game currency for real-world cash,[1] gold farming is lucrative because it takes advantage of economic inequality and the fact that much time is needed to earn in-game currency.[4] Rich, developed country players, wishing to save many hours of playing time, may be willing to pay substantial sums to the developing country gold farmers.[5] History[edit] What began as a cottage industry in the late 1990s became increasingly more commercialized in the 2000s with the growing popularity of massively multiplayer online games.[6] Academic studies of gold farming reveal that the social networks of gold farmers are similar to those of drug dealers.[10] Figures[edit] Rules and enforcement[edit]