I’m Bill Tsutsui with another Postcard from Asia from the Center for East Asian Studies
Hard work pays off, but it doesn’t have to be YOUR hard work! Especially not in the Age of Outsourcing. Small companies called “gaming factories” have sprung up all over China. In these warehouses, young Chinese gamers work 12-hour days and earn up to -$250 a month playing on-line video games, collecting wealth and experience and selling their character’s progress to those too busy – or simply too impatient – to do it themselves. So how much does a jump to say, level 60 on World of Warcraft go for? About $269 bucks according to The New York Times. Just a little more than your hired gamer receives for a month’s work.
With thanks to John Schneiderwind for this text, from the Center for East Asian Studies, I’m Bill Tsutsui. Wish you were here.
