Gold can also be 'farmed'

• Published 17 Apr 2009

Savvy online gamers in China play for real currency in a virtual world.

Just as China's physical economy has an underground counterpart, so its virtual version has spawned its own ethereal underworld. In a subterranean foil to mainstream online games, teams of cyber adepts clash with monsters and titans to win 'gold coins' and other valuable in-game items, which they then sell for real currency into the physical economy through e-commerce sites such as Taobao.com.

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• Editor's View

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