The virtual goods economy of massively multiplayer online games may be thriving, but it's also stimulating an undesirable side-effect: exploitation. A former detainee at a prison in Heilongjiang province, China, has told the Guardian about how he was habitually forced into playing MMOs like World of Warcraft for the collection of loot, which the prison guards would then resell online for as much as ¥6,000 ($924) per day. Such totals would be the product of up to 300 inmates working 12-hour daily shifts, though predictably they saw none of the profits themselves. The unnamed source was at a "re-education through labor" camp where the usual toil would involve actual, rather than virtual, mining. The profitability of the online market has seemingly inspired prison bosses to move with the times, however, with business being so brisk that the computers "were never turned off." A Chinese government edict from 2009 is supposed to have introduced a requirement that online currencies only be traded by licensed entities, but it's believed that the practice of using prisoners in this fashion continues unabated.

I'd rather do that than break rocks day in day out.

I'd rather do that than break rocks day in day out.

I'd rather China treated its citizens like human beings.

I'd rather China treated its citizens like human beings.

I don't know how many hours I've spent doing much the same thing "for fun".

Just saying

What are you doing time for?

Buying Minecraft

*goes back to mining steel and making torches*

I really ought to make the effort to find out what the fuss is about, as I have absolutely zero interest in the likes of Minecraft (my thoughts on WoW are pretty clear already) - I can't say I think it's crap, because I haven't played it - I just cannot generate enough enthusiasm about that style of game to bother to try it.

A little bit of chicken and egg going on there, methinks.