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Inauro
Village Dweller
Joined: 03 Oct 2005
Posts: 9
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| Gold Farmers - Article @ Game Guides |
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Game Guides Online takes a look at <a href="http://www.gameguidesonline.com/guides/articles/ggoarticleoctober05_01.asp" target="_blank">gold farming</a> in MMORPGs and finds that all is not quite as it seems.<blockquote><em>In the past several months, I’ve become friendly with a number of the professional farmers on my server. I had no special motive in doing so; I certainly didn’t befriend them so that I could study them. Nonetheless, during the course of our teaming and chatting together, I gained glimpses into their lifestyles and learned things that I’ve found to be interesting and that I would like to share. The odds are that if you have access to the venue where this document is being published, you’ll find them interesting too.</em></blockquote> |
Tue Oct 18, 2005 2:21 am |
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C Darwin
Guest
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Freedom of Speech and all that understood but you may want to read that article and you may reconsider linking to it. The ignorance floored me. |
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Tue Oct 18, 2005 2:48 am |
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Guest
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I seldom post a link to an article without first reading it, however, i'm interested in your objection. What exactly did you find ignorant about it?
Inauro |
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Tue Oct 18, 2005 3:01 am |
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Inauro
Village Dweller
Joined: 03 Oct 2005
Posts: 9
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Hmm, not quite sure what happened there. Just to clarify, the guest post above this one, was made by me. For some reason (cookie related, possibly) i was unable to login and post.
Inauro |
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Tue Oct 18, 2005 3:04 am |
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P Lowell
Guest
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"What exactly did you find ignorant about it?"
I am surprised I have to spell it out.
First of all, MMOG farming started in the United States on E Bay. Calling it a "Third World Asian thing" is ignorant. Not to mention the author has no clue what the term third world means. There are only 3 countries in the history of the human race to send humans into Earths orbit and beyond. Russia, the United States and China. Burkina Fasso in abject poverty is third world.
That is all semantics anyway. Please tell me what is not ignorant about these quotes:
"Recognizing Farmers -
Little or No English
In conjunction with the other indications mentioned here, look for characters who speak little or no English."
"Asian farmers play the U.S. servers, so those who know no English at all can’t read quest requirements. Thus they can’t pursue quest goals until they are lucky enough to find an in-game translator who is willing to help them"
"So there are a number of obstacles in the way of a normal third world denizen’s ability to play online games like World of Warcraft."
A guy named Josef Goebbels used to write stuff like this.
I can explain in detail why this article is ignorant, amateur ethnocentric tripe if necessary. |
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Tue Oct 18, 2005 8:10 am |
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Inauro
Village Dweller
Joined: 03 Oct 2005
Posts: 9
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If we were to dismiss as ignorant every article written by an author with whose politics we disagree, we might very well find ourselves left with only those articles that support our already held views.
On the other hand, if you disagree with the factual basis of the statements made in the article, that is another matter.
While there are, without a doubt, many gold farmers who are not from the countries mentioned in the article, there are quite clearly many extremely active gold farmers who are. Personal politics aside, the author of the article is sharing his observations of a subset of gold farmers with whom he has had contact.
To clarify my own personal stance further, let me say that i find the whole notion of discrimination on the basis of race/creed/gender/sexual orientation, and just about any other facet of humanity, abhorrent and, quite frankly, rather mystifying. However, that does not mean i think it necessary to dismiss out of hand an article because i disagree with the politics of its author.
In any case, the article is written from an editorial point of view, and we should all feel free to disagree with it and discuss its relative merits.
Inauro |
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Tue Oct 18, 2005 10:20 am |
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Wildefire
General Goods Vendor
Joined: 03 Oct 2005
Posts: 1
Location: USA |
While I would agree that some of the author's wording could be better ("third world" is both inaccurate in this case, as well as non-PC), he offers some practical advice for players who'd like to avail themselves of farmers' wares, and also provides a uniquely sympathetic look at some of the people who do this stuff for a living.
Also, regarding the whole "chinese farmers" meme, no one denies that there are people cashing in on this stuff around the world- it's not just China- but while it may have started here (I don't know even if that's true though- eBay's a worldwide company after all) it is clear that people in a handful of contries are doing most of the business (or at least most of the actual in-game farming). This is not mere speculation, either. There have been other, more professional articles on Chinese and other farming operations, and many of the farmers who deal on eBay freely admit that they are located in China or Indonesia.
I agree with you that racial discrimination of any kind is unacceptable, but I don't think anything in the author's article smacks of it. A little literary or socio-political ignorance maybe, but nothing outright racist or insensitive. And I really don't see what's wrong with the observation that it's difficult for citezens of some nations to obtain fast computers or play online games. It's true! Many countries lack the infrastructure or robust economy to enable the same kind of gaming culture that you see in the North America, Japan, or in Europe. Even in Korea, a very industrialized and developed nation (and still blossoming at that) most people either don't have the cash or the physical space in their homes for a proper gaming computer (although broadband is more widespread there than it is almost anywhere else). It is only thanks to that country's PC Bangs (gaming cafes) that Korea has become such a huge force in online gaming.
There's nothing wrong with observing cultural differences as long as your observations are accurate and you have a legitimate reason for doing so. It's called diversity, and it's a good thing.
_________________
For each toon kills the mob he 'groes, yet each toon does not die. |
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Wed Oct 19, 2005 12:39 am |
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Dhruin
Stranger In A Strange Land
Joined: 20 May 2002
Posts: 1825
Location: Sydney, Australia |
Long article...I think the author may be a little naive or uninformed but racist is too far. Either way - lacking a unequivocal reason not to report it, our job is to present the news, not censor it. We try to deliver it in an unbiased way - and readers can form their own opinions on the content of the article linked.
_________________
Editor @ RPGDot |
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Wed Oct 19, 2005 1:00 am |
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