Von: "Tom Betts" <tom@thinkinggames.co.uk>
Datum: 30. Juni 2006 13:49:16 GMT+02:00
An: <bl@mailman.sil.at>
Betreff: Re: [Bl] globalized clipping paths - Gold farming
Antwort an: bl@mailman.sil.at

Hi Hans,

Ive been doing a little research on this myself, being a tragic mmo addict atm.
Theres quite a few resources available
http://www.1up.com/do/feature?cId=3141815 is kinda interesting,
and of course you have castronovas stuff and various virtual economy studies.

I can spot the farmers on my servers pretty easiliy, and theres a whole
online social issue with how people deal with them that is fascinating.
The fact that they are all chinese is itself a myth, people tend to imagine them in
traidtional outifts, hiding in sheds in paddy fields for some reason!
Ive at least one friend in the uk who levels and sells etc and Blizzards reaction
to the issue is also interesting... anyway..
tbh i could go on about it for ages...
If i ever sort out my links i'll post them here
(although im sure you have seen most of the stuff anyway)

Tom
---------------------------------------------
http://www.nullpointer.co.uk
http://www.codespace.co.uk
http://www.r4nd.org
http://www.q-q-q.net
----- Original Message ----- From: "Hans Bernhard" <hans@ubermorgen.com>
To: <bl@mailman.sil.at>
Sent: Friday, June 30, 2006 11:26 AM
Subject: Re: [Bl] globalized clipping paths

Am 30.06.2006 um 11:42 schrieb Marius Watz:

Well, that depends on your take on globalization. I don't quite  know what to make of it, I'm guessing they don't see so much of the  money so in that sense yes, it's certainly exploiting local  conditions. But it's a far less damaging job than sewing or factory  work, and certainly less so than prostitution. I guess carpal- tunnel syndrome and bad eyesight could result, but still this is at  least a post-industrial type of labor.

Honestly I don't quite know what to make of it, not that I have any  need of their services anyhow. But one does pretty much the same  thing when one sends off a print job to be done cheaply in Poland  or further East...

Also watch this interesting video about Chinese "gold farmers" on MMORPGs. Now that is virtualization of economic value taken to the  next level: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ho5Yxe6UVv4

great video..

we work on a project named "Chinese Gold"...

i went to belgrade to research the local gaming scene
and next year we will be going to china research the
workshops producing game-characters and virtual gold
and then selling it to U.S. and european gamers via ebay..

these are the first outlines..

http://www.ubermorgen.com/2006/projects/Chinese_Gold/MASKA_2023/

hans-

m

Tom Holley wrote:
crikey - is there money in that?

it's still exploitation though isn't it?

Clipping Path Asia Co.,Ltd is a Phuket based company with  *European* management ...

T

Marius Watz wrote:
This is amazing: http://clipping-path-asia.com/

Hard-working designers no longer need to painstakingly draw  clipping paths and isolate objects in photographs, they can just  email a company in Phuket, Thailand. It might feel fishy, but  having visited Phuket myself I can think of worse jobs these  ladies could be doing...

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Marius Watz

Work: http://www.unlekker.net/
Blog: http://www.generatorx.no/
Play: http://www.evolutionzone.com/

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