Damn, and I was hoping to be one of the first people to write about gold-farming sweat shops for a newspaper. At least today's piece by the New York Times is excellent and not some slapped together gee-whiz story meant more to fill space then inform.

In typical NYT style, the paper had a reporter on the ground in China to do some hands-on, in-person reporting on the topic.

This virtual economy is blurring the line between fantasy and reality. A few years ago, online subscribers started competing with other players from around the world. And before long, many casual gamers started asking other people to baby-sit for their accounts, or play while they were away.

That has spawned the creation of hundreds - perhaps thousands - of online gaming factories here in China. By some estimates, there are well over 100,000 young people working in China as full-time gamers, toiling away in dark Internet cafes, abandoned warehouses, small offices and private homes.

Most of the players here actually make less than a quarter an hour, but they often get room, board and free computer game play in these "virtual sweatshops."

"It's unimaginable how big this is," says Chen Yu, 27, who employs 20 full-time gamers here in Fuzhou. "They say that in some of these popular games, 40 or 50 percent of the players are actually Chinese farmers."

My hats off to you NYT, you've done us all proud. Now excuse me while I go weep in the corner.

Have An Orge to Slay? Outsource it to Chinese [NYT]

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