TV news segment re: WoW gold farmers

[FlipMcgee]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8XRvnH6-g4

:xpld:





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[Puck]

Pfft, they don't know how good they have it...

In my day, when a child ran away from home and was forced into a demeaning, slave-like existance, things were much, much worse...

We had to play Zork ... 23 hours a day, typing away until our bloodied fingers rubbed to the bone.

[magicgoo]

Wait a sec. They run away from home, get a job, play video games all day, laugh and smile, and get housed and fed by their bosses? Um. Sounds like the typical American dream. At least they're not 8 year old slaved prostitutes, living on the street.

"I'm too embarrassed to go back to my parents," the kid says at the end. Whaaa! At least he actually has parents to go home to. I have not a single ounce of sorrow for these jackasses. No one put a gun to their head. They signed up for it, now deal with it.

[Blue]

Well, it does say the employers sieze the employees ID.


I play warcraft too, i can tell you, if you put in that many hours, you lose touch with reality. Its a fun game, but like any game without a concievable end, it is only worth playing to an extent.

A friend of mine is writing her doctorate's thesis on the mental addiction of warcraft, and i can tell you, just from listening to what she has told me, you should feel simpathy. These kids are going to have an impossible time reentering society...

[Chariot]

Yeah the "I ran away from home and now I have to play wow for 12 hours a day" melodrama is a little bit much. I understand if they might have been lured in under false pretenses but the employer stated that you are playing 12 hours straight quota or no quota. They all have the choice to look back on the family and or home they ran away from and think "Is this going to be worth it?"

Most of them are young and I'm sure we all look back and say "I should have never done that." on a few ocassions in life such as working at McDonalds or in a factory.

These kids know EXACTLY what they are getting themselves into and no foreign newscast of exploitation of a minor is going to get sympathy from the general public.

This in all honesty falls on Blizzard! They know this is nothing new and they brought in a monitary system that allows for this to happen. Why you ask? Because they know that they are making a ton of money from it. *gasp!

[Brendan N]

In Africa, upon stumbling upon a bowl of rice and cabbage, it is customary to open a restaurant.

K not really. But many go through far more for far less. When you're stupid enough to sign up for 12 hours WoW a day then you pretty much deserve what comes your way.

- d.

[Blue]

When you're stupid enough to sign up for 12 hours WoW a day then you pretty much deserve what comes your way.

- d.
It's too bad you really don't understand what it does to them. I'm sure this exact same thinking is why they (at least the one in the film) feel trapped. Sure, its not heroine, its not slavery with whips and chains, but in our civilization, this is equavalent.

Mental addiction is not a joke. And being over exposed to an addictive activity, sheltered from society, can destroy a person's mental process, scarring them for life.

No teenager "deserves" this, all of them go through the same phases of rebellion, distrust in authority and are easily charmed by those spouting things unrealistic.

To say they deserve it, shows an immense lack of compassion.

[Brendan N]

Right Blue I agree that was harshly said, but as far as I can see signing up shows an immense lack of foresight. They may not deserve conditions of slavery, but they DID sign up for it. And no mental addiction is no joke, but a little foresight and self control is all that is required to stay away from it.

- d.

[egerie]

What's wrong with working 12 friggin' hours a day in front of a computer?... ?

[Puck]

What's wrong with working 12 friggin' hours a day in front of a computer?... ?

I don't have a mean slave-driver making me work away at a computer for 12 hours a day - instead I have rent, bills and the cost of food to keep me working... and although I enjoy my work, It's sure as hell not as fun as playing computer games.

[AdamDillabo]

there was a guy where i used to work who had 2 full time jobs as a cook. its the same thing probably even worse.

[Justin.]

From what I can tell they are not "Playing" so much as just clikcing and clicking and clicking and clicking...

[lumar]

WoW just gets publicity for this because its a first, if they were'nt gold farmers they would just be in sweatshops. well...non-WoW sweatshops

[fersteger]

what a messed up world he have here:$

[Professor Az]

Personally, I think this is all a botched job of parenting. >:{

Gasp! Did I actually say that?!?

You betcha.

If you do your job as a parent, and stay involved with your children's lives instead of plopping your kids down in front of the computer or TV so you can do your own thing, then yeah, I can see where they might run away and sign up for this retarded crap.

I still remember this thing called "playing outside". We played games like baseball, football, and even this thing called handball becuase we were too poor to afford a tennis racket.