Goldfarming is a pretty universally loathed activity, and, thanks to the fact that it’s done largely in Chinese sweatshops, tinged with racist arguments and international politics. It also happens to be something that should be encouraged, according to the World Bank.
In a report that’s no doubt going to frustrate the crap out of Blizzard, the World Bank states that goldfarming, among other activities, pulled in $3 billion in 2009. The report also goes on to recommend that poorer countries be given more bandwidth and computers so they can really pick up the pace and pull in more income.
Gamers are going to be rightly upset that a major organization like the World Bank said something like this, but look at it from their point of view: for an investment of thousands, a country can get back millions or even billions, lifting their economy without having to use backbreaking labor, pollute their environment, or sell their resources for less than they’re worth. Pretty good deal for everybody…except Blizzard.
[ via the 11th-level Vice Presidents at BoingBoing ]