South Korean Gold Farmers Form Lobbying Group

What would you do if all the gold farmers in massively multiplayer online games went on strike? Cheer? Cry?

Would you even notice?

The government of South Korea might. Ars Technica reports that gold farmers, concerned about a legislative proposal to regulate their business, have formed their own trade lobby called the Digital Asset Distribution Promotion Association (DADPA). And they'd have economic influence too, as South Korea's item trading industry is worth over $1 billion US a year.

Back in December 2006, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism's Game Industry Division proposed measures to tighten regulations on gambling, and included a ban on the trade and sale of virtual currency. The bill received support from the gaming industry, which sees gold farming and selling as disruptive to virtual economies and gameplay.

Critics point out that the most profitable gold farming operations run out of China anyway, so this doesn't really deal with the problem. They argue that as long as players in wealthy parts of the world continue to provide a market for buying and selling of virtual currencies, there will always be someone willing to sit 10-12 hours a day gathering it for them.

- Reporting from Canada, GP Correspondant Colin "Jabrwock" McInnes