gold farming

Internet and online gaming

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Last updated

July 17, 2026

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Gold farming is the practice of using automated programs or hired players to advance characters in online games, accumulating in-game wealth and items that are then sold for real money. This phenomenon emerged with the rise of massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) like World of Warcraft. Companies, particularly in China, have employed large numbers of "gold farmers" to generate virtual currency and rare items for players in other regions, such as South Korea and the United States. Game publishers often attempt to combat gold farming by banning accounts involved in the practice, though the secondary market for virtual goods remains a significant aspect of online gaming economies.12

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online gaming
Birth of virtual economies
…business, employing hundreds of “gold farmers,” who play games in an effort to hoard resources that can be sold to players in South Korea or the United States. Most MMOG companies sought to control this behaviour by banning the accounts of suspected gold farmers (e.g., Activision Blizzard has closed…
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…business, employing hundreds of “gold farmers,” who play games in an effort to hoard resources that can be sold to players in South Korea or the United States. Most MMOG companies sought to control this behaviour by banning the accounts of suspected gold farmers (e.g., Activision Blizzard has closed…
Read More

role-playing video game
Multiplayer RPGs
…employment category, known as “gold farmer,” in China, where thousands of players accumulated game resources to sell through various online venues.
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…employment category, known as “gold farmer,” in China, where thousands of players accumulated game resources to sell through various online venues.
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World of Warcraft
…business, employing thousands of “gold farmers,” who play the game in an effort to hoard resources that can be sold to players in South Korea or the United States. The size of the Chinese gold-farming community is suggested by the revelation that in 2007 the 5th through 10th fastest…
Read More
…business, employing thousands of “gold farmers,” who play the game in an effort to hoard resources that can be sold to players in South Korea or the United States. The size of the Chinese gold-farming community is suggested by the revelation that in 2007 the 5th through 10th fastest…
Read More