Smart Play: Fan Labor, Identity, and Self-Presentative Articulation of Gold Farmers in China

• In Event: The Messy Intersection of Games and Governance, Both Within and Surrounding Games (High-Density)

Abstract

RESEARCH PAPER
The popularization of networked games has led to the professionalization of a particular type of players called gold farmers who specialize in online gameplay for real money. Albeit not unique to China, gold farming has reached a level of monetization and sophistication that is unrivalled in the rest of the world. This article offers a critical interrogation of gold farmers as a marginalized group through their own narratives on their perceptions of social stereotypes, motivational drivers, career plans, and identity articulation. The analysis is informed by extensive in-depth field interviews of 60 gold farmers in multiple cities across China. Our discussion is embedded in the evolving political, cultural and social underpinnings of China, and offer insight on these players and the profession of gold farming.

Authors

• Zixue Tai, University of Kentucky

• Fengbin Hu