Gamers Earn $200,000/year Playing World of Warcraft

| Posted: 25-04-2008 | Comments: 0 | Views: 19 | Rating: (117)

(?)

Since the emergence of professional arcade gamers in the 1980’s, playing games for a living has been a dream for many children, teenagers and adults alike. Whilst only a lucky few have been able to attach themselves to Donkey Kong for a living, or compete in Korea on the latest first-person shooter, the 21st century has seen the emergence of a whole new generation of professional players. And there are a lot of them!

The world of massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs to the techno-savvy amongst you) has provided opportunist gamers the chance to earn small fortunes from developing fan sites, add-ons, wallpapers and instructional eBooks. But the most profitable niche of all is that of “Real-Money Trading” (RMT). It works quite simply; professional gamers play within MMORPGs with the sole purpose of selling services to other gamers. Yes that’s right; millions of people all over the World happily pay out huge sums of money to let people play the game for them. In some cases that’s literally true (and is dubbed “power levelling”) but for most this includes buying pre-played accounts or buying virtual currency for the game.

By far the most popular target of these services is World of Warcraft, with over 10,000,000 gamers subscribing to the game across the Western world. The game’s currency (WoW Gold) is currently the hottest property in the RMT market, with millions of dollars being spent every day to gain this precious in-game resource. Recent estimates suggested that over $500,000,000 in sales were made last year for WoW Gold, and that figure is set to grow still further in 2008. The release of an upcoming expansion pack, Wrath of the Lich King, is set to increase demand still further creating a buying frenzy when the pack is finally released.

Fuelling this money-train is a workforce of near 500,000, largely based in East Asia. There have been many claims that these workers (or “Gold Farmers” as they are dubbed) are poorly paid and badly treated, especially within China. This has tarnished the industry’s reputation with many Western gamers, but is largely attributed to a lack of understanding of the cost of living difference between East and West. Whilst $1 per hour won’t pay the rent in the USA, it will afford you a very reasonable standard of living in the provinces of China where this work takes place.

Suffice to say, this is an industry to watch, especially if you’re an aspiring entrepreneur. Many MMORPG-millionaires have been made to this day and, with many more titles being released on the horizon, the future looks very bright.

Rate this Article:

Current: 5 / 5 stars - 1 vote(s).

Article Tags: Wow, Games, World Of Warcraft, Computer Games, Video Games, Gamers, Mmorpg, Mmo, Gamer

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/computer-games-articles/gamers-earn-200000year-playing-world-of-warcraft-396489.html

Print article

Send to friend

Publish this Article

Author feedback

About the Author:

This article was made possible by the fine people at MOGS.com, America's leading provider of WoW Gold.

Submitting articles has become one of the most popular means of generating quality backlinks and targeted traffic to your website. Join us today - It's Free!

Article Comments

Add new Comment

How to Pick the Right Mmorpg: a Quick Mmo Games Overview for Newbies
By: Fredrik Komstadius | 28/09/2007 | Art and Entertainment
There are lots of different online rpg games out there and picking one that suits your need can be a daunting task if you are new to the MMORPG scene. In this article I will give you a brief overview of some of the more popular games, these will be categorized to reflect playing styles.

The Age of Free Online Gaming
By: Robert | 16/05/2008 | Internet
Learn about the rise of a genre of PC games thats sweeping the world. Massively Multiplayer Online Games are the way of the future, and are becoming immensely popular everywhere in the world.

Age of Conan Looking to Hit Gold for Game Developer
By: Bert Mitchel | 23/05/2008 | Internet
AoC is the latest MMORPG offering from Funcom, the developer of previous games such as Anarchy Online.

Ten World of Warcraft Leveling Secrets
By: Greg Smitherson | 29/05/2007 | Art and Entertainment
World of Warcraft is perhaps one of the biggest games on the market, with over eight-million subscribers, it certainly is already the number one MMORPG (Massive Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Game), the only problem, it seems, is the amount of time it takes to get to the end of the game via leveling. So without further ado, here’s ten leveling secrets that should help you level faster than ever.

Racial Issues In World Of Warcraft
By: Mark Mackay | 13/02/2006 | Art and Entertainment
A look at how it is not much of a leap from the virtual world to the real world.

The Front Page On World Of Warcraft
By: Madison Lockwood | 21/03/2007 | Art and Entertainment
First came computer games. Then came DSL, and broadband online access, followed very closely by computer games where you can play with other real people sitting in front of other real computers, somewhere else in the real world. This functionality has led to the development of several phenomenally successful "Massively...

Final Fantasy 6 Breaks Out Huge On Gameboy Advance
By: Rachel Yoshida | 27/05/2008 | Art and Entertainment
Taking the handheld game industry by storm, this new addition is making waves in the industry.

The Advance Of The Pokemon On Gameboy Now Ruling The Portable Game Industry
By: Rachel Yoshida | 27/05/2008 | Art and Entertainment
The pokemon series is now one of the most popular games for the handheld game industry and is showing no signs of losing any ground it has forcefull taken.

Got a Question? Ask.

Ask the community a question about this article:

Frequently Asked Questions

Why
By: pc | 20-07-2008
i have checked all angles, why i can't download the games on pogo. Java is up to date no firewalls no other programs opened while i download. ip address is correct............my computer had just been overhauled. I had no trouble before...............why now?

What is www.agamegold.com for ?
By: strikegold | 20-07-2008
is there anyone who knows www.agamegold.com or www.wow4s.com and what is that for? i will become happier if there is any reply.

How to get pokemon ranch
By: batista | 20-07-2008
how to get pokemon ranch

How do I clean the litter box on Catz 2 video game
By: Calliesmom | 20-07-2008
Please help me. My daughter got a DS yesterday. She got the Catz 2 game. We cannot clean out the litter box. The cat "thinks" about the fact that it needs done while I am trying to do it! Three times now we have been able to get it cleaned after trying about 20-30 times each time and then suddenly it works only to have it say oh sorry you dont have enough ribbons to get to the playroom anymore, go back and clean the litter box. This is really frustrating. I'm sorry that we bought this game. Thanks if anyone can help.

Bagatelle
By: katd994 | 20-07-2008
looking for a bell to recondition a vintage bagatelle game any suggestions?

Both of these Games are in control of a Hacker?
By: Katie and Derek | 20-07-2008
Both of these Games are in control of a Hacker?

Q&A Powered by:

Latest Computer Games Articles

Microstation Tips & Tricks From Axiom
By: Robert | 24/07/2008
In a previous MicroStation Tips & Tricks article (http://www.AxiomInt.com), Axiom's MicroStation guru, Rick Sewell, showed you how to create a CSV file (from a design file) that contains all of the level symbology of that design file, neatly laid out. Now see how to update levels in other design files with that CSV file. - Editor

Know About Google Blogger
By: Parveenn Kumarr | 24/07/2008
Google Blogger is one of the easiest and most complete blogging solutions currently available on the Internet. Anyone can sign up and start blogging in a manner of minutes with the easy to navigate interface and tools it provides. But, there are a lot of things you probably don't know about Blogger, hidden within the more advanced features of the site.

Leading Bookmakers-for Sport Lovers
By: Baycoo K | 24/07/2008
Place your sports and football bets with online leading bookmakers who are regarded as the absolute best.UK Bookmakers Online Betting aims in selecting and reviewing the best offers available, as there are now many out there.

Tips for Beating New Super Mario Brothers
By: Andres Garcia | 20/07/2008
Have you had trouble completing New Super Mario Brothers, for the DS, in it's entirety? If you have, then the answer to that question may be in this article. Take a look to find out.

The Difference Between Cartoons and Anime Explained!
By: N K Singh | 19/07/2008
Cartoon is a term that once referred to fine art during the renaissance period. Anime is a term used by the Japanese to refer to animated cartoons, from their own country and from others as well. And the distinction between these two has caused much confusion.

Games Magazines For The Avid Gamer
By: Victor Epand | 19/07/2008
In this article, we look at how Game Magazines help people who are avid gamers, by giving them great tips. These journals also help you by giving you information about the latest games in the market.

Is it the End of the Prematurely Aging Snake?
By: Jeff | 17/07/2008
If you won't be prisoner to fate then go, fulfill your destiny - this is a very dramatic quote from the video which suggests that snake did in fact commit suicide at the end of his mission.

Dual Shock 3 Sixaxis: the Return of the Rumble!
By: Jeff | 17/07/2008
How important is your game controller? Would you say that the game is more important than the controller or that they are equally important?

Article Categories

Article Marketing

Article Notepad

Stop Duplicate Content

Term Papers

Need Help?

Sign up for our email newsletter

Receive updates, enter your email below

Use of this web site constitutes acceptance of the Terms Of Use and Privacy Policy | User published content is licensed under a Creative Commons License.
Copyright © 2005-2008 Free Articles by ArticlesBase.com, All rights reserved. (0.17, 17)

Gamers Earn $200,000/year Playing World of Warcraft

Article Comments

Related Articles

Got a Question? Ask.

Latest Computer Games Articles

Need Help?

Site Links

Webmasters

Business Info

Sign up for our email newsletter