"Gold Farming" in Video Games
- What are the characteristics of gold farming, and how does it impact the gaming community?
- Why can gold farming harm developers?
- How can gold farming be considered labor exploitation?
- How can you legally protect a video game from gold farming practices?
Gold farming in the context of video games refers to the process of accumulating in-game currency, valuable items, or other resources by repeatedly performing similar actions or completing tasks within a game. Players may engage in gold farming to accelerate their progress, acquire rare items, or simply earn money from it. Consequently, this often leads to the sale or exchange of accounts for real money. However, such practices may violate the game's license agreements and terms of service, resulting in account security issues.
Thus, gold farming is frequently conducted on an illegal basis.
What are the characteristics of gold farming, and how does it impact the gaming community?
This method of earning has become popular in online games where there is demand for virtual assets, and players are willing to pay for them. Some players are happy to spend hours enjoying the game, while others, on the contrary, want to get everything immediately, even if it requires paying a significant amount.
Let’s explore the features of gold farming in video games:
- Objective: Harvesting in-game resources (players spend extensive time performing repetitive tasks like mob farming);
- Objective: Selling resources (the resources obtained are then sold to other players via official or, more commonly, unofficial platforms, where they can be exchanged for real money or in-game currency);
- Disruption of balance: The widespread use of gold farming reduces the incentive for players to progress in the game as intended by the developers, creating unequal conditions among players;
- Labor-intensive: Depending on the video game and farming methods, gold farming can require a significant amount of time and effort, especially to achieve high levels of income. Those engaged in farming often create multiple accounts, each rich in resources for later sale;
- User risks: In some cases, gold farming may involve scams, viruses, or fraud, which can negatively impact the gaming environment and the security of players.
Gold farming is a controversial topic in gaming. Its impact on gaming communities depends on various factors, such as game rules, player motivation, and developer decisions.
Why can gold farming harm developers?
As mentioned earlier, gold farming is mostly an illegal practice, often counter to the rules established by developers. For instance, many game developers prohibit purchasing in-game currency on third-party platforms or other methods of gaining an advantage that violate terms of service or license agreements, as this creates an imbalance in gameplay and can ruin the experience for other players.
Additionally, gold farming is often associated with security breaches of game accounts. Scammers may use gold farming as a way to gain access to other players’ accounts and steal their valuable items or personal information, and sometimes the account itself. In some cases, gold farming may involve violations of intellectual property laws if players sell or purchase in-game items bought with real money without the copyright holder's permission.
Gold farming is also economically disadvantageous for developers, as the rapid accumulation of resources or rare items can lead to in-game currency inflation or overvaluation of in-game items, complicating gameplay and diminishing the overall experience.
Overall, gold farming can decrease player interest in the game: the ability to easily achieve desired goals and access rare items leads to quick saturation and a loss of interest in gameplay, which also reduces player activity and, consequently, developers' revenue.
Thus, gold farming can negatively impact game developers by creating imbalance, disrupting the in-game economy, and diminishing overall player interest in the game.
How can gold farming be considered labor exploitation?
Gold farming can be viewed as a form of labor exploitation in cases where players spend large amounts of time and effort performing repetitive tasks to accumulate in-game resources or currency. It can also be linked to forced labor through so-called “farming services” or “farm shops.” These services offer players the chance to buy in-game currency, resources, or items for real money by relying on other players who spend extensive time farming resources or currency to sell them for cash.
In such cases, people engaged in gold farming may face forced labor, as they must spend significant time and effort performing monotonous tasks in the game to gather the necessary resources or currency for later sale. In some instances, these individuals may face pressure from clients or companies they work for.
Moreover, players involved in gold farming may become victims of unfair practices by clients who may fail to pay them for their work or use their labor without proper compensation. In these situations, those who farm in-game resources may encounter exploitation and forced labor.
Therefore, gold farming in video games can have certain parallels with labor exploitation, as players may invest significant effort and time into performing mechanical operations to achieve specific in-game goals. Developers must consider these aspects to ensure fair and healthy conditions for players and prevent the exploitation of labor in the gaming industry.
How can you legally protect a video game from gold farming practices?
Protecting a game from gold farming is an important aspect of ensuring fair gameplay and a safe gaming environment. We recommend focusing on the following ways to combat such illegal practices:
- Include a prohibition in the terms of service against botting: This may encompass repetitive actions throughout gameplay and creating additional accounts for the same purpose. It’s also possible to include provisions granting the copyright holder the right to block or restrict access to accounts involved in such activities;
- Implement technical safeguards against resource and currency farming: For example, monitoring gameplay actions, systems for detecting bot use, anti-cheat systems, and other automated tools;
- Conduct information campaigns and training for users: These efforts can prevent participation in gold farming and other prohibited practices;
- Involve the gaming community in the fight against gold farming: This can help identify and prevent undesirable activity. Players can report suspicious behavior and help ensure a fair gaming environment;
- Enhance banking security measures: Implement two-factor authentication to prevent unauthorized access to player accounts and reduce fraud risks;
- Monitor transactions: Track in-game transactions and player behavior to detect suspicious activity related to gold farming.
In summary, protecting against gold farming is an ongoing process that requires attention and effort from developers, but the right strategies and security measures can help minimize the harm caused by such undesirable practices.
