Figures
While reliable figures for gold farming are hard to come by, there are some estimates of the market for in-game currency.
In 2005 The New York Times stated that there were over 100,000 full-time gold farmers in China alone. And in 2006 sales of such virtual goods were thought to amount to somewhere between 200 and 900 million USD.
Another estimate, drawn from 2005/2006 data, valued the market at not less than USD200 million per year and suggested that over 150,000 people were employed as gold farmers with average monthly earnings of USD145. This same report estimated that 80% of all gold farmers were from China a fact which has led to prejudice towards Chinese players. 2008 figures from the Chinese State valued the Chinese trade in virtual currency at over several billion yuan, or nearly USD300 million.
Read more about this topic: Gold Farming
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