Why Were Prisoners in China Forced to Play World of Warcraft?

12.01.2025 - 22:09

Imagine being imprisoned and forced to spend hours playing World of Warcraft—not for fun, but to collect gold and valuable digital items. In a bizarre yet chilling twist, prisoners in Chinese labor camps were compelled to game non-stop, generating profits for others in the real world. Those who failed to meet quotas faced severe punishments.

But what was the driving force behind this practice, and how did it exploit both the gaming industry and human lives? Once you uncover the full story, you’ll never see World of Warcraft the same way again.

Let’s dive into the details. 🎮

World of Warcraft is one of today’s popular games.

However, its history actually dates back to 2004.

Contrary to what is widely known, it has a somewhat dark side.

During that time, there was information about prisoners in Chinese jails being forced to play online games to generate income. Specifically, it was alleged that the 'gold farming' method used in popular MMORPG games like World of Warcraft (WoW) was systematically turned into a revenue source through prisoners.

So how did this process work?

Prisoners were made to perform hard physical labor during the day and then sit in front of computers at night. This nightly work focused on farming gold, collecting valuable items, and leveling up characters in the game. These in-game assets became digital commodities that could later be sold for real money.

According to statements by a former prisoner named Liu Dali, inmates were forced to play games for up to 12 hours a day.

Prisoners who failed to accumulate enough in-game gold faced physical punishment. Liu even stated that he was beaten several times.

Prison officials were reportedly selling the earnings from these games to intermediary companies outside the prison, generating significant income.

It was claimed that the daily profit ranged between 5,000 and 6,000 yuan. This income was said to be divided among local prison administrators and other individuals within the system.

In 2009, the Chinese government passed a law regulating the exchange of virtual currencies for real money.

However, this legislation did not cover the exploitation of prisoners, and reports suggested that such practices continued. Human rights organizations described this situation as modern slavery, drawing sharp criticism.