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The working poor and video games
[Les travailleurs pauvres du jeu vidéo]

Author

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  • Bruno Vétel

    (CEREGE [Poitiers] - Centre de recherche en gestion [EA 1722] - IAE Poitiers - Institut d'Administration des Entreprises (IAE) - Poitiers - UP - Université de Poitiers = University of Poitiers - UP - Université de Poitiers = University of Poitiers - ULR - La Rochelle Université)

Abstract

Online video games are the place of exchange of digital objects useful to their exploration. Some try to earn euros by selling the artificially rare objects they collect there. They can practice what they call "le farm", playing in a very repetitive way to collect the most valuable objects. We propose a synthesis of research on the most widely publicized group among them, "goldfarmers": low-skilled workers who operate in groups from distant countries in order to resell these objects on the Internet. An original research that we conducted with the French players of Dofus shows that they also practice "le farm", but in a more individual ways, that earns little money, and seeks mainly to obtain discounts to be able to carry on playing. This article shows how lucrative "farming" practices are organized and how all stakeholders manage, although not without friction, to live together on an online platform that was originally designed for gaming.

Suggested Citation

  • Bruno Vétel, 2018. "The working poor and video games [Les travailleurs pauvres du jeu vidéo]," Post-Print halshs-01911888, HAL.
    • Handle: RePEc:hal:journl:halshs-01911888
    DOI: 10.3917/res.208.0195
    Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://shs.hal.science/halshs-01911888v2
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    Keywords

    Plateforme; Digital labor; working class; online games; currency; economy; digital; classe populaire; farm; jeux en ligne; monnaie; économie; numérique;
    All these keywords.

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