Thanks to the global economy, there’s a new profession in developing nations – gold farming. The name refers to the practice of playing massively multiplayer online games strictly to acquire in-game currency, which can then be sold for real-world currency. Because of the economic inequality between first- and third-world nations, this can be a profitable, if dull, occupation for those in developing nations.

The idea has always seemed somewhat amusing, due to its absurdity. Now, however, it appears the prison officials in China have started forcing their prisoners to take up gold farming. The operations can be more profitable than the traditional physical labour the prisoners are also forced to do.