I just got sent this link to an article in Scientific American. Its about “gold farmers” from the third world.

These enterprising workers join online games and spend time playing the game in order to amass treasure or experience that they can then sell to others for real money.

There are already property speculators in Second Life and people who can be hired to join your team of adventurers in a game.

Apparently there is even online crime with computer hackers stealing real people’s characters to sell onto others.

So you can now use your real world fortune to do better in a fantasy game than if you actually had to play it … and you can log into an online game to do a days work, before logging out to get away from it all by spending time in the real world.

If only there was a role for gaming coaches then I could log in and spend time virtual coaching.  That would be a good life.