SoraNews24 —Japan News—

Bringing you yesterday's news from Japan and Asia, today.

TOP

» China
TOP

• Internet
» Paying to play – Catching up with a Chinese leveling service

Featured

Weird
Studio Ghibli
Jobs

Paying to play – Catching up with a Chinese leveling service

KK Miller Jul 11, 2015
Tweet

games 1

Growing up, many of us wondered how we could turn our favorite hobbies into a career. For a lot of us, that thing we love is gaming, and here at RocketNews24, we are definitely guilty of spending entire afternoons daydreaming about playing games professionally and making tons of money. Unfortunately though, the peak years for reaction time are well behind, so our life goal of being a pro gamer is simply a pipe dream.

Thankfully there are still ways to turn gaming into a profession, and a golden case currently exists in China.

Gamers and savvy business people offer leveling services to casual gamers who pay to start powerful, rather than slogging through the low levels themselves. But is such a business actually a viable career? And does the income and resultant lifestyle make it worth it?

If you’ve played any sort of massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), you have probably run into these guys before. Colloquially they are called Chinese gold farmers, but they do more than just farm in-game loot and get in your way. For a fee, these people will level-up your character by playing as them for a period of time while assembling the necessary gear that will enable the character’s true owner to have fun. According to Chinese media sites, these services have become quite popular, and a rising number of young people are running businesses offering such a service. Just posting a request for someone to level up your character on an online message board will get you a response from a “pro” within minutes.

One such pro is 30-year-old Mr. Wang, who makes his living by playing games and making other people’s characters stronger. He plays the game of his client’s choosing and earns a monthly income exceeding 10,000 yuan (US$1,610). While he does have to work long hours from morning to evening, endlessly clicking and grinding away those levels, Wang states he has plenty of money to support his family while living in Xi’an.

▼ Why play the game yourself? Pay Wang to play for you!

Such an “idyllic” lifestyle didn’t magically fall into place, though. After graduating from university, Wang got a job at a hotel in Beijing but found he spent most of his income on video games. His income was quite low at the hotel, so he decided to make money by investing in his gaming hobby. It was quite difficult at first, he explains, especially considering that he had to support his wife as well. In the beginning, they were only able to save around 300 yuan (US$48.33) a month, but with the support of his wife’s salary, they were able to buy more computers and still provide for their children. After about half a year, the family was finally able to earn a stable income from Wang’s gaming service.

When their son was about to enter elementary school, they moved from Beijing to Xi’an. Their living room now houses around 19 computers and are staffed by Wang and others, all playing on behalf of others. Even though Wang began his business back in 2008 and he is currently doing well, it doesn’t mean it will continue to thrive in the future. Wang’s profit margins depend on his ability to play games for long hours, not to mention the popularity of these games that require leveling services.

But Wang wouldn’t trade his current job for anything as he’s doing what he loves and making a living. He believes that his gaming business earns more money than he could earn at a normal job and he certainly enjoys it more. It doesn’t matter whether he continues playing games until he retires or not, because at the moment, he couldn’t be happier.

Source: Nari Nari News
Images: Flickr/THQ Insider