Among many reasons, CORRUPTION, INCOMPETENCE and sanctions have devastated Venezuela’s oil industry, the main source of hard currency of country. But Venezuela’s economic crisis has encouraged the growth of another: the farming of virtual gold in the artificial worlds created by video games.
Venezuelans spend hours on end playing massively multiplayer online role playing games to extract gold coins (the currency in RuneScape) or crystal ones (Tibia). They sell these for real money, via intermediary websites, to other gamers, who spend them on such virtual valuables as weapons, armour and magic potions.
