International Herald Tribune
Every day, in 12-hour shifts, they kill monsters and harvest "gold coins" and other virtual goods that they can sell to other online gamers. From Seoul to San Francisco, gamers who lack the hours or the patience to work their way up to the higher levels of gamedom, are hiring young Chinese to play the early rounds for them. 
PCMAG
If you don't have time to spend hours playing the game, you can buy other players' items and currency to boost your character, or simply buy a preplayed powerful character to begin with. Sony estimates that the market for such virtual goods typically sold on eBay-style auction sites or by game-playing corporate entities like IGE has reached $200 million in yearly sales.
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