Download now (1804 KB) A new study by the World Bank Group’s
infoDev program shows that virtual online currencies and digital
work now provide real income opportunities to poor and unskilled
workers in developing countries. infoDev is a global technology
and innovation-led development finance program of the World Bank
and IFC. The new study, Knowledge Map of the Virtual Economy,
finds that more than 100,000 people in countries such as China
and India earn a living through online games and websites
disseminating micro-tasks. Jobs in the virtual economy include
micro-tasks like categorizing products in online shops,
moderating content posted to social media sites, or even playing
online games on behalf of wealthier players who are too busy to
tend to their characters themselves. The study estimates that
the market for such gaming-for-hire services was worth $3
billion in 2009, and it suggests that with suitable mobile
technologies even the least-developed countries could benefit
from this emerging virtual econo