The New York Times has an article detailing the daily worklife of the Chinese Gold Farmer, the scapegoat of MMO players everywhere. Shockingly, they don’t make much money by American standards.
“For every 100 gold coins he gathers, Li makes 10 yuan, or about $1.25, earning an effective wage of 30 cents an hour, more or less. The boss, in turn, receives $3 or more when he sells those same coins to an online retailer, who will sell them to the final customer (an American or European player) for as much as $20.”