What's a nerd in the western world who's just too busy writing code and scoring with the hot chicks at Harvard to do when you want to level up your World of Warcraft characters? You can outsource it!

You can hire someone from the 3rd world to "farm" for you, getting you more gold in the game while you sleep.

It turns out that in 2009 it was a $9 billion dollar industry

Tim Kelly, info Dev's Lead ICT Policy Specialist, said, "Some of the poorest people in the world are already connected to digital networks through their mobile phones. The study shows that there are real earning opportunities in the virtual economy that will become accessible as mobile technology develops. This could significantly boost local economies and support further development of digital infrastructure in regions such as Africa and southeast Asia."

Converting the Virtual Economy into Development Potential

The short term benefit of putting food on your table definitely outweighs the long term issues of basing your future on a virtual world - but it's certainly an interesting twist on supporting the economy of the 3rd world.