English

Noun

gold farming ‎(uncountable)

1. (online gaming) The business of farming/grinding for in-game currency (gold in many games) and items in massively multiplayer online games for for-profit resale outside of the game.
   • 2007 October 23, Ge Jin, “Chinese Gold Farmers: Immigrant Workers in the Game Land”, in Friedrich Von Borries, Steffen Peter Walz, Matthias Böttger, editors, Space Time Play: Computer Games, Architecture and Urbanism: The Next Level, Birkhäuser Basel, page 463:

     The gold farming industry turns one man's play into another's work, but most gaming workers see a clear difference between work and play.

   • 2010 October 26, Lastowka, Greg, Virtual Justice: The New Laws of Online Worlds, Yale University Press, ISBN 9780300141207, OL 25418783M:

     While some companies seem largely indifferent to gold farming, others see gold farmers as unfairly extracting value from property that they do not own. Gold farming is often described as a parasitic business practice that undermines the stability of virtual economics.

   • 2012 November 15, Ken Leung as Leon Tao, “Critical”, in Person of Interest, season 2, episode 7:

     You heard of gold farming? Selling multiplayer online game currency for real cash?

Verb

gold farming

1. present participle of gold farm

Usage notes

As a verb, the present participle "gold farming" is almost always used, gold farm as a verb is rarely, if ever, used.