In addition to the pocket change he earns from a nearby pizzeria, he earns about 60 bucks a month from OSRS gold and can afford rice and cornmeal to make arepas for himself and his younger sister. However, for Marinez who is online, it isn't just about arepas. It's about escape--even if he thinks that the medieval game is boring.

Sometimes, it takes the player back to a time when they were a novice player and shows how far you've come in your life. In the case of RuneScape this was little more between all three. When my younger self was able to see me as I am now, he'd probably be extremely proud. You grotworms aren't able to take my shine.

In the beginning, trading in real life happened informally. "You may buy gold from a friend at high school." Jacob Reed, the most well-known creator of YouTube videos on RuneScape who goes by Crumb wrote within an email message to me. In the following years, the demand for cheap RS gold surpassed supply and some players became full-time gold farmers or those who produce in-game currency which they sell to real-world cash.