Gold farmers and water army: Digital playbour with Chinese characteristics

The main advantage of the Chinese economy leading to its rapid rise was the importance of low-priced labour. European and North American manufacturing jobs were outsourced to developing countries like China where labour was comparatively weak and defenceless against exploitative practices, while governments emphasised economic growth and fostered a race to the bottom in an effort to better attract multi-national corporations. This coincided with the triumph of neoliberalism in the developed world leading to a general decline of manufacturing jobs and the informatisation of labour in all sectors in advanced industrial countries. Employment in developed countries became increasingly service oriented and technology mediated, while developing countries, and in particular China, moved in the direction of intensive labour-based production.