In the sometimes murky world of China’s game boosters, the promise of easy money masks harsh (virtual) realities
In a small, cluttered apartment in Shanghai, 23-year-old Lin Li is finally getting ready for bed after a long session fighting monsters as a mysterious blue-haired archer on Genshin Impact. Lin spends most of his days completing missions for rewards on the popular Chinese role-playing game—not for his enjoyment, but to make ends meet.
Lin’s one of China’s many game boosters, or dailian (代练), who get paid to play video games on behalf of others who have no time—or will—for the grind. Players hand their precious accounts to these professionals who level up their characters and unlock rewards by killing mythical monsters, collecting resources, hurling spells, or evading assassins.
Lin’s boosting journey began two years ago when he left his tedious job at an air conditioning factory in Guangzhou, Guangdong province. He had worked there since graduating from high school in 2016, and the repetitiveness of the assembly line drove him to seek something new. Now he spends most of his time on his phone, taking orders from gamer clients and playing games. “I’m a freelancer, and not tied to any company. I can leave whenever I want,” says Lin, who requested to use a pseudonym.
Related Articles
