Ge Jin

From Mediaspace

Ge Jin

Ge Jin holds a Master degree in Public Communication from Fordham University in New York, and a bachelor degree in Economics from Shanghai International Studies University. He is currently a PhD candidate in the Department of Communication at University of California-San Diego.

His previous creative works include: "A House of Belonging", 10 minute documentary on the endeavor of the Turkish Community in San Diego to build a house of turkey in Balboa Park--San Diego's cultural center, 2005;

"Shanghai Gardens", Interactive Multimedia, with JR Osborn, presented on Memefest 2003.

"Your Wrds R Welcome ", 20 minute documentary on live poetry in San Diego, 2002, Outstanding Documentary Award by the African and African-American Studies Research Project at UCSD.

Shi Wan Ge Bu Wei Shen Me (the 100,000 reasons why you don't need to explain why): A collection of poems in Chinese, 1998.

Gold Farmers, Ge Jin's documentary from 2006, which will be presented at mediaspace_09, explores the chinese phenomenon of 'gold farmers': A "gold farmer" is someone who plays online games in order to build game characters and collect items that can be traded to other players for money, converting virtual assets into hard cash. Gold farmers represent a black economy in the online world, often resented by other players. Nevertheless, it is estimated that thousands of people make a living from gold farming, most of them based in Asia. Ge Jin's documentary "Gold Farmers" presents an inside view of Chinese gold farming sweatshops. It explores the social implications of this virtual economy, juxtaposing it with the real economic situation that has enabled it to flourish. Ultimately this is not a film about games, but rather a commentary on the virtualization of labor and globalized trade.