I’m in Singapore for State of Play V, which concludes a self-indulgent week of buffing-up my research into games and virtual worlds in preparation for next month’s Gikii 2. I’ve just come from a dinner where we were shown a documentary on businesses in Second Life, following the rise of Read more
Yes, I know I am coming across as a curmudgeonly harbinger of doom, but I’ve just read an excellent article on Wired on actual traffic numbers for Second Life. To quote from the article: “Once you put in several hours flailing around learning how to function in Second Life, there Read more
(via net.wars) The official Second Life blog has announced that it will ban gambling from the popular virtual world. The new policy bans all games of chance through random-number generators that provide a payout in Linden dollars or any real life currency. This includes all sorts of casino games (such Read more
Internet news websites have been commenting on a copyright infringement case involving sex toys in Second Life. With spectacular titles like “Sex Toy IP Scandal Rocks Second Life“, one would imagine thousands of depressed avatars shocked by the news of a lawsuit involving sex toys. The lawsuit involves something called Read more
Terra Nova reports on the potential business migration from Second Life, due in part to its “clunky technology”. Some of the early comers in the virtual market, such as Well Fargo, have left and set up their virtual tent elsewhere. I agree with TN about the fact that this is Read more
(via Colin Miller) As part of my growing interest in virtual economies, here is an eye-opening look at the gold of Chinese gold farmers from Julian Dibbell, including some video footage of their virtual sweat shops (you can sort of smell that the term could be quite literal as well). Read more
(via Terra Nova) I missed this one during my travels, but I find it such a great story. A Florida law firm has initiated a class-action suit against Internet Gaming Entertainment (IGE), a gold farming company based in Hong Kong and Delaware. According to the plaintiff, one Mr Antonio Hernández, Read more
(An auction house in City of Heroes) (via Ashley Theunissen) The UK’s Fraud Advisory Panel has issued a recommendation asking for regulation of the fledgling economies in virtual worlds. According to this group, virtual costumers are increasingly involved in commercial transactions in virtual environments. These virtual online communities “… are Read more
The mainstream press has been reporting on what could very well be the world’s first cyberwar. A diplomatic conflict between Estonia and Russia over a bronze statute has resulted in what seems to be a series of coordinated attacks against Estonian institutions. Denial-of-service attacks have brought down websites belonging to Read more
Because nothing says “I’m a geek” like a piece of plastic with the picture of an elf on it. So many jokes, so little time… (via Colin Miller)