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Virtual Worlds: The New Cyberfrontier

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A virtual world is a computer-simulated environment intended for its users to inhabit and interact via avatars. This habitation usually is represented in the form of two or three-dimensional graphical representations of humanoids (or other graphical or text-based avatars). Some, but not all, virtual worlds allow for multiple users.

As virtual world is a fairly vague and inclusive term, the above can generally be divided along a spectrum ranging from true massively multiplayer online role-playing games, and massively multiplayer online real-life/rogue-like games -- the distinction being that in RPGs, the fact of the user playing a specific character is a main feature of the game, whereas in RLGs, the user can edit and alter their avatar at will, allowing them to play a more dynamic role, or mulitple roles.

One perception of virtual worlds requires an online persistent world, active and available 24 hours a day and seven days a week, to qualify as a true virtual world. Although this is possible with smaller virtual worlds, especially those that are not actually online, no massively multiplayer game runs all day, every day. All the online games listed above include downtime for maintenance that is not included as time passing in the virtual world. While the interaction with other participants is done in real-time, time consistency is not always maintained in online virtual worlds. For example, EverQuest time passes faster than real-time despite using the same calendar and time units to present game time.

Some teachers and university professors have adopted virtual worlds for educational purposes. Educators create an online community that students can log into and interact in. Within these educational virtual worlds, students will use their avatar to learn about new assignments and to create projects that are viewable within the virtual world. For example, students taking a computer manufacturing class can log into a virtual world in which they are the inhabitants of a burgeoning village that needs their expertise for the construction of houses, furniture, machines, and other goods.

The earliest virtual worlds were not games. The first virtual worlds presented on the Internet were communities and chat rooms, some of which evolved into Mud's and MUSHes. They attempted to create sets of avatars for virtual interaction. Community virtual worlds allowed access to the environment and encouraged creating buildings, art, and structures (and many did not include avatars).

Some early prototyptes were WorldsAway, a prototype interactive communities featuring a virtual world by CompuServe called Dreamscape, and The Palace, a 2-dimensional community driven virtual world. However, credit for the first online virtual world usually goes to Habitat, developed in 1987 by LucasFilm Games for the Commodore 64 computer, and running on the Quantum Link service (the precursor to America Online).

(From Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_World)

El Blog de Ricardo Lucas

La convergencia entre mundos virtuales, juegos serios y simulaciones educativas: los Highly Interactive Virtual Environments (HIVE)
Clark Aldrich ha publicado en su blog un post muy interesante sobre la convergencia entre mundos virtuales, juegos y simulaciones de tipo educativo. Opina que muchos profesionales se enfrentan a una paradoja al observar un solapamiento entre esas tres categorías y percibir, al mismo tiempo, que son muy diferentes entre sí.
Cómo los mundos virtuales añaden valor a las empresas | El Blog de Ricardo Lucas
Durante los últimos días varios colegas y amigos me han preguntando si los mundos virtuales y, en particular, Second Life siguen funcionando. Sí, siguen funcionando y todos los datos indican que, como dicen los anglosajones, están "alive and kicking" (vivitos y coleando). En el clima económico actual, las empresas están buscando formas nuevas y mejoradas para extraer más valor de sus inversiones. Los mundos virtuales son un recurso increíble que hace posible la colaboración en tiempo real más allá del espacio físico de las oficinas y de las fronteras internacionales. Los entornos en tres dimensiones permiten reunir virtualmente a los empleados, permitiéndoles colaborar como si estuviesen sentados cara a cara. Aunque la tecnología está todavía en proceso de ajuste fino, el potencial de los mundos virtuales para las empresas es inimaginable.
La Internet Inmersiva: nuevo Estudio de ThinkBalm sobre el valor para los negocios de los mundos virtuales | El Blog de Ricardo Lucas
ThinkBalm, empresa de consultoría estratégica especializada en la investigación de las aplicaciones empresariales de la Internet Inmersiva, ha publicado recientemente un nuevo Estudio que investiga el valor para los negocios de los mundos virtuales. Los hallazgos son muy interesantes y estimulantes para las empresas del sector de los Mundos Virtuales. Contradicen las predicciones que hizo Gartner en 2008, en las que estimaba que el 90% de los proyectos de mundos virtuales acometidos por las empresas terminarían siendo un fracaso, mientras que el estudio de ThinkBalm descubre que el 95% de los proyectos son percibidos como éxitos por las empresas que los están llevando a cabo
El auge de los Juegos Serios (Serious Games) y de sus aplicaciones para el aprendizaje en entornos empresariales | El Blog de Ricardo Lucas
El sector de los "juegos serios" puede generar un cifra de negocio mayor durante la próxima década, que la del sector del entretenimiento interactivo. Esta es la opinión de Noah Falstein, experto en la utilización de juegos para el aprendizaje y CEO de The Inspiracy que, durante la XMediaLab Conference que tuvo lugar en Sidney la semana pasada, afirmaba que "es inevitable que los juegos de ordenador cuyos propósitos van más allá de la mera diversión, crezcan para eclipsar el mercado de los juegos de puro entretenimiento y, muy probablemente, esto ocurrirá durante los próximos diez años".

Links to Virtual Worlds

Virtual learning environments (Wikipedia)
This page is a collaborative definition of the history of virtual learning environments published by Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. From the summary: "A Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) (or "Learning Management System") is a system that creates an environment designed to facilitate teachers in the management of educational courses for their students, especially a system using computer hardware and software, especially involving distance learning. The terminology for systems which integrate and manage computer-based learning has changed over the years. Terms which are useful in searching for earlier materials include: "Integrated Learning Systems" (ILS), "Computer Assisted Instruction" (CAI), "Computer Based Training" (CBT),"Computer Managed Instruction" (CMI), "Interactive Multimedia Instruction" (IMI), "Technology Enhanced Learning" (TEL), "Technology Based Learning" (TBL), and "Web Based Training" (WBT). ".
Virtual Worlds Review
Hello! This is Betsy Book, creator of Virtual Worlds Review. For three years, VWR offered a basic guide to persistent online 2D and 3D virtual worlds that emphasize social interaction (MMOSGs). I launched the site on April 15, 2003 and since then have witnessed a surge in interest in all different kinds of virtual worlds.
In February 2006, I signed on as a full-time staff member of Makena Technologies, creators of the social virtual world There. Because I felt it would not be possible to provide truly objective reviews of other virtual worlds, I placed VWR "on hold" at that time. As of now I have no further plans to offer future updates.
It's been a very exciting time in this space, and the emergence of social virtual worlds as a cultural phenomenon is just beginning. I'm thrilled to have a chance to gain first-hand experience helping to actually develop a social virtual world, even though it means VWR must go into statis.
I hope you enjoy the "snapshot" that Virtual Worlds Review offers of the years 2003-2006 and that you continue to find the information a helpful starting point in your own process of discovering social virtual worlds.
An Atlas of Cyberspace
A range of maps of the geographic structure of text-based virtual reality Multi-User Dimensions (MUDs) and graphical 3D virtual worlds.
Second Life (Your World. Your Imagination)
Second Life is a 3-D virtual world entirely built and owned by its residents. Since opening to the public in 2003, it has grown explosively and today is inhabited by 321,389 people from around the globe.
From the moment you enter the World you'll discover a vast digital continent, teeming with people, entertainment, experiences and opportunity. Once you've explored a bit, perhaps you'll find a perfect parcel of land to build your house or business.
You'll also be surrounded by the Creations of your fellow residents. Because residents retain the rights to their digital creations, they can buy, sell and trade with other residents.
The Marketplace currently supports millions of US dollars in monthly transactions. This commerce is handled with the in-world currency, the Linden dollar, which can be converted to US dollars at several thriving online currency exchanges.
Welcome to Second Life. We look forward to seeing you in-world.
Entropia Universe
The Entropia Universe is more than a game. The Entropia Universe is for real. Real people, real activities and a Real Cash Economy in a massive online universe.
Join people from around the globe who use the Entropia Universe currency, the PED, to develop their characters everyday on the untamed planet of Calypso. The unique and secure Real Cash Economy allows you to transfer your accumulated PED back into real world funds.
Online around the clock for decades to come, the Entropia Universe is continually enhanced with new content every month and supported by the Entropia Universe Support Department.
The Entropia Universe is a direct continuation of Project Entropia, which had a 2005 turnover of 1.6 Billion PED (160M$).
There
There is an everyday hangout where you can have fun with your friends and meet new ones -- all in a lush 3D environment that's yours to build and explore!
Kaneva Online Community and Social Network
The Social Entertainment Network.
Discover a free and unique way to express yourself and meet new friends online ... and in a virtual world. Explore thousands of profiles, web channels and hang out in our virtual world. Express yourself and create your online profile and virtual space for total self-expression. Create a multi-media web channel today to share your talent and passion with the world.
Everquest
EverQuest (EQ) is a 3D fantasy massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) that was released on March 16, 1999. The original design is credited to Brad McQuaid, Steve Clover, and Bill Trost. It was developed by Verant Interactive (which had recently parted from 989 Studios) and published by Sony Online Entertainment (SOE). SOE currently runs and distributes EverQuest. The game's sequel, EverQuest II, was released in 2004.
To play, one must initially pay for the game software and then pay a recurring monthly fee; a free trial is also available for those who wish to experience the game before paying. EverQuest was, for a time, the most popular MMORPG in the industry.
World of Warcraft
World of Warcraft (commonly abbreviated to WoW) is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) developed by Blizzard Entertainment. It is the fourth game in the Warcraft series, excluding expansion packs and the cancelled Warcraft Adventures: Lord of the Clans. The Warcraft games are set in the Warcraft Universe, a fantasy setting introduced by Warcraft: Orcs & Humans in 1994. World of Warcraft itself takes place within the world of Azeroth, four years after the events at the conclusion of Blizzard's previous release, Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne. World of Warcraft's release celebrated the 10th anniversary of the Warcraft franchise.
Although its initial release was hampered by server stability and performance issues, problems which still intermittently recur,[1] the game is widely regarded as a success. World of Warcraft has almost seven million active subscriptions worldwide as of September 2006.[
Active Worlds
Active Worlds (AW) is a 3D virtual reality platform. The Active Worlds Browser runs on Windows, and on the majority of computers today. Users assign themselves a unique name, log into the Active Worlds virtual universe, and explore 3D worlds and environments that other users have built. Users can chat with one another or build structures and areas from a selection of objects. AW allows users to own worlds, and universe and develop 3D content. The browser has web browsing capabilities, voice chat, and basic instant messaging. This integrated software can allow users to connect, explore, and gain a more in depth understanding of 3D. Corporate and educational clients of Active Worlds can make use of the interaction, communication, and media to provide functional environments suited for their objective.
The program's original goal was to be the 3D-equivalent to a 2D browser (such as Internet Explorer or Mozilla). Instead of creating a website, the user could construct an office, building, or area in which to display products or information. Currently in version 4.1 released May 30th, 2006, there are many new features which allow users to interact with the environment more so than previous versions.
The necessity for 3D art within Active Worlds to enrich one's world has led to the development of a market place for 3D models, textures, avatars (and associated animation sequences), and more. There is also plenty of free exchange of 3D content. There is also custom design services for 3D art available, especially avatars.
Uni-verse
What is Uni-Verse?
Our intention is to create an open source IP-based platform for multi-user, interactive, distributed, high-quality 3D graphics and audio for home, public and personal use. The platform will support high-quality 3D-graphics as well as high-quality 3D-audio and acoustic simulation. The goal is to create a platform that can unify the technology found in virtual reality, games, and networking to form a delivery platform for a new form of content. Media has benefited enormously by content delivery standards such as 35mm film, PAL/NTSC, FM radio, and HTML. Today we see a game market with huge potential held back by the lack of content standard and closed hardware platforms. If this technology could be made standardized we would be able to create development pipelines, tools and education that would increase overall quality and experience, drastically reduce the development cost of content and open up for a wide range of applications. With most households having computers and with the advent of cheap 3D hardware and broadband Internet connections we believe that the time has come. This platform must be open to allow any content provider to create content, any hardware vendor to create new hardware and any tool/technology vendor to add software.
The foundation of the platform is an IP network protocol for integrated dynamic 3D-graphics and 3D-audio content. This lightweight, low latency network protocol will be based on an existing protocol known as Verse developed by one of the partners. This protocol lets multiple components act together as one large application by sharing data over a network. If one application makes a change to the data the change is distributed instantly to all interested clients. This simple network protocol allows anyone to write components and applications that are compatible. The protocol is usually configured with a central server that acts as a hub passing of messages to the clients. Clients no longer needs to access data through load/save features since all communication is done instantly using the protocol. This also adds redundancy since all clients and the server have a copy of the data. No data is lost if one component crashes. The data format used by the protocol is an easy-to-use, non-application specific format, but with advanced features as subdivision surfaces geometry, shader trees, high dynamic range and 3D textures.
We have gathered researchers and experts in relevant fields like 3D graphics, interaction, gaming, 3D tools, 3D audio, Virtual Reality, display systems, 3D processing and hand-held devices to come together under the umbrella of this idea of a common network protocol for information exchange. One partner in the project is the Blender Foundation bringing in a community of open source developers. Blender is by far the largest open source 3D creation tool, with a registered user-base of over 250,000 users worldwide (march 2002). All software developed in the project will be open source but other companies may develop modules for Uni-Verse, which are proprietary.
Lineage
Fantasy: In the medieval world of Lineage, choose to be a gallant knight, a resourceful wizard, a crafty elf, a cunning dark elf, or a revered prince or princess. Play surrounded by guarded castles, perilous forests, sinister fens and valleys filled with the undead. Slay ferocious monsters unlike any known to man or elf.
Adventure: Discover the massive and ever-expanding world of Lineage. Journey to the fiery pits and rocky crags in the lair of the dragon, Valakas. Descend into dark, dank dungeons and conquer monsters - living and dead - for treasure
Explore the watery depths of the Kingdom of Eva and fight creatures of the deep. Travel to cities to replenish supplies, swig ale and boast of your victories at taverns and inns. Fight and win at the sides of your pledgemates. The world of Lineage is continuously growing, making an ever-changing game world.
Community: Make friends and foes in your travels. Hunt with friends and strangers alike! Pledge loyalty and vow to conquer the pretender-king and restore your chosen Prince or Princess to the throne.
All-Out War: Plan strategies for castle sieges with your pledgemates. It's do or die as you fight to win control of castles and kingdoms, installing your ruler of choice to the throne. Create unlikely alliances to ensure that your Pledge will withstand sieges against it. Expect to be challenged, again and again. This is total war!
Features: Dual-platform: Play on either Mac or PC in the same online world. Free software! Download the software from our website (www.lineage.com).
Free updates! Grow with the game: explore new territories and battle new monsters. Easy to use: The mouse-driven interface and updated guidebooks make learning Lineage a breeze. Quests: Attempt the in-game quests to prove your ability and gain recognition. Pet control system: Tame pets to help you hunt; manage them well or they'll go wild!
Lively
"The Lively team wants to help people experience another dimension of the Web," said Google engineering manager Niniane Wang in a blog post. "We hope you will use the product to express yourself with and without words, and to do this in the places you already visit on the Web."
Lively feels more like a Google Talk-powered chat room with 3-D camera controls than an immersive environment like Second Life. In part that's a function of the small in-browser window that presents Lively's various rooms -- full screen graphics are inevitably more compelling.
And in part that's a function of performance. It's likely that the user experience is better with a better computer. The IBM (NYSE: IBM) ThinkPad T2500 (2GHz Core Duo) I used to visit Lively for the first time responded too slowly for the experience to be enjoyable. (Eerily, though Lively crashed Firefox 3, requiring that I restart my browser, sounds from the Lively world continued uninterrupted, even though I didn't try to log in again. As I write, there's intermittent canned laughter bubbling from my speakers.)
Entering the Lively environment requires Windows XP or Vista, Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) Internet Explorer or Firefox, and the Lively browser plug-in. Mac support may be a long time coming. A Google help document says that Lively is a Google Labs project that's still being tested. "We hope to support other platforms in the future, but for now you'll need a Windows system to access Lively," the help document says.
Lively rooms, created by users or already constructed, can be embedded in any Web site. Visitors to Lively can enter the various rooms to chat. They can also modify the appearance of their Lively Avatar and can add furniture to rooms.
Lively rooms can display YouTube videos on virtual TVs and display Picasa photos in virtual picture frames. They can also display Google Desktop gadgets and play music uploaded from the user's computer -- insert your copyright lawsuit here.
Google says in its help documentation that it is working with a small number of trusted testers, vendors and creative agencies on special items for Lively. The company says that it expects to enable more user content generation soon. At some point, there will almost certainly be virtual commerce and advertising.
Lively is certainly easier to use than Second Life, but it lacks the latter's programmability. For Google developers and content partners that may not be an issue -- the inaccessibility of the Lively's code infrastructure won't matter much if Lively generates lots of gadget use and ad page views.
(From: InformationWeek, Thomas Claburn, July 9, 2008)

Associations, Research Centers and Groups

Association of Virtual Worlds
Mision:
The Association of Virtual Worlds believes that virtual worlds represent a major information and technological revolution in how we work, play and live. The Association mission is to serve those companies and individuals who are dedicated to the advancement of this multi-billion dollar global industry and reach out to those who have not yet found virtual worlds.
Goals:
To create a forum for the discussion of issues affecting the industry
To assist in the development of industry procedures and standards
To promote the virtual worlds industry, its interest and developments
To educate on the benefits of virtual worlds to enhance work and play
To offer business and social networking opportunities
To connect the public and consumers with members of the virtual worlds industry
To participate in the determination of the collective interests of the industry
To further the common interests of the industry
To provide leadership for the betterment of the industry
To recognize accomplishment within the virtual worlds industry

Books about Virtual Worlds in Amazon

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Books about Virtual Worlds in Amazon

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Documents about Virtual Worlds

Castronova, Edward, "Virtual Worlds: A First-Hand Account of Market and Society on the Cyberian Frontier"
A starting point for the academic study of virtual economies for their own sake, this article by economist and sociologist Edward Castronova focuses on the massively-multiplayer online game Everquest. The author conducted a user survey and combined the results with data from third party websites and personal observations to describe value creation, wealth distribution, microeconomic conditions and macroeconomic indicators in the virtual world of the game. The results are striking: some 93,000 players spend more time in the game than at work, each creating an average of USD 3.42 worth of virtual assets per hour. The virtual assets can be traded for real currency in highly liquid markets. Thus Everquest's GNP per capita exceeds that of e.g. China. The author points out two directions for further research: study of virtual worlds as useful economic simulations; and study of virtual worlds as increasingly important economic and social phenomena in their own right.
Burke, Timothy, "Rubicite Breastplate Priced to Move, Cheap: How Virtual Economies Become Real Simulations"
Asheron's Call was one of three major commercial "persistent world" massively multiplayer computer games available in the spring of 2001, the others being Everquest and Ultima Online. (Since that time, a number of other games in this genre have appeared, with more on the way.) In these games, tens of thousands of players within a shared virtual environment control alternate personas, characters who retain their abilities and possessions from session to session and who can acquire additional skills or objects over time. "Nerfs", sudden changes in the rules of such games by the designers that degrade the powers and capabilities of these characters, generally draw heavy fire.
Castronova, Edward, "On Virtual Economies"
In this article, the author continues from where his initial study left off: the future of virtual worlds; growth, market structure and economic impact. Using a historical review, the author argues that the demand for avatar based gaming is driven strongly by developments in gaming technology, and is thus poised to grow. In assessing possible market structures, he notes that virtual worlds produce network externalities on the demand side, suggesting a natural monopoly. However, he argues that due to differentiation, switching costs and nonexistent economies of scale on the supply side, the market will tend towards monopolistic competition instead. But recent design innovations such as "instancing" seem to falsify at least the point concerning economies of scale.
To assess the impact of virtual world usage to real economy, the author presents a simple utility function for time spent in virtual worlds. He assumes that player satisfaction is derived from challenge and reward, which ignores the the body of research conducted on this topic. He concludes that game time is a substitute not only for other consumption goods, but also for work time. This emigration may impact macroeconomic aggregates in the future. Virtual assets are currently not included in real GDP.
Castronova, Edward, "Theory of the Avatar"
The internet has given birth to an expanding number of shared virtual reality spaces, with a collective population well into the millions. These virtual worlds exhibit most of the traits we associate with the Earth world: economic transactions, interpersonal relationships, organic political institutions, and so on. A human being experiences these worlds through an avatar, which is the representation of the self in a given physical medium. Most worlds allow an agent to choose what kind of avatar she or he will inhabit, allowing a person with any kind of Earth body to inhabit a completely different body in the virtual world. The emergence of avatar-mediated living raises both positive and normative questions. This paper explores several choice models involving avatars. Analysis of these models suggests that the emergence of avatar-mediated life may increase aggregate human well-being, while decreasing its cross-sectional variance. These efficiency and equity effects are contingent on the maintenance and protection of certain rights, however, including the right of agents to free movement, unbiased information, and political participation.
Bradley, Caroline, and Froomkin, A. Michael, "Virtual Worlds, Real Rules"
In Virtual Worlds such as Ultima Online and Everquest, the Internet may accidentally provide an environment that lends itself well to the testing of legal rules.

A growing literature suggests that there is a relationship between certain legal rules and economic well-being. Data about the economic consequences of rules would enormously enrich debates over economic regulation. Unfortunately, in the real world experimenting with legal rules can be costly and risky. Some scholars of comparative law attempt to draw lessons by comparing the diverse experiences of different countries, but these efforts too often fall prey to errors of cultural, not to mention legal, translation.

Virtual worlds could permit experiments without the real-world costs of bad rules or regulatory competition. Existing role playing games tend to include internal market regulations that resemble those seen in Western capitalist economies. These rules could be changed, or different versions of the game might use different variants. Online role playing games would provide better data than economic models because it should be possible to design the games to reduce the number of assumptions involved. Moreover, game participants are likely to care about outcomes more than participants in laboratory-based experiments, if only because resource constraints force these to be conducted for low stakes.
Reynolds, R, "Hands Off My Avatar! Issues With Claims of Virtual Property and Identity"
This paper argues that there is a gap between current UK \ US law and the social and economic status of avatars. It is argued that UK and US copyright law does not apply well to avatars as copyright does not subsist, however MMORPG players may have a claim of copyright misuse against developer-publishes who attempt to prevent avatar sales on the basis of copyright in their game software. While players of MMORPGs may also, in certain circumstances, have claims of unregistered trade mark (US law) or passing off (UK law) these are most likely unenforceable in practice. Lastly the paper examines whether the US rights of publicity apply to avatars and avatar sales, concluding that they do; and, just so long as someone sells the entire persona, they may well have a right to pass on their avatar too. The paper concludes by proposing that a non-property sui generis right in avatars should be consider based on Hegelian concepts of the relationship between property and autonomy.
Lastowka, F. Gregory and Hunter, Dan, "The Laws of the Virtual Worlds"
What if you could check out of your world, and enter a place where the social environment was different, where real world laws didn't apply, and where the political system could be anything you wanted it to be? What if you could socialize there with family and friends, build your own palace, go skiing, and even hold down a job there? And what if there wasn't one alternate world, there were hundreds, and what if millions of people checked out of Earth and went there every day?

Virtual worlds - online worlds where millions of people come to interact, play, and socialize - are a new type of social order. In this Article, we examine the implications of virtual worlds for our understanding of law, and demonstrate how law affects the interests of those within the world. After providing an extensive primer on virtual worlds, including their history and function, we examine two fundamental issues in detail.
Book, Betsy, "These bodies are FREE, so get one NOW!: Advertising and Branding in Social Virtual Worlds"
This paper gives an overview of various advertising and branding projects within a selection of online graphical chat and online gaming spaces known as virtual worlds. Virtual advertising and branding projects take several forms, from ad campaigns and contextual product placements within themed worlds, to entire worlds created solely to promote a brand or organization. Some residents of virtual worlds even create their own unique brands and ads to promote original virtual products produced and sold to other residents. Reactions to corporate sponsorships in online environments vary widely, depending on each world's culture. Teenagers are generally more receptive to in-world advertising than adults, often bringing elements of corporate branding into the worlds themselves. In fact, many of the fully branded worlds are targeted to teens and children. As of early 2004, companies experimenting with virtual worlds as sites for advertising include Coca-Cola, McDonald's, Intel, Aeropostale, Levi's, Nike, and DaimlerChrysler. The paper offers insights into a growing trend that is likely to evolve into new and unexpected forms in the future.
Nash, Justin and Schneyer, Evan, "Virtual Economies: An In-Depth Look at the Virtual World of Final Fantasy XI: Online"
Imagine that you lived in J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle Earth. You might be a knight of Gondor, fighting the orcs of Mordor under Faramir's command. Or perhaps you are a Rider of Rohan, serving Thèoden King and battling against the treacherous Wizard Saruman. Or maybe you are not a man, but an elf or a dwarf who has journeyed far from the Lonely Mountain or Mirkwood to Rivendell with Gimli or Legolas. Maybe you are not a fighter, but a blacksmith, forging the weapons used in the wars against Sauron. Or lastly, you may be but a simple Hobbit like Frodo or Sam, tilling the Shire land. Whoever you might be, Tolkien's Middle Earth is so rich and vast, that in many ways its workings mirror those of the real world.
Castronova, Edward, "The Price of Bodies: A Hedonic Pricing Model of Avatar Attributes in a Synthetic World"
This paper explores a unique new source of social valuation: a market for bodies. The internet hosts a number of large synthetic worlds which users can visit by piloting a computer-generated body, known as an avatar. Avatars can have an asset value, in that users can spend time to increase their skills; these asset values can be directly observed in online markets. Auction data for avatars from the synthetic fantasy world of EverQuest are used here to explore a number of questions involving the relative value of different body characteristics. Hedonic analysis of the auction price data suggests that the 'level', a game-design metric that indicates the overall functionality or power of the avatar, is by far the most important attribute of the body. Other attributes that show significant price effects include: sex and class (i.e. being a wizard rather than warrior type of character). The male-female price difference is interesting because there are actually no sex-based differences in the abilities of the avatar bodies, by design. Price differences here must be caused by some other aspect of buyer preferences, ones unrelated to power or functionality of the avatar itself.
Ondrejka, Cory R, "Living on the Edge: Digital Worlds Which Embrace the Real World"
The author is an executive manager at Linden Lab, the company behind a virtual world called Second Life. In this article he describes the debate concerning real-life economic and intellectual property links in virtual worlds. His own position is that it is futile to fight against the trade of virtual assets for real currency. Instead, he advocates a creative virtual world where users retain a fair copyright to their creations and are free to trade them -- exactly as in Second Life.
Ondrejka, Cory R, "A Piece of Place: Modeling the Digital on the Real in Second Life"
Digital worlds exist as synthetic models and have no need for the constraints of the real world. This freedom allows digital worlds a vast design space of representational choices, ranging from near correspondence to the real world to complete abstraction. The digital world Second Life was designed to allow its residents enormous creative freedom and to be as broadly appealing as possible. Second Life chose to mirror the real world in many important aspects in order to provide a place that felt familiar and comfortable, while granting freedoms not possible in the real world. This Article will cover the environment of Second Life, the reasons for the choice and the challenges that arose.
Jenkins, Peter S., "The Virtual World as a Company Town - Freedom of Speech in Massively Multiple Online Role Playing Games"
In the 21st century, traditional company towns like Chickasaw, Alabama, where a corporation steps into the shoes of the state for purposes of the First Amendment, are almost non- xistent. This paper postulates that they have been replaced by Massively Multiple Online Role Playing Games (MMORPG's) such as EverQuest, The Sims Online and Second Life where many individuals have extensive social circles, own property, and even hold down virtual jobs. According to surveys, some of these individuals actually spend more time each week in the virtual world than pursuing basic real world activities such as working, eating and sleeping.
MacInnes, Ian, "The Implications of Property Rights in Virtual World Business Models"
The author, an assistant professor at Syracuse University School of Information Studies, applies his previous research on new business models to highlight issues facing VW operators. According to the author, the operators are currently going through a typical stage in business model development where environmental factors such as legal and societal challenges are the main issue. He urges operators to take the challenges seriously: to recognise virtual property rights and to devolve more power to the users. His conclusions are based on the assumption that the EULA will not protect the operators in the future, a point the paper does not attempt to argue.
Yamaguchi, Hiroshi, "An Analysis of Virtual Currencies in Online Games"
The author builds on Castronova's work in developing a model to explain allocation of time to virtual worlds in terms of utility. He also explains in simple economic terms why some players are motivated to trade virtual assets for real currency and vice versa. The main theme of the short article is, however, virtual currency. The author examines the properties of virtual currencies to establish how they differ from Monopoly money and how they compare to real currency. He concludes that they are similar to the Local Exchange Trading System (LETS) and envisions that the use of such a system could reach beyond the virtual worlds to other domains of the internet where exchange takes place.
Balkin, Jack M., "Virtual Liberty: Freedom to Design and Freedom to Play in Virtual Worlds"
Regulation of virtual worlds has become an important issue in cyberspace law as more and more people spend increasing amounts of their lives in these spaces. This essay discusses the basic questions of freedom and regulation in virtual environments.
There are three kinds of freedom in virtual worlds. The first is the freedom of the players to participate in the virtual world through their in-game representations, or avatars. This is the freedom to play. The second is the freedom of the game designer to plan, construct, and maintain the virtual world. This is the freedom to design. A third is the collective right of the designers and players to build and enhance the game space together. This is the freedom to design together.
The Blue Book: A Consumer Guide to Virtual Worlds Is Now Available Free from the Association of Virtual Worlds
The Association of Virtual Worlds has just released its new title The Blue Book: A Consumer Guide to Virtual Worlds listing over 250 virtual worlds and is pleased to offer it free to anyone who is interested in the rapidly growing field of virtual worlds.
"I am very excited by this new book from our publishing division," says Edita Kaye, Founder of the Association of Virtual Worlds, "because it is a simple, one-stop resource for everyone from kids to corporations."
The Blue Book contains over 250 virtual worlds. Each world is listed alphabetically and includes a web address and brief description. In addition each world is classified as to whether it is live or in development, whether it is appropriate for kids, tweens, teens, or adults; and type of virtual environment it is, for example, a MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role playing game), a social network, a mobile application or a custom world.
The Blue Book is as easy to use for newbies (newcomers) to virtual worlds as it is for pros and long time fans of virtual worlds, or even businesses and organization looking to explore the virtual market place.
"This book was designed to open up the metaverse and show you the exciting possibilities just a click away on your own computer," adds Dave Elchoness, Executive Director. "You'll find a wide variety of virtual spaces, environments, and playgrounds from the very sophisticated, to the quick and simple, just waiting for you to explore."
The Green Book: A Business Guide to Virtual Worlds
The Association of Virtual Worlds has just published the first Business Guide to Virtual Worlds listing over 30 virtual world solutions, vendors, or providers, for businesses and organizations. The Green Book: A Business Guide to Virtual Worlds shows examples of how major brands and companies are currently using virtual worlds to promote or extend their brands and identifies solutions that can be used by enterprises internally to recruit, train, and meet using the newest generation of the Internet-web 3D.
"The Internet has changed the way businesses and organizations attract and educate customers, recruit and train their staffs and promote their brands, products and services," explains Dave Elchoness, Executive Director. "The next evolution of the Internet is Web 3D-an Internet that transforms the web from 'sites' to 'places' where users can 'see' each other, interact together, and experience products and services in 3D. An Internet where engagement feels like real life is rapidly taking shape. As a former global executive and HR attorney, I am passionate about the promise of web 3D and know that it will transform how business is done on many levels."
In addition to listing 30 virtual world solutions, The Green Book: A Business Guide to Virtual Worlds also lists dozens of examples showing how some companies and organizations are already using virtual worlds to launch and extend their brands and for, meetings, recruiting, and training. Each listing includes a brief description and a link for more information. The guide also includes a glossary and a classification system by category.
"If your businesses or organization is thinking about adding a virtual component to an existing website or adding a complete virtual world to its internal communications technology or its consumer product mix" adds Edita Kaye, Founder," there are some decisions to make. From cost considerations, to purpose and target audience, to sophisticated technology analyses, figuring out which virtual environment is best for your business or organization can be daunting. This guide was put together to offer businesses some basic understanding of what's available in virtual worlds and web 3D, what other companies are already doing, and how to be the first in your market or demographic to 'go virtual.'

Events

Virtual Worlds Conference and Expo
September 3-4, 2008
The 2nd annual Virtual Worlds Expo is dedicated to helping businesses harness the power of virtual worlds to engage with their customers, partners and employees.
Virtual Worlds Hollywood
Virtual Worlds have the ability to bring creators together with passionate fans in an environment that supports rich storytelling and engagement on a level impossible with other forms of entertainment media. This track is designed for entertainment industry professionals seeking to understand the opportunities presented by virtual worlds and how to effectively work in virtual worlds tied to entertainment brands.
Enterprise Virtual Worlds
Companies are now using virtual worlds to strengthen their communication externally with customers and business partners and internally with employees. This track focuses on best practices for large-scale enterprises adopting virtual worlds. Topics range from the general use of virtual worlds in the workplace to specific examples of applications for onboarding, sales training, collaboration and more.
Virtual Worlds Kids
Kids are dominating the virtual worlds landscape with more than 60 youth-oriented worlds currently available and over 40 more coming online in short order. This track is designed for the owners of kids brands and will provide attendees with the understanding necessary to launch, operate and maintain a virtual world for the younger set in this highly competitive landscape.
The Future of Virtual Worlds
This track focuses on the future of virtual worlds technologies and applications. Topics include interviews and debates with virtual worlds technology and business visionaries, mirror worlds, augmented reality, Web-based worlds, embeddable worlds, and open-source, interoperable virtual worlds. [view the sessions]

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