When a presidential contender makes an appearance inside an MMO, it shows just how mainstream games have become.

Later today, former Virginia Gov. Mark Warner (D) will become the first U.S. politician to create a character - publicly at least - in the popular MMO, Second Life.

The ex-Guv, who is expected to make a strong run at the White House in 2008, will make his appearance in-game at 3:30 Eastern time. Once online, Warner will announce the first-ever "virtual town hall on American politics," scheduled for later this year.

"In Second Life," said Warner, "distances and time differences vanish. It will allow us to reach people through a whole new medium. Social technologies can be great tools for political change, and virtual worlds like Second Life might be the next tool for engaging people in the real world democratic process. We want to use Second Life to continue the conversation about the direction of our country. My avatar is also pretty funny looking. That alone makes it worth checking out."
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While some elected officials do battle with the video game industry, a key government research organization has established a presence in a popular online RPG.

As detailed by the Second Life Insider, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has set up shop within the popular MMO Second Life. The NOAA studies things like climate, weather and, of course, the oceans.

The agency's Second Life hangout is an island called Meteroa on which players can try out fully interactive demos of ocean and weather topics. These include a marine life tour via submarine or a checking out a pair of tsunami simulators.
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How real is your virtual world? Do you have any rights to the virtual property you've purchased, whether it be items, gold, or land?

One of the most contested trends in multiplayer online gaming is the ability to trade real-world cash for online goods. But do you really own those goods, which don't exist as much more than digital information?

Attorney Marc Bragg seems to think so, which is why he's suing Linden Labs, creators of Second Life, a popular Massively-multiplayer Online (MMO) game. Bragg alleges that Linden has denied him access to his virtual assets. The attorney has posted a press release about the suit on his website.

Bragg v. Linden Research, was filed May 1 in a local district court in West Chester, Pennsylvania. According to Wired, Bragg filed suit after Linden cut off access to his virtual estate (his "sims" or virtual land plots), which includes several nightclubs, and denied him access to his supply of Linden dollars (virtual cash), worth about USD $3,200.
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