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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We've all heard people sneer at multiplayer online games, making comments like: "They're not real friends..." and "Virtual friendships only cause depression."

But is that really true? Is the enjoyment of massively multiplayer online games (MMO's) such as World of Warcraft and Everquest 2 really that much of a delusional, self-destructive endeavor?

Maybe not, so cheer up and keep grinding for those epic items in WoW.

A study conducted jointly by the University of Wisconsin and the University of Illinois defies conventional wisdom about the nature and quality of virtual friendships. As GameDaily BIZ reports, the academic research suggests that MMO's can promote sociability and expose players to new worldviews.

It's certainly true that WoW guilds, for example, can become highly organized social structures. Cooperation and communication - often using voice communication apps such as Ventrilo - are keys to success in high-level raids and instances.
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Play Money: Or, How I Quit My Day Job and Made Millions Trading Virtual Loot
by Julian Dibbell
reviewed for GamePolitics by Matt Paprocki


It was a simple goal for Julian Dibbell.

Fascinated by real-world selling of virtual goods, he sought to prove that he could make more money in one year trading items from massively multiplayer online games (MMO's) than he had ever earned as a freelance writer. The process of carrying this idea to fruition would, for Dibbell, become a blog and later, Play Money. The book details the ups and downs of his business endeavors over the course of his experiment in trafficking virtual items.

Having gotten his mind around the process of selling goods that don't even exist, Dibbell began his career in virtual commerce by trading gold and items from Ultima Online. He would stay with the seminal MMO for most of the book, only occasionally mentioning other titles such as Everquest.
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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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Yesterday, GamePolitics posted CNN producer Sarah Fogel's request for MMO gamers as possible guests in an upcoming segment.

GP heard back from Sarah, who was excited that numerous GamePolitics readers took the time to contact her. She asked if GP would run an update to address some of the concerns voiced in those responses. Although GP has no connection to the CNN piece, Sarah seems like she wants to let gamers have their say, so we've agreed to add her follow-up:

"After reading the replies to my initial email I must say it is quite disheartening to realize that there is so little faith in the reputable, mainstream press. I do realize that there have been many 'sensational' stories done on the gaming industry in the past and all I can tell you is that this is NOT what we are attempting to do."

"I would hope that people would appreciate and be relieved with the fact that rather than CNN doing the obligatory interview with a 'gaming expert' or an 'addition doctor' who treats gamers, the gaming community would be happy hear that we want to talk to people who actually play these games themselves."

"Perhaps part of the reason so many people feel gamers have gotten a bad rap in the press and by the public, is because so few are willing to share your stories. It's hard to get to the truth of the matter when you can't talk to those who are most in the know."

"CNN is not '60 Minutes.' We are not trying to set up or expose anyone. We're not going to come into someone's home, who has graciously offered to share their story with us, and try to bamboozle them. I have worked on these types of stories for years and always approach them with the utmost respect and sensitivity."

"If you want those in the press and the millions of viewers who watch television to hear your side and understand your love the game, the best way to do that is to talk about it. I hope some of you understand where we are coming from. Yes, there have been some bad stories done, but there have been many good ones, too. Give us a chance. Thanks, Sarah"

If you would like to discuss this with CNN producer Sarah Fogel click here. to e-mail her.

GP: Just so readers have an idea of who Sarah is and the kind of work she does, an example of an award-winning CNN project Sarah worked on can be found here. Her background: "Sarah Fogel is an associate producer for CNN's prime-time newsmagazine show, CNN & TIME. In the past two years she has co-produced several pieces, including one about the working homeless population in Boston. Previously Sarah worked in CNN's Atlanta newsroom and the Washington bureau.

I rarely mention my weekly Philadelphia Inquirer column here on GamePolitics for a variety of reasons. But today's piece deals with my first-person venture into a highly controversial game topic, one that we've touched on here at GamePolitics a number of times.

In an effort to report on what it's like to buy virtual goods, I purchased WoW gold from IGE, the planet's largest seller of virtual MMO items.

My conclusion? The influx of virtual cash was like hitting the lottery. Conversely, I can buy fewer real-world groceries. As far as I can tell, my purchase did not cause my WoW server's economy to crash. None of my fellow players have had any less fun. I'm quite sure none of them even took notice of my little windfall.

There will, of course, be disagreement on this issue, so fire away.



GP: As always, I will mention that that GamePolitics is an independent effort and not affiliated with the Philadelphia Inquirer or any other publication.

PC Gamer, one of the most respected and widely-read magazines in the business, has taken a stand against so-called gold farmers. The magazine will no longer accept ads from companies engaged in the sale of MMO items.

Has PC Gamer gone too far? Or are they acting in the best interest of gamers?

Vote on this important issue in our latest poll. If you are reading GP via RSS feed, you'll need to jump over to the website in order to vote. The poll is on the right side.

If David Edery's look into the future of MMO's is correct, players may soon need to add an attorney to their AIM or Xfire buddy lists.

Edery, who works with Dr. Henry Jenkins in the Comparative Media Studies Department at M.I.T., also pens the excellent Game Tycoon blog. In today's post Edery looks at potential legal liabilities in massively-multiplayer online games such as Second Life, World of Warcraft and the upcoming Dungeons & Dragons Online.

Noting a recent Terra Nova piece on the potential legal ramifications of Linden Labs' arbitrary decision to devalue virtual property in Second Life, Edery summarizes other legal entanglements which could eventually turn virtual worlds into a realm of lawyers. Edery's list includes:

- What happens when one player steals another player's property?

- What happens when players create content that infringes upon the copyrights or trademarks of real-world companies?

- What happens when players engage in 'legally indecent' acts? Can EA (developer of Sims Online) be sued for letting a ten-year old operate a virtual brothel? Can it be sued by players who suffer real financial damages at the hands of a virtual mafia?

- Can developers be sued for impeding free market forces that generate real monetary value for players?
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Despite official government misgivings about online game addiction and violent content, China looks to be a lucrative potential market for video game publishers. Start-up operations, course, require funding - lots of funding. Along those lines, GamePolitics received an interesting e-mail this morning hyping something called the China Venture Capital Yearbook 2005.

The 900-page reference sells for $1,000 per hard copy or - go figure - $1,200 for a digital version. It is billed as the "authoritative & comprehensive reference on venture capital in China," with full coverage of official policies, laws and regulations on venture capital, independent reports on trends, statistical surveys of 144 Chinese venture capital firms, and 13 case studies on venture capital investments in China.

Included among the business case studies are online game publisher Shanda Networking, whose offerings include The Legend of Mir II, Ragnorak Online and the upcoming Dungeons & Dragons Online.

The guide is published by the China Venture Capital Research Institute (CVCRI).

Inevitable disclaimer: GamePolitics has not seen and does not endorse this publication.