by ZeroAerey25 . on Dec 11, 2007
Getting serious about games makes children sad.
The Economist is currently running an article about virtual assets and real money transactions. It's a good introduction to the topics at hand, and even those already in the know will be able to take away some new insight.
It is a typical example of the colonisation of a new frontier. A few intrepid explorers stake out some new, unexplored territory. Before long the first settlers move in and start to look for ways to make a quick buck. Their success attracts more settlers, and an unruly bonanza ensues; finally the policemen, lawyers and tax collectors show up. But the territory in question is not a new continent: it is the realm of cyberspace, where two developments suggest that virtual worlds are coming of age. The first is the emergence of commercial uses for virtual environments; the second is the advent of litigation and regulation.
Continue reading this feature at The Economist.