CNN gets MMO financial reporting wrong

[Rewedanz]

Did anyone read this and think to themselves "wtf, Yantis?"

First Virtual millionaire reported to be in Second Life

[Flinch]

Why, you may wonder, do I consider Chung's achievement to be a suitable topic for a legal affairs blog? Well, it's a bit of a stretch. But, as I explained in my earlier feature story, the whole topic of buying and selling "virtual" property does raise legal issues. Some online game companies have attempted to prohibit, through click-through agreements, the real-world buying and selling of online property created by players, which the companies maintain remains the company's intellectual property--indeed, just graphical manifestations of data entered into company-owned spreadsheets on company-owned servers. Second Life, on the other hand, openly authorizes and facilitates exchanges between its currency and real-world currencies, so that particular legal issue does not arise. Still, you might ask whether Linden Lab is courting legal liability if its servers should suddenly go down one day, destroyed, say, in some real-world earthquake, leaving Second Life denizens devoid of "property" or at least expectations in which they've invested so much real time and money. What do people think?

It's an important distinction.

[Ronne]

Originally Posted by Article

has apparently become the first virtual millionaire--i.e., someone whose holdings in a make-believe world are legally convertible into genuine U.S. currency worth more than $1 million.

The black market doesn't usually count.

[Maxxius]

Hmm, wonder if someone will start selling insurance heheh.

[Cantatus]

It's still amazing to me how much press the mainstream media gives Second Life. Reuters even has an in game office now.

[turner]

second really introduces the concept of "gaming can be productive".

Not that Second Life is a game, but you can make considerable amounts of money from something like that.

Great idea really and Second Life is just scratching the surface of gaming for profit...

[Zarcath]

I can honestly say it boggles my mind that something like Second Life continues to prosper and make people rich.

[Tyen]

Welcome to last week CNN

[Grooverider]

All the lonely people, where do they all come from

[Rayne]

Originally Posted by turner

second really introduces the concept of "gaming can be productive".

Not that Second Life is a game, but you can make considerable amounts of money from something like that.

Great idea really and Second Life is just scratching the surface of gaming for profit...

Hmm.....

[Biodome]

Originally Posted by Article

or to fuzzy avatars known as "furries."

Holy shit, the furries made it to CNN.

[Havelock]

Originally Posted by Cantatus

It's still amazing to me how much press the mainstream media gives Second Life. Reuters even has an in game office now.

It's pretty ridiculous. I've been tempted to check it out just to see if there's any way all the hype is justified, but from what I can tell the only people who play the game for fun use it as a chatroom with really fancy avatars. Is there any substance to the thing behind all the hype, profiteering, and corporate shilling?

[Soygen]

I really don't understand how people can play that piece of shit. Maybe I'm just not into cyber enough to get it(the game that is...or cyber).

[Draegan]

I've never checked out Second but whats the point of the game? It's just an online giant Sims game right? You just make shit and sell it to make people look better or something correct?

[holydevil]

People who have been playing WOW have definitely been enjoying that aspect. Come on... 200$ turtle mounts that move only 60% on ebay? How is that different any different?