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Always something odd in cyberspace. This time, it's a virtual life. Millions of people have signed up for websites that allow them to enjoy plush casinoes, cruises, yachting, fine dining, and other amenities. They pay a monthly fee ($10, according to the registration I checked out), assume a fictitious name, and they start their romp through the world of the rich.

But that's just the start of the oddness. Once there, subscribers can earn points that allow them to do other things on the site. And if a person doesn't want to spend the time earning the points, he can simply buy them . . . for real cash. He can buy virtual real estate . . . with real cash. He can then subdivide the real estate . . . for real cash.

The result: This virtual world is bringing real money, and lots of it. A whole new economy has sprung up in these worlds.

It's probably a type of addiction (though I hate that word). The mind's dopamine system (according to Steven Johnson's Everything Bad is Good for You) gives a person "highs" and "lows." If he doesn't experience the high he expected, the dopamine system tells him, "Just look a little harder. You'll find it." Some speculate that the dopamine system drives the infatuation with video games. If so, I expect it's driving these virtual worlds, and people are willing to spend money to get the "highs" of those worlds.

Excerpt from article about virtual worlds:

More than 10 million people around the world travel to . . . imaginary destinations regularly. They get there via software that lets them guide their onscreen representatives, known as "avatars," through places built entirely of pixels where they can interact with one another. Their destinations include virtual dance parties and nightclubs, auto races and yachting events, "Star Wars"-style cantinas, whimsical underwater jazz clubs and much more.
In a world called Second Life . . . so many people visit that profitable businesses have sprung up that earn their proprietors real money, not just virtual currency - in fact, a handful of people earn six-figure incomes there. There are discos, casinos and other sites that can be rented for private parties or even for the virtual weddings many people hold. . .
A robust economy has sprung up as a result, with one of the most profitable areas being the virtual real estate business. Large tracts of land can be "purchased" at auction in Second Life, often for more than $100 an acre, then subdivided and sold at a profit.

NYT Link.

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