Well, this group has been a little slow.. maybe this will add a topic
for discussion.

I read an article today from msn, about legal problems of virtual and
virtual worlds. It was interesting. On the same day, I got the
update from this group.

Then I had a thought. If virtual worlds are becoming so real, then
perhaps GIS could help make them more realistic, and enhance the value
of these online objects, even in the gaming worlds. But I was
thinking more along the lines of when these never ending gaming worlds
become "public squares" using real world data that could enable more
real world links in ways we can not even think of yet.

Yeah, so many will easily slam what I can write, but I don't care.
Perhaps there are others who can dream where this is going, and gain
their own value from it.

Food for thought, anyway.

bye bye for now,
Joe



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http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6870901/

By Tom Loftus
Columnist
MSNBC
Updated: 5:40 p.m. ET Feb. 4, 2005

==================

--begining snipped out---

In other words, the same technology and multiplayer cooperation that
has fostered many-a-dragon-quest in the past could some day be applied
to more practical applications like encouraging political
participation or fostering a collaborative environment for real world
decision-making.

Already, some players use virtual worlds as a sort-of public square,
voicing their opinion on everything from real-world presidential
politics to the problems they have with the game creators. And this
brings up another potential legal issue: Using a privately run space
to voice public opinions.

"If this is a place where people are socializing than one of the
questions is, should we be thinking of virtual worlds as something
different, like a company town" said Noveck.

Company towns are often mentioned as a possible legal precedent for
the legal status of virtual worlds. A 1946 Supreme Court ruling found
that towns created and run by companies could not restrict the First
Amendment right of free expression. Despite their private origin, the
court found, the towns served a public function.

Applying the Constitution like a sledgehammer to online arenas
originally created for escape may sound like the ultimate bad trip --
going against the "we're in this together" camaraderie that has
sparked many a virtual world quest.

But if virtual worlds are to reach the full potential that Noveck and
like-minded scholars and enthusiasts espouse -- as a not just a place
to play, but to work and create -- they will need people who
understand both the strengths of real world law and virtual world
collaboration.

"We now have this technology that allows people to create their own
place, their own rules," said Noveck. "We need to preserve it."

===============