Virtual Worlds 虚拟世界

The line between the real world and online ‘virtual worlds’ is becoming increasinglyblurredwith gamers spending real money to buyvirtual commoditiesand evenreal estatein digital worlds.

Welcome to the world ofMMOGs, Massive Multiplayer Online Games. For those who don’t know, an MMOG is a computer game which thousands of people can play simultaneously on the internet,interactingor competing with each other. Some of the most well-known MMOGs include Second Life, World of Warcraft and Legend of Mir II.

Whilst many of these kinds of games involverole-playingandfulfilling tasks, others simply offer analternative universewhere players cansocialise, earn money andtradewith each other.

In recent years ‘social’ MMOGs like Second Life and Project Entropia have invited gamers to spend real money inside the game. And whilst many people might find this strange, some online gamers have used theirvirtual investmentstomake a profit.

A 23-year-old Australian gamer, known as Deathifier paid around ￡14,000 for an island in the game Project Entropia in 2004 and within a year hadrecoupedhis investmentby selling land to other gamers to build virtual homes on. The youngentrepreneuris highly confident that hisdigital assetswill continue to be profitable.

“The money made to date is only a taste of what can be achieved with my virtual island purchase," said Deathifier, "There is still more room for growth andrevenuewith theuntapped resourcessurrounding the land."

Here at the BBC we are never slow toembrace new technology, and have rented a virtual tropical island within the game Second Life. The BBC’s island has been usedto stageonline music festivals andshowcasenew musical talent. It is hoped that it will also bring gamers closer to their favourite artists.

BBC interactive editor, Daniel Heaf, said, “There may be opportunities to have people like Justin Timberlake on spaces like this – that will allow a level of interaction with the audience that we have never tried before."