the watch

1. The Hindu (India) - Brave new worlds beckon. "Everyone has indulged in a little escapism sometime in their lives. The need for an outlet from the relentless glare of reality is felt by many and the possibility of an alternate lifestyle hidden from public view can be a powerful attraction. This a lternate role-play starts at childhood with girls playing make-believe games … [Read more...] about The Watch – virtual worlds in the news

1. Business in Vancouver (Canada) - Virtual worlds now delivering genuine business opportunities. "As video games, social networks and virtual worlds increasingly star as stand-ins for reality, development shops are exploring new ways to monetize fantasy by creating virtual marketplaces replete with digitized goods and services. Fuelled by micro-transactions in which users buy … [Read more...] about The Watch – virtual worlds in the news

1. The Guardian (UK) - Are online currencies striking gold? "Money. The stuff that makes the world go round. Every day we earn it, spend it, exchange it and lose it. But you won't find any Linden dollars, Eve ISK or Facebook credits down the back of the couch. Virtual currencies like these are used for transactions in online worlds and social networking sites. While real-world … [Read more...] about The Watch – virtual worlds in the news

1. The Industry Standard (USA) - Gartner: Rise of virtual worlds will lead to dress codes for avatars. "Don't get too attached to that avatar of a punk rock angel you spent five hours designing in Second Life. According to Gartner, if you think you'll be doing work-related tasks in virtual worlds in the coming years, chances are your employer is going to establish dress codes … [Read more...] about The Watch – virtual worlds in the news

1. Reuters (USA) - Virtual economies in videogames used as case studies. "Virtual economies set up in videogames as players trade items are being used as case studies to track and model real-world economies. As more people join massively multiplayer online (MMO) videogame worlds like Activision Blizzard's "World of Warcraft," NCsoft's "Aion" and Atari's "Champions Online," real … [Read more...] about The Watch – virtual worlds in the news