yes, i like games, and i'm inseparable from my psp. but i've never been the mmorpg type  –  the idea that vast communities of human beings live the most thrilling moments of their lives through their avatars makes me a little sad.

but second life is intriguing. a 3d virtual world, populated by digital avatars, SL is unusual in that it is a real economy. using a conversion system that turns game currency into US dollars, members can transact with one another, buy and sell "real" estate, goods, and services within the SL world.  most importantly, the game protects the intellectual property rights of its users – anything you create in SL (the game provides a built-in object editor tool)  legally belongs to you, not to the game's creators, linden lab.  it's yours to develop, use – or sell, either in the game, or on one of  many external community sites. 

the notion that the ethereal stuff of creativity can materialize into a transactable object is anathema to classical economics – there is no free lunch, the capitalist adage goes. you can't make something (marketable) out of nothing. but the vast virtual marketplace of SL has turned that truism on its head.  just as video games have gleefully violated the laws of physics, are they now leading the way to a revolution in economics?