The future of journalism: Covering online role playing games?!

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/16/technology/16reuters.html?_r=1&ref=technology&oref=slogin

Mr. Pasick, a Reuters technology reporter who was formerly earthbound with the news agency, is heading up Reuters’ first virtual news bureau inside the online role-playing game Second Life. While many independent journalists and bloggers have published inside such virtual worlds, Reuters is the first established news agency to dispatch a full-time reporter to do so.

Check it out: http://secondlife.reuters.com/

 

After reading that stuff, I'm ... so ... confused.

Congress beginning to look into taxing virtual wealth? Not really, right?

What's real and what's not. I'm .... ahhh!

 

Will someone eventually get sued by their avatar?

 

Not to worry. The Republicans will step in with a virtual tax cut.

 

It's some pretty interesting stuff.

From what I can tell, there IS real wealth being built by the buying and selling of things.

But geez ...

 

Well this forum is like a virtual community, right?

hell, have somebody round up the people getting into it in a separate section. There could even be analysis on who's winning arguments.

Might cut down on the trolling.

 

but i'd miss slappy.

 

Only those of you with real people in their avatars need worry.

Although, if I get sued by Ron Stoppable, I can't even pay him off in nacos since he gets them for free (Kim Possible fans will know what I mean). Maybe I'll have to babysit Rufus from time to time.

 

Lots of people are making their livings working in Second Life. Some of it is pretty amazing stuff and very profitable. You can even gamble and make money there.

It makes perfect sense that people should have to pay taxes on the earnings. But it will be a while before it happens.