Below are several articles you will access and read at some point during the year. We'll discuss the concepts in them in class.

Virtual Goods -- the number of players who purchase "stuff" inworld is rising.

The Internet is Overhyped -- oh, really?

There.com is shutting down -- what does this mean for other worlds?

A Virtual Revolution is Brewing -- the traditional college experience is going the way of the dodo bird as more and more colleges offer online courses.

Virtual Worlds Expo -- a gathering of experts discussing not only the current status of virtual worlds, but the future of them as well. Updated link for 2010 expo.

Scientists find Virtual Reality Helps Pain -- the title says it all. Read for details.

Artists visit virtual Second Life for real life cash -- an article featuring several artists who are supplementing their incomes with performances in Second Life

European Union says video games are good for children -- a governmental body coming out in favor of video games in school.

O Brave New World that has such Avatars in it -- Arlington County, VA becomes the first county government with a Second Life presence

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/03/AR2009010301009.html

Open Virtual Worlds -- White paper from Sun Microsystems on the future of Virtual worlds. Discusses the commonalities of virtual worlds as well as what makes one world better than another.

Even in a Virtual World, "Stuff" Matters -- NYTimes article about possessions in SL

Students vs Second Life -- article by Feldspar Epstein in the Metaverse Journal

The Avatars Take Over the Asylum - Layered ‘Social’ Virtual Worlds -- a review of Web 2.5 applications that merge social networking and static websites into virtual worlds of their own.

Social Networking legalities -- a persuasive article analyzing some of the issues that need to be addressed before creating cyber-bullying laws