Virtual Worlds Evolving is the first topic at Emory University where academics, policy-makers and in-world developers have opened up a discussion of the future of virtual worlds towards “engaging scholars in a strong and vital community to confront the human condition and experience and explore…frontiers…specifically involving virtual world phenomena.”

The first panel was asked to look at the ‘trajectory’ of virtual worlds – Edward Castranova of Indiana, Michael Rowe of IBM, John Clippinger of Harvard, Gregg Kaminsky a student at Emory who also has a significant business in Second Life, and Rhonda Lowry of CNN shared their thoughts with Benn Konsynski of Emory moderating.

The initial discussions touched on various models and perspectives for how to look at and think about virtual worlds, the importance of portable identity, the benefits of being able to represent yourself through your avatar in different ways including benefits to the disabled, and how technology will need to adapt to lower-level technology platforms (tiered deployments of virtual environments).

Castranova opened up by giving a snapshot of the economies of virtual worlds:

- WoW gold piece exceeds Japanese Yen
- Use shadow pricing to put an economic value on assets inside worlds
- Reminder that there’s no difference between the real and virtual – if someone values it, it’s valuable
- GDP/sales transaction volume that rivals small countries
- Edges of phenomenon starting to blur
- MMORPGs used to be the only game in town, but Second Life started to skew what economists talk about
- However, points out that 30M people are in ‘fantasy worlds’ which is therefore still a source of insight and something that should be tracked.
- Worlds like Second Life “may some day offer great environments fro simulations, business productivity, etc. but don’t ignore all those 30M kids in MMORPGs”

Rowe of IBM:
- Addictiveness of MMORPGs the first personal insight into the potential power of virtual worlds
- IBM has set up a “guild” as its way to aggregate insight from within IBM, attract people within, and have a format for exploring virtual worlds
- IBM has been discussing and meeting with people to understand future of virtual worlds
- Opened up intraverse into a extraverse and the “metaverse” is out there
- The metaverse will change the way we work
- Within IBM the business unit is charged with figuring out how to help clients leverage metaverse

Lowry of CNN:
- Social currency motivates us to participate in virtual worlds
- Today people like to entertain themselves
- How do entertainment providers address these issues towards a common goal, and creation of service

Clippinger of Harvard reviewed some of the issues related to identity:
- Attestation and mobility of identity
- How do people get control over information about themselves
- Discussed a broader Internet framework initiative that looks at issues related to these issues
- Likely to see on the wider Web an open identity framework
- Virtual worlds difficult right now
- Mobile platforms will be important
- Global standards will be needed, and be able to port your identity

Picking up on this thread, the panel was asked whether things like the intervention of voice introduces disruptive ‘cross-over’ between real identity and virtual. As a result of these issues and gender switching and experimentation with avatar presentation creates new norms. Context, however, is everything – different worlds have different rules and social norms. Rowe however pointed out that in global business settings, VOIP is needed to support collaboration.

Kaminsky discussed the extrapolation of business lessons from Second Life. For example, working with individuals in world, it can’t be “work” and it’s difficult to impose real world scheduling, and what might be considered business norms. Working in virtual worlds, it’s important to recognize as Castranova also pointed out about MMORPGs, is that people work for the “love of it”. There’s a level of opportunity which may seem minor but which to a mother who wants to be able to provide tutors for her son, or a disabled person, are significant.