SECOND LIFE COMMUNITY CONVENTION IN PROGRESS IN NYC: controversy surrounds game and new book
Controversy surrounds residents (as the gamers or participants are called) of the Second Life Community , www.secondlife.com, as they begin to hold their own Second Life Community Convention (SLCC), New York Law School October 8 and 9, 
immediately following the NYLS's 3rd Annual State of Play conference.
A GAGGLE OF GEEKSTER GOSSIP:
A new book charges that all is not peaceful in the lands of SECOND LIFE....and it's stirring up a gaggle of geekster gossip.
ENTER THE METAVERSE: USER-GENERATED CONFERENCE:
Conceived of and organized by Second Life Residents, the SLCC brings together over 150 participants from all over the world to New York City for a day and a half of presentations, demos and conversation about the future of Second Life and the Metaverse - the emerging 3-D World Wide Web. Convention site at http://slconvention.com link
SEC
OND LIFE FOUNDER APPROVES:'It's entirely appropriate that Second Life Residents have developed and organized this event," said Philip Rosedale, CEO and Founder of Second Life. 'Everything in Second Life is created by the Residents. Why should the Convention be any different? We're psyched the Residents have taken on such an undertaking and are making it a great success."A unique aspect of the SLCC will be the ability for Residents to participate in the event regardless of their location. This is facilitated by the live, mixed-reality simulcast from New York Law School into a virtual recreation of the convention in Second Life. Likewise, video from the virtual convention will be streamed live to New York Law School for an interactive experience with a dynamic virtual world.
CHECK OUT EXCERPTS FROM NEW BOOK "ONLY A GAME"
SLASHDOT REPORTS TODAY (link) "The Second Life Community Convention site is carrying pre-release excerpts from O'Reilly Publishing's 'Only A Game: Online Worlds and the Virtual Journalist Who Knew Too Much' due out in 2006 (direct link to 10-page PDF).
EXCERPT FROM THE INTRODUCTION:
From the introduction: 'When virtual journalist Peter Ludlow was banned from the digital world of The Sims Online for being a bit too good at his job, it wasn't the end of the story but the beginning of the headlines that would capture readers around the world. Only A Game follows Ludlow's career as a virtual journalist as he and colleague Mark Wallace take us behind the scenes into not just The Sims Online but a fascinating universe of worlds that are far more colorful-and, at times, more disturbing-than their creators would have you believe.' As online *worlds* grow to earn their name, the last line of the PDF asks the million dollar question: 'How big is your game?'"
SLASH DOT COMMENTS/INSIDERS VIEW OF SECOND LIFE CHALLENGES WITH PORN/PROSTITUTION & MORE...Story behind the banningby radicalskeptic (644346) <thinkofone@mac. c o m> on Tuesday September 20, @06:44PM (#13609303) If you were wondering why Peter Ludlow was banned from the Sims Online for doing is job "too well"... well, so was I. So I googled and found the answer.The BBC says [bbc.co.uk]"Mr Ludlow thought the people behind the game should know what was going on inside Alphaville, not least because some things - child prostitution, for example - are morally and legally troubling.But when they found out, Maxis, the game's developers, and Electronic Arts, the distributors, banned all in-game mention of The Alphaville Herald, says Mr Ludlow. Then, says Mr Ludlow, he was thrown out of the game and his accounts closed down, cutting him off from his Sims."Slashdot also covered this previously [slashdot.org] and links to this Gamespot interview [gamespot.com].
BLOGGER COMMENTS SECOND LIFE: NOTE, we are reporting on the controversy simply because it is making news. Joyce Schwarz, founder Hollywood2020 is a big fan of SECOND LIFE and we previously did a post on the embedded journalist at Second Life, James Au. Here is a link to his blog (www.secondlife.blogs.com). Check our index under Virtual reality for a link to our previous blog on SECOND LIFE...at LA FUTURISTS meeting earlier this year.
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