How real are virtual worlds?
Daniel Livingstone
University of the West of Scotland

1994

Life on the Screen:
Identity in the Age of
the Internet (1997)
Cybercultures reader
(2nd Edition 2006)
Medicalization of Cyberspace (2008)
http://medicalizationofcyberspace.wordpress.com/

Law and
Disorder in
Cyberspace
http://nwn.blogs.com/nwn/2008/02/ziggy-revealed.html
http://www.virtuallawconference.com/
http://virtuallyblind.com/
http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/cyberone/

Crimes against the person
Is there a person in cyberspace to be harmed?
Read: A rape in cyberspace by Julian Dibbell

http://secondlife.reuters.com/stories/2006/10/15/us-congress-launchs-probe-into-virtual-economies/
http://secondlife.reuters.com/stories/2006/10/15/us-congress-launchs-probe-into-virtual-
economies/

Where there are laws
... there are politicians
2001: \"Indeed, only 16% of MPs have
their own websites, and a recent survey
described most of those as comically
inept.\"
2007: US Congress representative
gives press conference in Second Life
followed by a presidential candidate
2007: (Unofficial) Front National
HQ opens in Second Life - and
is met with vigorous protests

http://www.cofe.anglican.org/worship/dailyprayer/

Faith and
Spirituality
USA Today
Support for Healing (on
YouTube)
Yesha in Second Life
- Christian Ministry
secondlife://Yesha/171/213/31/
Do virtual worlds enhance
online worship?

Career and
love online:
Alayne
Wartell's
Second Life
(Channel 4)

Virtual Relationships
Infidelity on the Internet
Wonderland: Virtual Adultery and
Cyberspace Love

Promoting real environments with virtual
ones...

Some References
Politics: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/1132136.stm
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/03/31/obama-is-first-in-their-second-life/
http://www.secondlifeherald.com/slh/2007/04/obama_puppet_in.html
Front National in SL:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2007/jan/20/news.france
http://nwn.blogs.com/nwn/2007/01/stronger_than_h.html
Faith in SL: http://supportforhealing.com/
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/gaming/2007-04-01-second-life-religion_N.htm
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/15/AR2007061501902.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jm9xYWYUxI4
Virtual Relationships: http://www.guardian.co.uk/theobserver/2001/jan/21/life1.lifemagazine2
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Infidelity-Internet-Virtual-Relationships-Betrayal/dp/1570717222
Promoting real environments:
Virtual Holland: http://www.ourvirtualholland.nl/en
Swedish Embassy in SL: http://www.sweden.se/templates/cs/Article____16345.aspx
Businesses based on real environments: http://www.dublinsl.com/index.php