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Article: Virtual Worlds Get Real About Punishment
- Article from:
- The Washington Post
- Article date:
- August 20, 2008
- Author:
CopyrightThis material is published under license from the Washington Post. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Washington Post. (Hide copyright information)
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Virtual worlds have often been called the digital equivalent of
the Wild West, where animated alter egos can live in a fantasy
frontier. But in some of these universes, a sheriff has come to
town.
Slipping a four-letter word into an instant message now could
land a user in a virtual timeout. Repeated attempts to make friends
with an uninterested character could result in a loss of blogging
privileges. And if convicted of starting a "flame war," or an
exchange of hostile messages, a user may endure the ultimate
punishment -- permanent exile.
A virtual world for mobile devices, called Cellufun, has
established a courthouse, where rule-breakers are indicted by their
peers and tried by a jury ...