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Re: [ox-en] Second life and the virtual property boom

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The digital copy will surely not overthrow capitalism as we know it, not by 
itself. Maybe in collaboration with many other emancipatory projects of 
setting goods of all kinds free. However, luxury consumption as Versace 
jeans is not the foundation of the global capitalism but more like extreme 
and in some way perverted symptoms of capitalism. The fact that people buys 
stuff for money is a problem, not how much they pay. This problem is equal 
in one way in all kinds of trade.

However - pirating Diesel jeans or Versace is farely difficult. Pirating 
electronic stuff is easier. But people will not use pirated design, you may 
say. But - more and more see the beauty in open source designs and the 
emptiness in paying lots of money for something equal to something free. In 
time that perspective will win, I'm sure. Especially when designers don't 
see any value in charging enormeous amounts for their products and instead 
see the beatuy and benefits and the good in giving it away.

Real interesting article, though.

Regards
/Tormod

On 16/06/05, Thomas Berker <thomas.berker hf.ntnu.no> wrote:


Hei,
A link to this interview was postet on /. today:

http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2005/06/14/second_life_and_the_virtual_property_boom.html


How is value realised in the game?
One of the things that's been underscored is the degree to which we 

value

objects to the extent of seeing the amount of creative energies that 

have

gone into them. A Mercedes is valued because of intangibles, not the 

number

of screws and the technology used to put it together. It's its service
record. If things have that associated with them, they are real. They 

don't

need to be physically tangible to be real.
Scarcity is another way of creating value, but brand, lifestyle and 

meaning

are important as well. Clothing from [in-game clothing designer] 

Nephilaine

Protagonist is highly valued because it's her stuff. I talked with a 

head

guy at Vercace who said to me, "I sell jeans for $5,000. There's no 

reason

for that, but people will pay that much for the pleasure of wearing the
brand."
Should virtual property be treated as real? It's moot; what's happened 

in

common law is that it's been determined to be real. Case closed.


It seems to me that this kind of cross-over economies is a serious threat 
to
hopes about the digital copy overthrowing capitalism as we know it.

Best, Thomas
_________________________________
Web-Site: http://www.oekonux.org/
Organization: http://www.oekonux.de/projekt/
Contact: projekt oekonux.de





-- 
Tormod Otter
tormodotter gmail.com
+46 739 51 54 41
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_________________________________
Web-Site: http://www.oekonux.org/
Organization: http://www.oekonux.de/projekt/
Contact: projekt oekonux.de
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