Video games in court

By at 8:41 am Sunday, Feb 6

I wrote a short story called Anda's Game that Salon published last year -- it's about kids working in sweatshops playing Massively Multiplayer Online RPGs, grinding through repetitive tasks to earngold for sleazy operators who sell the product of their labor on eBay. The inspiration came from a real-world account of that sort of sweatshops, which has hit the news again today, in a story about the courtroom shenanigans stemming from video games:
A multiplayer online game is sued for allowing its players to dress up like comic book heroes. An upstart company winds up in court for creating a Tijuana sweatshop to manufacture digital weaponry.

A funny thing is happening in these sprawling online multiplayer arenas. The ultimate in digital escapism, virtual worlds keep ending up in the ultimate in depressing reality: the courts.

Link (Thanks, Rob and Aaman!)

Cory Doctorow

Upcoming appearances

* Feb 9, 2012, DeKalb, IL: Day of Doctorow, NIU
* Feb 10-12, 2012, Chicago, IL: Capricon 32
* Feb 13, 2012, Arlington, TX: UT Arlington College of Engineering Distinguished Speaker Series
* Feb 16, 2012, Victoria, BC: 13th Annual Privacy and Security Conference

Recent books:
* Context (essays)
* With a Little Help (short stories)
* For the Win (YA novel)
* Makers (adult novel)

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