Second Life
Lately Linden Labs has been getting a lot of press over Second Life, its virtual online world. It's not exactly a game, and definitely not an online RPG, but it's fired up the imagination of a lot of people, it seems -- partly because of some well-publicized examples of how Second Life has been used by politicians and others to raise awareness of their efforts, partly because of Second Life entrepreneurs that have gotten rich by crafting goods in-game they've sold to other players, and partly because of just how open-ended the whole experience is.
The idea is that you stake a claim to some virtual real estate in Second Life and figure out how to be a good citizen -- whether that's being an artisan who makes and sells things, a specialist in construction, transportation, or just a consumer of others' goods and services, playing games they create, wearing clothes you buy in virtual clothing stores and more.
I've known about Second Life since the early days, and I admit that it's intriguing, but it's never really caught my fancy. Part of it is because I've found the interface wonky and complicated. Partly because I'm so consumed by my "real" life that the idea of having an alternate "virtual" life really doesn't appeal to me that much. There are other reasons, too, but those are the major ones.
So what am I missing? Why is Second Life suddenly capturing the zeitgeist of 2006? I just don't get it.