My former Cato Institute colleague and frequent co-author Wayne Crews suggests in an editorial today the time may be right for a "Declaration of Independence for virtual games." Crews, who is currently vice president for policy at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, argues that:
"Can political regulation be avoided? 'Second Life' is a grand experiment: Those appreciative of today's numerous revolutions in communications, of which 'Second Life' is one striking example, have a stake in keeping voluntary, private networks like 'Second Life' as unregulated as possible, or at the very least, relying on existing law that obviates the need for harmful regulatory adventurism."
This is something I've wondered about myself in various essays here. It's been ten years since John Perry Barlow penned his famous "Declaration of Independence for Cyberspace." Maybe it's time for someone take a shot at one for the virtual reality world. So, who wants be the Thomas Jefferson of virtual reality?!