Avatars, in Space!

When looking for examples of what Mark Stephen Meadows is discussing in his book, I, Avatar, you need look no further than EVE-Online. In the world of EVE-Online, users engage in social activities beyond what is normally capable, but mirroring the real world. They form national entities, social systems, even their own policing forces.

As he discussed Lindin Labs' vision, it seemed reminiscent of what has been going on in the world of New Eden. However, it goes further, and simulates the more dastardly elements that he discussed.
Thievery and assassination are strong elements in EVE Online, and are in fact a big draw to the game.

In this article, we have the social system that Lindin Labs had hoped to create, and the dastardly, malicious activity that was a byproduct of such a system. Much like Killingmachine Marx, (and arguably, the author in his retalation), the Guiding Hand used underhanded tactics to subjugate an enemy. It goes even further, that they were paid in a contract to do this.

Lindin Labs had wanted to create a real world, much like EVE Online's CCP. Both have created a seedier element. As you can see from this article, sometimes it is the more dispicable behavior, and the potential for such, that draws players into a game. Other such events often incurred a retaliation on behalf of the victims.

A quick look on CCP's forums reveal much truth to this. Entire corporations are built around pirating, espionage, scamming, and other corporations are built around fighting this sort of thing. This kind of immersive, emergent behaviour is a critical point to analyze when discussing the success of a sandbox game, the likes of which constantly discussed in I, Avatar.