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.

Future Supposition

The future holds many possibilities. To accurately predict specifics would be an incredible, next to impossible feat. Yet, discussion on the topic is always interesting, so here I shall attempt to provide such discourse.

Ten years down the road is the target. The basics I believe will stay the same. I will hold a job, build a family, live in a home. The technology involved may have evolved, but the premise will remain without a doubt. We will probably still have elected offices, and the same offices. The nation will be largely in tact, and the social/national structure will also be in tact.

Here's the reasoning behind this. This scenario has worked well for a very, very long time. Such basic things have little reason to change fundamentally, and ten years is not long enough to produce a reason.

Government, I believe, will grow bigger. It seems that in times of trouble, the common response is to make more government oversight, expanding the power of the government. Today we see this in the incoming president, and the creation of more oversight as a response to the financial crisis. These trends can grow to include internet and technology oversight, closer surveillance, and even oversight to monitor social trends.

My job is likely to be in technology, specifically in programming. Technology jobs I think will become more common as more and more technology becomes available, and innovations more and more important.

It will likely still be a 9-5 setup. Work environments are still important, so telecommuting may only be for certain circumstances. Depending on my stage of life, and the job, the company may be very important in my life; but family will be the most controlling factor in my day-to-day.

I guess my point is this. Technology and situations may change over the course of time; however the basics of our society will survive, just like they do in other societies. As the saying goes,"The more things change, the more they stay the same".

Now for changes. The internet, I believe, will eventually open up as companies give up trying to litigate and manage users' rights. DRM is failing today, and may be phased out over time in order to compete. As it is now, DRM is causing more revenue loss than it retains, and as more companies realize this, the more sure I am of its eventual demise.

Information will become more readily available. As portable devices gain internet access (high speed in some cases), information can literally be at one's fingertips wherever they go. The effects of this will be far reaching. Politics, science, news, and the arts will be the most affected. Scientific discoveries, ideas, and research can be shared globally in less than a second. Politicians will be scrutinized much more thoroughly, and dissented much more often.

The voters will become more and more informed ( or mis-informed; but either way behaving as if informed), and the politicians will need to adjust their strategies to compensate. Today, it appears the mainstream media can greatly influence public opinion in their choices of reporting (or not reporting) certain items. This may not be the same in the future, due to the large dissimenation of information.

News and ideas will be transmitted just as easily. Digital art, distrubuted throughout the world may become more popular. Artistic trends will change faster and faster, much like the meme's of today.

So this is my look of the future. Alot of the same, with some subtle differences.