Scholars of fantasy worlds and game-industry professionals hammered out a 10-point policy platform for virtual worlds at a conference last weekend at Indiana University at Bloomington. Among the policy statements: game developers should not be liable for actions that players take inside virtual worlds, such as assaulting other avatars; the concept of network neutrality–that broadband carriers treat Internet traffic equally–must be supported, so that people have access to virtual worlds; game designers should be able to express themselves freely; and game developers should back one system for verifying players' ages.
Thomas M. Malaby, an associate professor of anthropology at the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee, who was chosen as spokesman for the conference, said the platform will be sent to Congressional and presidential candidates in the 2008 elections.–Andrea L. Foster
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