Obama's FCC transition team includes MMO gamer, virtual world resident
by James Egan 
Nov 19th 2008 at 5:00PM
Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Culture, Events, real-world, Guilds, MMO industry, News items, Second Life, Virtual worlds
Among the people President-elect Barack Obama has appointed to his FCC agency review transition team are Net Neutrality advocates Kevin Werbach, assistant professor of legal studies and business ethics at Wharton, and Susan Crawford from the University of Michigan, who teaches communications and internet law. Werbach, as it turns out, is a World of Warcraft player, according to Wagner James Au at GigaOM.Werbach has written about MMOs on his blog (back in 2006), that games "provide an incentive for people to develop new software and ideas for collaborative production. Many of those ideas will translate to other group activities, including those within the business world. I think MMOGs will be, at minimum, a significant testbed for these new technologies, because users see a direct benefit and are willing to experiment with new things." Werbach plays in two WoW guilds, one started by a friend, and the other is comprised of academics whose interests or work focus on virtual worlds.
While Werbach is more of a traditional MMO gamer, Crawford is a fan of Second Life, judging by what she's written on the virtual world in the past on her blog. At the very least, it's a positive sign that individuals connected with the FCC and its policies really understand how people are using technology to socialize, collaborate, and play.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
JP said on 5:13PM 11-19-2008
YES! Voting for Obama keeps getting better and better. This is the best Pres choice this country has made in a looooooooooong time!
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matt said on 5:30PM 11-19-2008
Or coming to an MMO near you taxes on virtual currency only time will tell.
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Tinker LaFollette said on 6:40PM 11-19-2008
Only if you make over L$250,000 a year, right?
I think I'll make a Joe the Plumber avatar...
Tasogare said on 6:15PM 11-20-2008
Ugh, please don't. Joe the plumber is the biggest mockery of a campaign topic I've ever seen in a presidential race.
Alicia Stella said on 5:38AM 11-20-2008
Oh no... Government officials that *actually* understand the internet. These guys probably know the internets are more than just a "series of tubes."
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Tharkis said on 12:52PM 11-20-2008
This is news? Now if Biden was a Trans furrie with a BDSM lover in SL.. That would be news. This is meh..
I am a little concerned though, I predict an internet sales tax coming on.
I'm just curious, does transition team mean they will be appointed to the FCC or does it mean that they are helping the President-Elect out with transitioning to his new office by acting as a liaison..
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Tharkis said on 4:34PM 11-20-2008
Also, while I am looking at it.. Discussing Second Life once, 4+ years ago, doesn't exactly strike me as a person who is a "big fan"..
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Bubble said on 8:14AM 11-21-2008
Living in a virtual world can be brain damaging after a while. So, now instead of playing games like WOW, Lineage 2 or even Sims 2, I like to keep myself informed on the latest games, read reviews and opinions. I find all the news and reviews about any game on PC District.com.
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