Second Life is a popular virtual reality game. According to Red Herring, Second Life has more than 1.6 million users, who “generate more than $650,000 each day through the sale of digital goods, a virtual economy that has made it possible for many to make a living solely through the creation and sale of virtual goods.”
Red Herring also says that Second Life now has its first virtual millionaire, a dealer in virtual real estate. You will not be surprised to find out that she is a Chinese woman.
Hubei-born Ailin Graef, known in Second Life as Anshe Chung, runs her virtual real estate agency, Anshe Chung Studios, with her husband Guntram Graef. They offer land and houses in places like Dreamland Asia, the Mainland, Gothica, and Furries.
The Red Herring article is here, Anshe Chung’s real estate agency is here, and you can read some controversy amongst Wikipedia contributors about whether Anshe Chung should be included in the encyclopedia here (or here for readers in China).
Which brings us to science fiction writer William Gibson, who coined the word ‘cyberspace’ and whose novels have been describing virtual worlds since the 1980s. His blog is here.