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Mises Economics Blog

Virtual Freedom of Speech

October 19, 2004 2:41 PM by Stephan Kinsella | Other posts by Stephan Kinsella | Comments (5)

The Virtual World as a Company Town - Freedom of Speech in Massively Multiple Online Role Playing Games (entire paper) -- may interest some (though it's written from a mainstream law perspective).

Comments (5)

  • rtr

  • A fundamental error that is posutalted is ownership (by government, corporate, or individual private is beside the point) of *a* virtual world when in reality an infinite number of exact replicas of the same, or nearly the same virtual world are possible. I would not see any more issues with "freedom of speech" than in the situation where an onwer of a house kicks out a guest for using "the Lord's" name in vain. In fact, freedom of speech does not grant one the right to be present in another individual's bedroom at 2am screaming obscenities. Competition among producers of virtual worlds and subjective preferences of individual subscribers works perfectly.

  • Published: October 19, 2004 3:25 PM

  • Omch'Ar

  • I invented this a decade ago, when people were still playing Doom and regular MUDs.

    My idea went over the heads of even so-called "experts."

    Now I live in poverty.

  • Published: October 19, 2004 7:08 PM

  • Curt Howland

  • Don't forget that there is little or no cost to "going elsewhere" in an online game.

    This is unlike territorial governments.

  • Published: October 19, 2004 8:48 PM

  • rtr

  • "Now I live in poverty."

    How much would it cost to mail that statement to everyone in the world through the U.S. mail, first class $0.37 stamp? Approximate 6 billion people X $0.37 would cost $2 billion two hundred and twenty million dollars!!!

  • Published: October 20, 2004 9:53 AM

  • Omch'Ar

  • A media innovation like this one of mine that is now being usurped could only come from Canada (hence I would not use the USPS).

    And still I go hungry every day.

  • Published: October 20, 2004 1:35 PM

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