Law and Pop: Regulation and Ruleplay in the online world of Popomundo

DOI: 10.5176/978-981-08-8227-3_cgat08-35

Authors: Scott Beattie

Abstract:

Legal and regulatory activity is an intrinsic element of online communities rather than being an outside force. This paper examines how law making and criminal activity are intrinsic to the virtual world of
Popomundo, a MMORPG and music industry sim. This paper also considers how ruleplay stances inform legal debates and allow exploration different aspects of regulation in online spaces.

Keywords: Law, Regulation, MMORPG, ruleplay, virtual crime