Singapore played host to the fifth annual State of Play Conference on Law and Virtual Worlds. This years theme was Building the Global Metaverse. The choice of location was entirely appropriate given the emergent service industry tooling up around the region in preparation for the mainstreaming of Virtual Worlds.

David Adams piece in The Age showcases some Australian entrepreneurs who are carving out niches for themselves within Second Life and Entropia. Looking beyond Davids misreading of the Second Life stats page (reporting turnover of 12.5m Linden dollars during July – it was 12.5m resident transactions) it was interesting to see him mention Dotman World.

Mitch Wagner has written a good primer for businesses considering entering Second Life. In light of the recent love-hate coverage Second Life has received of late it is a timely piece written from the perspective of both a knowledgeable resident and reporter.

One organization who continues to pioneer and experiment with Virtual Worlds is IBM. Its Second Life Business Center, which launched back in May 15th 2007, has attracted 10,000 visitors over the interim. Based on its successful launch IBM announced that it would now be staffed 24/7 Monday through Friday providing global coverage.