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As the third annual State of Play conference on law and virtual worlds proceeds at New York Law School, the judges of the Virtual Public Space Design Competition have announced the winners of this groundbreaking contest, which invited participants to submit their best examples of public spaces and structures created for virtual worlds. Read more...

October 3, 2005 - Norman Lear Center to Partner with Virtual Worlds Design Competition to Develop Design Proposals for Downtown Los Angeles Park

To attract the most exciting ideas about public space in the 21st century, the Norman Lear Center, based at the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Southern California, has announced its collaboration in the “State of Play Virtual Public Space Design Competition.” Read more...

September 19, 2005 - Design Competition to Select Best Examples of Architecture and Public Places in Cyberspace

Many gamers—specifically, those who participate in massively multiplayer online role-playing games, or virtual worlds—take great pleasure in assuming the role of architect and building a house, terraforming a virtual landscape, or designing public space to be enjoyed by other participants. These virtual-world designers and architects are now invited to take part in a competition that will select the best examples of public spaces and structures in virtual worlds. Read more...

September 9, 2005 - Third Annual State of Play Conference on Law and Virtual Worlds to Examine 'Social Revolutions'

State of Play III: Social Revolutions will focus on social relationships in the real-time, three-dimensional virtual Internet of massively multiplayer online games. Panels and workshops will explore how to build and evolve vibrant, flourishing, creative spaces for social interaction and collective action. Read more…

Press Coverage

December 20, 2005 - WAMU 88.5 FM: The Kojo Nnamdi Show
More and more people are creating 'virtual clones' of themselves in cyberspace. Read more.

October 20, 2005 - Gamasutra
The State of Play conference series, hosted by New York Law School from October 6th to 8th, focuses on the relationship between virtual worlds (often relating to big MMO games such as EverQuest or World Of WarCraft or more user-created games such as Second Life) and physical world laws. Read more.

October 11, 2005 - Emergent Chaos
In Balkinization, Stephen Griffin writes about the efforts to get government and society functional again in New Orleans in "The Katrina Experiment." In a pair of posts that are, to me, closely related, Michael Froomkin writes about "My notes from the ‘The Great Debate’ at State of Play III" and "Summing Up 'The Great Debate' at State of Play III." Read more.

October 11, 2005 - Second Life Herald
Game development at the New York Law School... Read more.

October 10, 2005 - Gamasutra
As part of the third annual State of Play conference on law, video games and virtual worlds, held at the New York Law School last weekend, the judges of the Virtual Public Space Design Competition have announced the winners of the contest, which invited participants to submit their best examples of public spaces and structures created for virtual worlds. Read more.

October 10, 2005 - Discourse.net
There was a lot less on the blogs about the conference than I expected. The Terra Novans, for example, were (like me) too busy attending to write about it. Perhaps that is the sign of a really good conference. Read more.

October 10, 2005 - eon
For the last view days I’ve been participating a conference called State of Play, organized by Beth Noveck and David Johnson. Read more.

October 10, 2005 - Discourse.net
The so-called 'Great Debate' at State of Play III asked two stellar teams to debate the following proposition: A legal system based on geography, territory and physical force is inappropriate for Virtual Worlds. Read more.

October 10, 2005 - Discourse.net
As the "judge, jury, and executioner" for the ‘Great Debate' at State of Play III, I was required to sum up the debate. Read more.

October 10, 2005 - m law
The wisdom Charlie Nesson imparted at the State of Play III struck the core of the reason for all the intellectual and constructive exchanges during the three-day conference. Read more.

October 9, 2005 - tiger-swallowtail.com
Yesterday I watched a few tiny snippets of video from the State of Play 3, and today I watched a bit of the live feed from the Second Life Community Convention, which took place in the same place, the SLCC continuing on today. Read more.

October 8, 2005 - Ideal World
The balmy October rain, ever fickle terror color of the day (orange for now), and the rumor of exploding subways has had no impact on the excited energy of discussion and debate around “synthetic worlds,” that is resonating deeply within the halls of the New York Law School. Read more.

October 8, 2005 - Werblog
I'm at the State of Play conference in New York today. Read more.

October 8, 2005 - Discourse.net
Later today - probably shortly after 12 noon - I'll be part of a panel that will be debating the role of (terrestrial) law in virtual spaces. Read more.

October 8, 2005 - Eugene Wasserstrom
"'Second Life' is one of a very small number of so-called virtual worlds that eschew the traditional medieval fantasy-based role-playing game play common to such online blockbusters as 'World of Warcraft,' 'EverQuest' and 'Ultima Online.' Read more.

October 8, 2005 - Susan Crawford
Right now the Great Debate is going on. Some winning points from Bartle, Post, and Johnson. Read more.

October 8, 2005 - Terra Nova
It seems that all of us here in New York at State of Play III have been busier taking part in the live conversation than blogging. Read more.

October 8, 2005 - Discourse.net
It's always a bit of a shock to find out how others see one. Take, for example, this World of Warcraft avatar that Dan Hunter picked to represent me to the audience at State of Play: Read more.

October 8, 2005 - The Kind Healer
I’m writing this from the State of Play confrence right now, in the afternoon of the second day. Read more.

October 8, 2005 - socialsoftware
Much like Terra Nova, I’ve been doing more listening and talking that blogging so far while here at State of Play. Read more.

October 8, 2005 - Quantum Gaming
State of Play III is already archiving video from the conference. Read more.

October 7, 2005 - Discourse.net
Caroline is giving her talk at State of Play as I type this. Read more.

October 7, 2005 - Video, Voice, Conference Web Pages
Conference Program... Read more.

October 7, 2005 - Community Mobilization
The Second Life Relay For Life won the State of Play Design competition. Read more.

October 7, 2005 - Community Mobilization
At the moment I am sitting with Jade Lily in the State of Play III conference room here in Tribeca, New York. Read more.

October 7, 2005 - RConversation
Last night I was co-moderator of a panel on "virtual world journalism" at New York Law School's annual State of Play conference... Read more.

October 6, 2005 - John Furrier
Reporting from the Front asks leading virtual world reporters about the challenges, especially the legal challenges of reporting from the new frontier. Read more.

October 6, 2005 - Chris Rush Cohen
The conference "State of Play 3 -- Social Revolutions" begins tonight. I've attended the first two and the topics covered are really fabulous -- it's all about real world law and the development of virtual worlds (i.e. the ultimate development of a Metaverse). Read more.

October 6, 2005 - Hollywood 2020
Controversy surrounds residents (as the gamers or participants are called) of the Second Life Community, www.secondlife.com, as they begin to hold their own Second Life Community Convention (SLCC), New York Law School October 8 and 9, immediately following the NYLS's 3rd Annual State of Play conference. Read more.

October 6, 2005 - ZDNet
To those gathered for the third annual State of Play conference—a mix of lawyers, academics, consultants, journalists and others—the question revolved around the dynamic that "Second Life" has become something akin to a platform, an operating system and a browser all rolled into one... Read more.

October 6, 2005 - Kenyon & Kenyon -  Sponsor event notice
State of Play III Speaking Engagement, October 6-8, 2005... Read more.

October 5, 2005 - Paul Frankenstein
At the State of Play conference at New York Law school. Fascinating panel on reporting about—and in some cases, reporting from—virtual worlds. Read more.

October 5, 2005 - Urs Gasser
Back at the Berkman Center, I've been preparing for State of Play III, where I will be participating in a workshop entitled "Building the Metaverse: The Role of Property, Intellectual Property and Commerce." Read more.

October 4, 2005 - CNET News.com
If you find yourself looking for any of the leading thinkers on the social, intellectual, economic or legal aspects of online games this week, you probably won't find them unless you're in New York City. That's because they'll all be in the Big Apple for the third annual State of Play conference... Read more.

October 3, 2005 - New World Notes
Just in time for the State of Play conference in New York City (where I'll be appearing on a couple panels), most of this week's New World Notes will be devoted to the growing emergence of Resident-run law and law-like institutions in Second Life. Read more.

September 30, 2005 - Inside Mac Games
Expanding on Tuesdays news concerning the upcoming Second Life Community Convention, a reader noted that the event that directly preceeds the SLCC, the State of Play Conference, may also be of interest to gamers. Read more.

September 30, 2005 - GameIndustry.com
“State of Play III: Social Revolutions” is the third annual State of Play: Law, Games, and Virtual Worlds conference on the future of cyberspace. This year, the focus of the conference is social relationships in the metaverse and how to build vibrant, flourishing, creative places... Read more.

September 29, 2005 - Reality Panic
I'm sad to be missing the boutique State of Play conference this year. I'm actually heading to Denver (to speak at the local chapter, at a journalism conference and various academic visits) and will be back too close to the start of the SoP conference... Read more.

September 27, 2005 - Inside Mac Games
A unique aspect of the SLCC will be the ability for Residents to participate in the event regardless of their location. This is facilitated by the live, mixed-reality simulcast from New York Law School into a virtual recreation of the convention in Second Life... Read more.

September 27, 2005 - GameIndustry.com
Second Life Residents today announced the first annual Second Life Community Convention (SLCC), to take place at New York Law School October 8th and 9th... Read more.

September 27, 2005 - odr.info
Upcoming Events: The third annual State of Play conference will be held October 6 - 9, 2005 at New York Law School... Read more.

September 27, 2005 -  Forbes
New York City: Join speakers from the online gaming and virtual world space, together with legal and social thinkers... Read more.

September 21, 2005 -  Kenyon & Kenyon -  Sponsor press release
Kenyon & Kenyon attorneys James E. Rosini and Dr. S. Gregory Boyd will convene with other virtual world experts to discuss the many legal challenges facing today’s flourishing game industry at two of the country’s leading on-line game conferences, State of Play III: Social Revolutions in New York City on October 8, 2005, and the Austin Game Conference in Austin, Texas, on October 28, 2005... Read more.

September 13, 2005 -  Vox Internet
Upcoming Conference: State of Play III: The Berkman Center, the Institute for Information Law & Policy at New York Law School, and the Information Society Project at Yale Law School will host "State of Play III: Social Revolutions"... Read more.

September 21, 2005 - Smart Mobs
State of Play III: Social Revolutions is the third annual State of Play conference on the future of cyberspace. This year, they focus on social relationships in the metaverse and how to build vibrant, flourishing, creative places... Read more.

September 20, 2005 - Gamasutra
First up this week, we have a competition for the design of virtual spaces, in an event related to the New York-based State of Play 'virtual world' conference... Read more.

September 14, 2005 - Water Cooler Games
State of Play III: Social Revolutions, at New York Law School, NYC, Oct 6 - 8. Issues of law and property in virtual worlds... Read more.

September 14, 2005 - Avant Gaming
The Berkman Center for Internet & Society and the Information Society Project at Yale Law School present: State of Play III: Social Revolutions October 7-8th in NYC... Read more.

September 9, 2005 - Terra Nova
On Terranova, Makena Technologies, creators of There Inc., have decided to match the prize for the winners of the Architecture Competition by offering... Read more.

September 8, 2005 - ThereCare
The State of Play is hosting a special design contest for virtual worlds and we’d like to encourage Thereians to participate!... Read more.

August 29, 2005 - International Game Journalists Association
In the past, the IGJA site has shied away from posting press releases. The State of Play conference, however, is an event that might slip past the radar of many game journalists and covers a topic of real interest--the relationship between law and games--especially massively multiplayer online games... Read more.

August 26, 2005 - Depraved Librarian
Participants will explore social interaction, collective action in massively multiplayer online games on October 6-8, 2005 at New York Law School... Read more.