原本决定job market结束之前不写东西的，不过这会儿实在忍不住：
今天坐在电脑前准备interview，看到一门从来没有听说过的课：
ECON 496 – Economics of the Metaverse
结果点开一看被雷到了：
Note: You must be 18 years old or older to take this class
Welcome. You are among the first students in the world to participate in a collegiate courserun entirely in Second Life (SL), an online, three-dimensional, virtual world inhabited bymillions of avatars. Congratulations for being forward-thinking and daring.
This course uses economics to study the emerging multiplayer online universe which NealStephenson called the Metaverse in his book Snow Crash, a near future portrayal of theonline universe. The closest real life equivalent to the Metaverse is Second Life (SL) whichwas launched in 2003 by Linden Research Inc. People come to SL for many reasons, most ofwhich are based on entertainment, and what results is a demand for products (in the forms ofsoftware, graphics, and servers) that improves their experience. Value is being created asdemand is met by sellers who retain property rights in their creations.
While the SL economy is small, with a GDP of roughly $550 million dollars (US) a year, itcontinues to grow (the 2008-2009 GDP growth rate was estimated to be at 65%) and isaccessed by over 800,00 unique users per month who represent almost an equal gender mixand half under the age of 35. SL has its own currency, the Linden (L), which trades at a fairlystable 270L to $1 (US). The questions that economists study occur everywhere and in everytime period, and SL in the 21st century is no exception. You will have the opportunity to seefirst-hand how the metaverse is evolving, and at the same time learn economics as you gainhands-on experience of economic concepts with your fellow travelers in the metaverse.
Credits: 3
嗯，下面我就不贴了。总之绝对是一门正儿八经的课。有兴趣继续往下看的同学见链接：
如果这辈子我有机会做一个这种second life的是实验或者授课，那实在太有意思了。
