Hypergrid: Architecture and Protocol for Virtual World Interoperability

by Cristina Videira Lopes

Massive multiuser online (MMO) games such as Linden Lab's Second Life provide shared virtual spaces, in which thousands of users can interact with one another, with virtual objects, and with artificial intelligence (AI) agents. These environments require considerable server-side infrastructure, controlled in each case by a single organization. Centralized control of virtual worlds enables the development of walled-garden environments with high internal consistency. However, several problems arise from centralization of authority. READ FULL ARTICLE (login required) »