Alvis

I think the answer to the why question is the same as
the answer to "why have a standardized web browser?" Because ultimately companies want the maximum amount of people to interface with their content. Content is a commodity. Due to the accelerating rate of technology growth a complex 3-D game will soon become very easy to make, so compete in the network or die. Also, new tools being developed, like Eyebeam's OGLE (http://www.3d-test.com/interviews/OGLE_1.htm)will allow for the sharing of these 3-D games/environments and change
the terrain of the game, accelerating the commoditization process.Third, for those interested, the notion of an evolving centralized Metaverse is also being addressed by the Acceleration Studies Foundation (for which I am a volunteer), both in their Second Life Future Salon (http://slfuturesalon.blogs.com/second_life_future_salon/)and more seriously via a big push to get the top VW thinkers together to develop a "living" Metaverse Roadmap (http://www.accelerating.org/metaverse.html).I
tend to agree with Johnson in that we're heading toward the RL Matrix, a fluid patchwork 3-D world. I'll go further and argue that accelerating change, bottom-up dynamics, the flattening of the world,
and a shift in the way humans relate to information will be at the heart of this evolving thang.