Hypocrisy or Art?

The Matrix Online is a persistent world where people will sacrifice a portion of their real lives to navigate their online persona through a virtual Maslow's hierarchy of needs toward an ultimately saccharin self-actualization.

The game, of course, is based on a series of movies where the hero's victory depends on him sacrificing the easy rewards of an illusionary world and embracing a harder road to self-actualization in the real for the benefit of all humankind.

Ironically, the more you like the movies and their message, the more likely you are to play the game. I doubt anyone will NOT play because of the philosophical contradiction, which ultimately reinforces the movie's premise that most of us, even after we know the truth, would choose the illusion.

I have to admit, if the irony is intentional, it's the closest thing to Art I've seen in the MMO industry so far.

My brain hurts plenty after that, but if you want more...Greg Lastowka, a professor of law at Rutgers and a moderator at Terra Nova, was on the panel I reference in "Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You?" and raises some interesting counterpoints in his comments to that post. Check them out below. (Thanks Greg)