Using Games to Make Games

Second Life is a really interesting game that lets thousands of people create their own gaming environment. You want to make a castle? You can. Fill it with monsters? Sure. It's all very Snow Crash (or Neuromancer if you prefer). I'm not familiar with the toolset, but I've seen demos and it looks pretty straightforward. You can also use the game editor to make, well, games. One guy made a game called Tringo that's a cross between Bingo and a "jig-saw arcade game", and it became so popular it attracted the attention of a big-shot investor. It's being developed as a standalone game for retail release, in the Real World. The coolest bit is that the company that runs Second Life claims absolutely no ownership whatsoever -- the guy who created it, owns it (well, he's sold it now, but you get the idea). A classy move in an age that is being dominated by intellectual-property-mongers. Yes, I said it: Mongers.

Link to article in Second Life newsletter (probably won't be there for long)
Link to a blog that seems to be focused on Second Life. I could probably lose myself in there if I'm not careful.