Today's massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMOs) are effectively prototyping collaboration technologies and motivation schemes that may be used to operate government programs in the future, using largely volunteer labor. Examples analyzed here include World of Warcraft, Battleground Europe, Final Fantasy XI, and a fictional game named Carnage played both online and in the physical world. Four main topics covered are the user interface, groupware to support social interaction, electronic vigilantism, and the integration of technology with humanities to create online subcultures. Widespread dissatisfaction with the performance of governments in advanced post-industrial societies suggests that fresh thinking is needed, and MMOs provide a number of ideas that might become significant in future years.
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