Today's episode of The Pulse from National Public Radio, "Virtual Worlds, Virtual Lives", tells the story of two classic communities in Second Life: The Confederation of Democratic Simulators, which was shaken (but not destroyed) by a trademark dispute which challenged the group's idealism, and the Wasteland, the long-running post-apocalyptic community founded and run as by NeoBokrug Elytis.
As I explained to Pulse reporter Grant Hill, while interest in roleplaying democracy in a virtual world has fervent if limited appeal, the Wasteland draws more sustained interest and self-organizing power by attracting fans of classic movies and games like the Mad Max and Fallout franchise.
More here in Grant's article on the segment:
Au said the platform failed to build on its early success, partly because of its lofty, and purposefully aimless, mission statement… [he] was struck by how paradoxically limited the platform seemed without any real “game” component. For many, the idea of starting humanity over from scratch was more stultifying than liberating.
Wagner James Au / New World Notes 
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