As a result, revenue of the business is largely generated from activities within the virtual universe.

FORBES: Virtual Entropia Universe Property Sells for $335K Real Dollars

Virtual Universe is the next logical step in world entertainment and although there are a lot of critics and people shaking heads it is here to stay and take its ranks among the greats.

FORBES: Meet The Man Who Paid A Record $335,000 For Virtual Property

Since then, related innovations have produced a new marketplace where businesses of all sizes turn prospects into customers in a virtual, parallel universe.

FORBES: Are You An Internet Dynamo Or A Dinosaur?

This means that virtual items acquired within Entropia Universe have a real cash value, and a participant may, at any time, initiate a withdrawal of their accumulated PEDs back into real world currencies according to the fixed exchange rate, minus transaction fees, the minimum amount for a withdrawal is 1000 PED.

FORBES: Virtual Entropia Universe Property Sells for $335K Real Dollars

When inflation ended, and the universe had cooled enough for virtual particles to emerge from the magma, particles and antiparticles should have appeared in exactly equal numbers.

ECONOMIST: Particle physics makes sense, but it assumes too much

The hottest virtual market around today seems to be in Entropia Universe, a space bound MMO best known for having an actual working economy based on real money, which results in headlines like this.

FORBES: Virtual Entropia Universe Property Sells for $335K Real Dollars

There are already a number of popular virtual worlds such as Second Life, There and Entropia Universe.

BBC: Screen shot from Metaplace

Specifically answering Lord Puttnam's point Mark Hansen, director of business development for Lego Universe, said children were very good at determining the underlying ethic of a virtual world.

BBC: Boys playing with handheld game console,