Players have the ability to earn, accumulate and grow virtual wealth and use this wealth to improve their social status within the game world.

FORBES: How Online Gaming Can Teach Kids About the Economy

However, with the virtual world bitcoin wealth being selectively anonymous and practically untaxable, it may just decide to stay there.

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And just as in real life, purchasing an expensive virtual good can send signals of status, wealth and power within virtual worlds and social networks.

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Any game that requires a player to generate wealth by trading with other players for virtual currency will provide an enlightening model of capitalism.

FORBES: How Online Gaming Can Teach Kids About the Economy

The best method of accruing wealth, however, is to utilize the peer-to-peer marketplace to sell virtual items.

FORBES: How Online Gaming Can Teach Kids About the Economy

There is also a wealth of informational "mash-ups" of maps with other data, such as Virtual Tourism, Google City Tours and safe2pee.org, so you can look at destinations ahead of time, figure out a city tour based on the sites you want to see, even locate the public restrooms.

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