• Real estate in virtual worlds — sometimes called the metaverse — is going for millions of dollars in some cases.
• The most expensive spots are near where lots of users congregate — for instance, someone recently paid $450,000 to be Snoop Dogg's neighbor in a virtual world called the Sandbox.

it's just unfunny at this point

like, at least fishing for tax-breaks in the classical way of doing it leaves behind a couple galleries open to the public and shit, this is just pathetic on every front and for everyone

"companies paying real money for fake real estate is dystopian" was a major take in Ready Player One. Imagine being an idealogical step behind Ready Player One.

Are you telling me the man who wrote the Nerd Porn Auteur manifesto is ideologically ahead of whatever the hell this is?

He was still like two decades behind Snowcrash.

These people are just doing Second Life, but more expensive.