Led to a short discussion about the potentially massive data likely hid within the histories of massively multi-player online role-playing games (MMORPG's) and the issues of getting access to such a date mine.
My suggestion was to consider creating a new one in the name of science...
Essentially start from zero with an MMORPG run non-profit with permissions from the beginning to use non-personal data for research. Sell it as fun to players, and create within it virtual research labs. You could explore ecological and socio-ecological behaviors as well as simple social interaction. If you could create a dynamic system in the game that--instead of a regular time-based "ecology" you get in many MMORPG's--current conditions could influence later conditions.
Another idea I would suggest incorporating would be the ability to create once-off or temporary "worlds" for use in specific, short term research projects. Essentially, farm out some of the virtual "landscape" for use for student researchers. It would require some level of modularity to ease the learning curve of academics and there would probably need to be dedicated programming staff as well as marketing...
...but I think it could be both fun and a useful tool to connect participants and academics in many of the up-and-coming interdisciplinary arenas.
Just an idea, eh?
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