Third (world) Life
Village is a "multiplayer online real-time strategy game for the PC thatimmerses the player into the role of an entrepreneur building companiesto bring prosperity to the villages of the third world." Though they don't have a demo of the game available yet, they are planning on getting an alpha version out in January. The goal of the game is to promote awareness of social enterprise (eradicating poverty through profits) and to get more people involved in third world development. It seems to be a mash-up of SimCity, Second Life and the Peace Corps:
Ultimately, there may be tie-ins to reality, with companies that sell products used by nonprofit aid organizations sponsoring the game, nonprofits soliciting donations, and the possibility of applying what is learned to real villages. I don't know if the business model will take off, given that there's not a lot of extra money floating around in this sector, but it could be a place for Second Lifers to escape the first-world commercialism that's invading their virtual space.
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