Gartner researchers clarify virtual enthusiasm

Gartner analyst Steve Prentice predicted last May that 80 percent of Internet users would be "engaged" in virtual worlds by 2011 — meaning, most laymen took it, that eight out of 10 Internet users would actually, you know, be logging on to metaverses like Second Life and living la vida digital. Prentice's claim came in for fresh scorn when he recently warned corporations of Second Life's security hazards — not that anyone's using the virtual world to store confidential corporate data. Still, people asked, Which is it, Steve — dangerous den of hackers or mainstream amusement? Neither, it turns out. More »