Business - Written Monday, December 8, 2008 by Denis Hancock - 4 Comments

In recessionary times, are virtual worlds the new movie theatres?

With pretty much everyone now agreeing we are at least in a recession, investors have been looking back in history to identify the types of investments that do well in tough times. Movie theatres almost always rise to the top – and I can personally say I’m betting on this pattern repeating itself again. However, I’m not entirely sure by any means, as I continue to wonder how large of an impact the Web 2.0 will have on how people entertain themselves.

What got me thinking about this again was this NY Times article about storefronts in the virtual worlds bringing in real money. It basically focuses on how people that can’t afford to buy a lot of real stuff might be shifting their time and expenditures online, opting for a selection of micro-purchases (think: $2 for Justin Timberlake’s signature Fedora for your virtual character, or perhaps just a little eBay auction action).

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