The design of massively multiplayer games and social software in general has followed the lead set by the likes of Jon Jerde, mall architect and creator of Horton Plaza in San Diego, the complex where the Emerging Technologies Conference was held.

His approach is based on the concept of ‘enclosure in entertainment’. By making visitor pathways twist back on themselves and providing a ‘diversity’ of views into an essentially closed system, Jerde’s spaces work to contain the experience of interaction.