Richard Bartle, co-creator of the seminal virtual world Multi-User Dungeon paradigm, has proposed one of his regular challenges over on virtual worlds weblog Terra Nova. This month's question is how to create a virtual world that doesn't fall back on the old standards of dungeons and demons (please!) or the well-trod mechanics of role playing games:

One of the things that bugs me about virtual worlds (game-like ones in particular) is how the paradigm doesn't really change much. We still get designers discussing what classes and races their world will have, without having considered whether they need classes or races at all.

So here's a question: given the absolute minimum that you need to have a virtual world, how can you extend that in ways that don't take us back to Second Life or World of Warcraft?

Some of the suggestions are so blue sky they practically lick the stratosphere. Others can't seem to break free from the historical chains. Is there a way to do something new with the online games sphere or are we stuck smacking down rats in underground sewers for all of virtual eternity?