The Punitive Boringness of Agriculture

I'd heard about the Cornfield on the SL forums before, but I always thought it was a joke, until a few days ago...

Nimrod Yaffle, a resident of the virtual world Second Life, has revealed details of a bizarre and dark prison Second Life's maker Linden Lab is now using to lock up criminal avatars. Dubbed the "The Corn Field," the moonlit environment contains only rows of corn, two television sets, an aging tractor and a one-way teleport terminal allowing no escape. It exists as an alternative to standard disciplinary measures, which traditionally prevent access to Second Life completely.

After breaking Second Life's rules, Yaffle was informed via email by Linden Lab that he was being sent to The Corn Field. "I thought it was a joke," Yaffle told me in-world. "I never even knew it existed before I went there, and by the looks of it, a lot of other people didn't either." Rumour and speculation about the prison has been running amok in the Second Life community since word of The Corn Field spread, but until recently the prison simulator hadn't been officially confirmed. (Clickable Culture)

This was even mentioned in the Guardian, or at least on their games blog. The thing is, it makes me want to visit, and I'm too much of a wuss to actually do something that could get me banned. Perhaps we could have tours organised, invisible to the criminals themselves.