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Forbes

The Business Of Avatars

Although there is no exact count of avatars, the industry expects their ranks to explode as the number of participants in 3D virtual worlds is projected to grow nearly fivefold to 33 million by 2013, according to Parks Associates analyst Michael Cai. And this doesn't even take into consideration all the kids and 'tweens playing in places like Club Penguin and Webkinz or mingling on social networking hybrids like Meez and Gaia Online.

From the article, "The Business Of Avatars" by Mary Jane Irwin

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