Google Earth

Rumors are swirling of a Google-engineered "metaverse" - a virtual world a la Second Life - with Benchmark Capital analyst Michael Eisenberg calling the rumored project a "world game."

The metaverse would use real-world data gathered from Google's existing properties to craft the alternate online platform, writes play.tm. According to Eisenberg, Google is courting in-game ad company AdScape in preparation to monetize the virtual world.

Furthermore, rumor is that a firm in China has been hired to craft avatars while an internal team is building the "metaverse" itself, thanks to a team that has come over from There.com, another online virtual world.

Google already has a product called SketchUp, which is used to craft 3D models that can be layered onto Google Earth images.