Second Life continually evolves.  When Reuters opened up a news office, the playground took on a level sophistication that it hadn't enjoyed before.  Other companies and services began to enter into the mix.  We began to see galleries and clothing sellers.  The economy of Second Life began to grow and now it boasts an GDP larger than some small companies.

It was inevitable that countries would start to eyeball it.  Sweden is the first--they are opening a virtual embassy. I am willing to bet that it will start out simply as an informational resource--but imagine, by linking it to the real world via the Web, they could set things up for application requests for passports.  The office could become a real tool to encourage young tourists to visit the scandanavian country.  After all, those who take part in Second Life are flush enough to own a computer and probably come from an affluent family.