That's exactly what Sony did with the new "Home" social networking/online gaming world just announced for the PS3.

Accessed via the console, the "Home" area allows gamers to create their own avatars, buy apartments, clothes, etc., and display their trophies from games played...all in a 3D world.

Going further, Phil Harrison announced what Sony likes to call "Game 3.0" which is essentially the next step in the evolution of gaming, "community, user-generated content, collaboration and commerce."

In other words, you create the content and the experience. The developers simply create the world. Of course, the moniker, "Game 3.0," sounds like is was created by rejects of "The Apprentice," but since I haven't yet experienced it, I'll hold back my initial inclination to ask, "who cares?".

And that goes for the new "Home" feature as well.

I can't resist one dig, though...I bet that "Home" will be quite fun at first as the 13 people who own PS3s will all be able get to know each other. Of course as the ranks of PS3 owners swells into the hundreds, it may get a little confusing.

You see what I did there? I made fun of the fact that Sony isn't selling PS3s as fast as they thought they would. It's like negative hyperbole.

Story

Sony Press Release

UPDATE:

After checking out the coverage over at joystiq, here are some things that I have learned.

• Think of "Home" as a slick "Second Life"
• Each user has their own apartment, or private space
• You can decorate your apartment with posters, furniture, etc.
• Your clan can all meet in your apartment
• Outside your apartment is the 3D world
• In this world, you can chat with people, play arcade games by walking up to one, play pool by walking up to a pool table, or bowl a few frames by going into the bowling alley
• No word yet on pricing
• Voice chat works throughout the entire world
• There are ads in this world for games and products, some of which are in HD

Now that I know some of the details, I'm thinking this might be pretty cool.