Synthetic Worlds: The Business and Culture of Online Games
by Edward Castronova
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Book Summary Information
Author: Edward CastronovaEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2006-10-15
ISBN: 0226096270
Number of pages: 344
Publisher: University Of Chicago Press
Book Reviews of Synthetic Worlds: The Business and Culture of Online Games
Book Review: Explains virtual worlds well
Summary: 4 Stars
Ed Castranova is probably the best known academic who writes about virtual worlds and Massively Multi-player Online Role Playing Games. These include the big online fantasy games such as Everquest and World of Warcaft, where thousands of people go and adventure together in lavish 3D worlds, as well as the more creative virtual playgrounds such as Second Life and Project Entropia, where people can more or less create whatever virtual objects they like and possibly make a real living from it.
In his first proper book on the subject, he refers back to his very first paper where he argued how the `residents' of Everquest were more productive in real dollar terms than the residents of some real countries. This brought him international fame and now many other academics are now researching the subject.
From this basis he describes what makes a virtual world, looking at the design, the technology, the in-game economy, the social aspects and possible futures for the genre. I find Castranova a very accessible writer and found this book very interesting. People who are knowledgeable about the subject may not find too much they didn't know already but nevertheless it's a good read for anyone interested in the subject.
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