Review "Synthetic Worlds is a surprisingly profound book about the social, political and economic advantages resulting from the emergence of large multiplayer games online. What Castro Nova realize is that these games, where players contribute considerable labor in exchange for things they value, not just like real economies, which are the real economy, showing inflation, fraud, Chinese sweatshops and play some amazing innovations. – Tim Harford, Chronicle…
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{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
This review is from: Synthetic Worlds: The Business and Culture of Online Games (hard) I had expected something a bit more "rigorous" by Dr. Ed, I think that if you take a good first battle in virtual worlds.
For people who play these games and the first 50 pages are boring. But it is obvious that cover this material so that even laymen can quickly catch up with their other subjects. Sometimes he slips back into the elementary explanation, but I think it is an attempt to help the largest market.
It covers a wide range of topics in this book. The discussion on the property within VR worlds, violence within VR worlds, and the real value of money and virtual reality elements. Any substance that leads to a mild labyrinthine sense in the book and some of the arguments thiness. However, I thought everything was adequately covered. I was looking for something more true for an "economic discussion of synthetic worlds, but they laughed at me. He does write an explanation and defense of the economies in the synthesis and the problems within them. For me however, I thought it would be a total of 300 or more pages, as he was about 75th
If there were more books like this is published I get 3 stars but because it will be the beginning of a long series of long, long, books that give you 4 for the groundbreaking. Maybe I would have ordered the material into two books.
If you have these games and have a gossip and economy who buys the book and enjoy. I'll read your papers now in an attempt to get this review.
Sean
This review is from: Synthetic Worlds: The Business and Culture of Online Games (hard) I came for the first time in the DR. Castranova, after reading an article he had written about the cost variation between male and female avatars (characters) that are sold on Ebay for the game "Everquest". As a former player for the recycling of this material I found interesting. Anyone who has played a game that is in a synthetic world to understand exactly how absorbent they are.
(A synthetic world is a landscape that always performs game where players can interact with each other and play in a virtual reality that has solved the rules and characters can almost do anything they want)
Dr. Castranova's book on "Synthetic Worlds" explores new technologies for role-playing games in these virtual reality and what they mean for the players and to society at large. It all began in the late 90's when the game was created as Ultima classic "Ultima Online". Since then, more and increasingly complex world of virtual games like "EverQuest" and "World of Warcraft. Players who want a good character in these games can be played for hours and build their warriors, wizards, etc., powerful players, or they can buy on eBay. This is one way in which the game world has real consequences. But in a footnote, it appears that players who often spend many hours per day in these synthetic worlds often seem more interested in his life that his only real synthetic. There are several problems with this, and while most can handle the separation of synthetic and real world there are those who can not. Either way these synthetic worlds have become a new form of The Great Escape, which lets users do things you would never do in a real sense.
Castranova more looks in the video game industry, and raises the question of what happens when the game company can not make money in the game longer and want to "pull the plug" on the synthetic world. Apparently people are upset, and suggested that perhaps the game could be given to the players, but it creates problems.
I thought that this book is a very interesting and we had more time in front of computer interfaces every day, I think we can all learn something about the way we interact with technology by reading this book. Sure, reading about the players themselves are very informative and all those interested in flight path also present an interesting reading. I think anyone interested in sociology or technology will find this book rewarding.
Ted Murena
This review is from: Synthetic Worlds: The Business and Culture of Online Games (hard) is great for what it is, although the author writes like a job for the university, "This is what this chapter. .. "exactly. Lots of dryness in which many of the facts. Also focused primarily on the economy for the current MMO, not so many people are thinking in the culture (appointments, select avatars, queer culture, etc.) or that MMO was driven by a company.