Second Lives: A Journey Through Virtual Worlds Review

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Second Lives: A Journey Through Virtual Worlds ReviewThere are tons of books about virtual worlds, especially about second life. All of the ones I have seen (before this one) were more or less instructionbooks for people who don't have a mind of their own to click around in a virtual environment and collect some basic information, or artefacts of self celebration of residing avatars.
This one is nothing like that. Guest focusses on his personal research and experience in these environments, for the biggest part in secondlife.com . He gives us an interesting and sometimes even touching account of the fact, that these worlds are populated by real humans and not by game characters. Even for me as a long year (but not veteran) player of this environment, the book had an enormous amount of new and fascinating facts on the history of SL, that usually would not get published, since Guest partly approached it from the underground and not from the shiny surface.
I regrett I never met him there...Second Lives: A Journey Through Virtual Worlds OverviewWe've always dreamed of perfect places: Eden, heaven, Utopia. Imagine gambling without loss, love without heartbreak, sex without exposure, experience without risk. Welcome to the fascinating world of online virtual reality, the land of invented places and populations that is entered and inhabited every week by nearly fifty million people worldwide. Each participant creates a virtual body, works at virtual jobs, and makes virtual friends and family. In Second Lives, Tim Guest, an internationally acclaimed young journalist, takes us on a revelatory journey through the electronic looking glass as he investigates one of the most bizarre phenomena of the twenty-first century.From Second Life to EverQuest and beyond, here are the computer-generated environments and characters that can easily become more engrossing and fulfilling than earthly existence. With the click of a mouse you can select eye color, face shape, height–you can even give yourself wings. Your character, or avatar, can build houses, make and sell works of art, earn money, get married and divorced.In this fascinating and groundbreaking book, Guest meets people who found meaningful love and friendship despite never having met in person, catches up with the companies that have used virtual worlds to make big money, investigates the U.S. military's massive online global model that trains soldiers to fight anyone anywhere, and travels all the way to gaming-crazed Korea to get a taste for just how big this phenomenon really is.At first glance, these new computer-generated places seem free from trouble and sorrow. But Guest examines the dark side of this technology too, including the online criminals who plague imaginary worlds, from cyber mafiosos and prostitutes to real hackers and terrorists. It seems that one cannot escape greed, corruption, and human weakness–even inside a computer screen.Are these virtual worlds a way to enhance life or to escape it? Guest explores this question personally as he lets himself be transported into myriad parallel universes. By turns provocative, inspiring, and disturbing, Second Lives is a crucial book for this millennium. After all, real life is so twentieth century.Advance praise for Second Lives"Tim Guest is a young writer with the literary goods. My Life in Orange, his hit memoir of growing up in a commune, looked at his past; his riveting new book, Second Lives, looks at our future: the world of virtual reality and the spellbound people who inhabit it. The book is some kind of revelation–by turns compelling, chilling, and illuminating. Curious, intelligent, offbeat, and artful, Guest is at the beginning of a big career."——John Lahr, senior drama critic, The New Yorker, author of Prick Up Your Ears: The Biography of Joe Orton Praise from England for Second Lives"An anthropological adventure but also Guest's personal voyage . . . a fascinating portrait of rainbow landscapes and their inhabitants."–Time Out London"Rich and colourful . . . an important mapping of a new social frontier."–The Guardian"Remarkably timely."–The Sunday Telegraph"Astonishing."–The Sunday Times

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Virtual Worlds: Rewiring Your Emotional Future Review

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Virtual Worlds: Rewiring Your Emotional Future ReviewVirtual World. Emotion. Why do these two words seem so separate? Is it because the technology masks our emotions with a gilded frame of ones and zeros? Is it that we are surrounded by technology so much that we forget our own humanity? Is it as Thoreau said, that men have become the tools of their tools? Or is it instead that humanity is offering more of itself into the technology that it creates? Deep questions which are not often approached, and when they are approached they are not often approached wisely. What is an 'emotional future', and do I want one? Do I have a choice? People get uncomfortable with such questions. These are dangerous questions, which usually means that they are good questions.
Of course, I got a gold paper clip with the book. This was somewhat of a novelty for me, and also gave me pause.
When I looked at the cover of this book, these were things that I thought about a bit. I wasn't sure what to expect. Two blurry avatars kissing on the cover of the book hint at romance, a topic that I cannot comment on beyond half a life's sojourns. What is this about?
So, I read the book.
The book was a quick read. It was well written and, more importantly, easy to read. The large text hints that this is bifocal friendly, but what this reader liked was that it was just plain easy to read. So often books fail in the mechanics department by not catering to their business properly, and I was pleased and even encouraged to read this book after glancing in its covers. Large text is encouraging; it is the promise that the book is thinner than it looks - and it is fairly thin.
The reader takes a journey into the concept of a virtual world - but not through the technical explanations. Refreshingly, it simply said that virtual worlds are, that they exist, and that they are just as real to virtual world users as the rest of their lives. That virtual communities have become powerful on the internet, and that virtual worlds are a promise - and a premise - of things to come. That virtual worlds are tied to internet seems to go without saying, and yet so many people treat them as separate. The authors spared us this deviation, instead focusing on virtual worlds as a subset of the internet. This was refreshing.
The connections between technology and emotion are as well defined as the fuzzy nexus can be, and the authors managed to capture that with a basis in humanity and society rather than technology. This book isn't so much about virtual worlds as much as it is about real people being affected and perhaps changed by virtual worlds. The separation of brain, heart and gut resonates with a truth that cannot be measured empirically but will gain some nods from readers - and that forms a powerful base for the book itself.
From this basis in how we perceive the world around us, the book manages to make stops poignantly. Virtual worlds are approached as reality, then as new economies and new markets with potential for reinventing things. The second to last chapter - titled the same as the book title - brings it all together nicely, and the very last chapter is 'Virtual World Generated Fiction'.
In all, this book answered some of the questions I had when I looked at the cover - more importantly, it got me asking different questions. While short, this is a thought provoking book which promises much to the thoughtful. It is not a marketing book, it is not an economic paper - it is not a technology book. What this book is about is our use of technology and how technology affects us and connects us - perhaps even separating us in some instances. It carries with it some warnings of a future of controversy which transcends what we think normal now.
Overall, this book gets a KnowProSE.com 9 out of 10. It isn't for the experts; it was not written for experts. The book was - convincingly - written for the average person who would like to consider a future that has stealthily entered through the front door of millions of people, disguised as entertainment. Virtual Worlds: Rewiring Your Emotional Future is a preview of coming attractions which only guides the imagination on the rails provided by a reality which is not so virtual anymore.Virtual Worlds: Rewiring Your Emotional Future Overview"Virtual Worlds: Rewiring Your Emotional Future is a preview of coming attractions which only guides the imagination on the rails provided by a reality which is not so virtual anymore.' - Taran Rampersad www.knowprose.comVirtual Worlds are becoming an embedded part of our culture and the implications for every aspect of society are unimaginable. This 122-page easy-to-read book discusses the potential that Virtual Worlds have to dramatically alter the emotional code of the human race, and also reviews the opportunities for individuals, corporations, advertising and media companies to build personal and corporate marketing campaigns in Virtual Worlds. This first reader generated book not only will open the eyes of readers to this completely new world but, in itself, will become an immersive experience for readers that could keep them involved, engaged and emotionally connected to a virtual world community experience for years ahead.

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The Unofficial Tourists' Guide to Second Life Review

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The Unofficial Tourists' Guide to Second Life ReviewAs a 35-year veteran of online worlds, everything from irc to chat to the Palace to the Sims, I was skeptical about Second Life. Whatever fancy technology is involved, people are still people, and I figured it was in essence a chat room with new bells and whistles. And it is that--the core behaviors of online chat have not changed much in 35 years--but I was pleasantly surprised to discover that there is much more to Second Life than chat. I was helped in this discovery by the authors of this book. The official book from Linden Labs mostly tells you how to do things. This book goes another step, and suggests things to do. The news media seem mostly focused on commerce and sex in Second Life. And there is that. The people in Second Life are similar to the cyber-denizens you will find anywhere online. The real difference here is the places: the worlds that people have built. Even if you never talk to anyone else, you can have amazing experiences simply exploring: a mystical forest, a sinister cathedral in the sky, an amusement park where you can ride a roller coaster, a Victorian village, an urban wasteland, and romantic sunset beaches are among thousands of places imagined and created, not by the owners of Second Life, but by its "residents." This guide helped me find all of them, giving hours of enjoyment even to this ancient cyber-skeptic.
I also appreciate that the authors have taken some time to bring readers up to speed on the culture of Second Life's residents. In any online community--well, any community really, online or off--there is always a subtext that new people struggle to understand, consisting of previous events and interpersonal struggles. The authors have shed light on this history for us in a most amusing way. In short, I'm grateful to have read this book at the beginning of my Second Life experience; it was very, very helpful and has increased my enjoyment of Second Life considerably.The Unofficial Tourists' Guide to Second Life OverviewImagine an enormous, breathtaking virtual world to explore, where land can be bought for less than a dollar and new construction is limited only by your imagination. An online tourist destination where you can shop for virtual designer clothes in a shopping mall atop a live volcano, teleport to an underwater gig by U2, before taking a new friend back to your personal spaceship for virtual coffee or...well, you get the idea.

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The Making of Second Life: Notes from the New World Review

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The Making of Second Life: Notes from the New World ReviewIt can be hard to justify buying a book about a place as fluid and temporal as Second Life. In a world with a constantly-shifting, user-created landscape, what could one write that will be of any use in the next few years?
Given this challenge, Wagner James Au crafts an excellent book about the history and nature of Second Life. Leveraging his status as a former employee and virtual embedded journalist, Au shares with the reader his well-researched subjective viewpoint into a world of fluid forms and fluid personalities. Touching on such topics as the economy, socialization, politics, the nature of self, and the interaction between the real world and the artificial one, the book weaves a narrative that is one part company history, one part personal experience, and one part industry commentary.
While the book overall is an interesting read, I found myself having to swallow some significant typos and informational errors. This is a pet peeve of mine, and I feel the book really could have used a second editorial pass and some fact-checking (for instance, the 3D embedded content viewer inDuality ([...]) is made by Pelican Crossing, not Penguin Crossing). Print is not the web, and sadly, once one publishes an edition of a book with this many errors, it's published forever.
But if you have a tolerance for typos and a willingness to do your own fact-checking (which will be necessary anyway, given the changeable nature of the subject matter), this book is a good read and can serve as a starting point for further forays into the field of 3D interactive worlds, and Second Life specifically.The Making of Second Life: Notes from the New World Overview

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The State of Play: Law, Games, and Virtual Worlds (Ex Machina: Law, Technology, and Society) Review

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The State of Play: Law, Games, and Virtual Worlds (Ex Machina: Law, Technology, and Society) ReviewWhen Judge Richard Posner first called himself and other legal academics "intellectual entrepreneurs," he was at least half-kidding (in a Chicago kind of way). But in recent years the "market" for legal scholarship has become among the most cutthroat in the world. Professors seem desperate to be the first to homestead new territory in any emerging market.
The work of economists like Edward Castronova has demonstrated that virtual worlds constitute a new frontier, ripe for cutting edge scholarship. The authors in this book are staking their claim to its legal issues. But just being the first to a topic does not mean you have anything interesting to say about it. Castronova's work is interesting, but you don't need this book to understand it. The remaining essays in this book reminded me of cyber-squatted domain names. "What will happen?" they all seem to ask, but they don't offer many answers or even interesting speculations.
The real problem here is that law exists to dealing with real-world consequences, while virtual worlds exist to eliminate them. Law may eventually get some traction in virtual reality, but it hasn't happened yet. If you want to be there when it does, don't read a law book - get yourself into a MMPORG. Just don't plan on keeping your job or your marriage.The State of Play: Law, Games, and Virtual Worlds (Ex Machina: Law, Technology, and Society) Overview
The State of Play presents an essential first step in understanding how new digital worlds will change the future of our universe. Millions of people around the world inhabit virtual words: multiplayer online games where characters live, love, buy, trade, cheat, steal, and have every possible kind of adventure. Far more complicated and sophisticated than early video games, people now spend countless hours in virtual universes like Second Life and Star Wars Galaxies not to shoot space invaders but to create new identities, fall in love, build cities, make rules, and break them.

As digital worlds become increasingly powerful and lifelike, people will employ them for countless real-world purposes, including commerce, education, medicine, law enforcement, and military training. Inevitably, real-world law will regulate them. But should virtual worlds be fully integrated into our real-world legal system or should they be treated as separate jurisdictions with their own forms of dispute resolution? What rules should govern virtual communities? Should the law step in to protect property rights when virtual items are destroyed or stolen?

These questions, and many more, are considered in The State of Play, where legal experts, game designers, and policymakers explore the boundaries of free speech, intellectual property, and creativity in virtual worlds. The essays explore both the emergence of law in multiplayer online games and how we can use virtual worlds to study real-world social interactions and test real-world laws.

Contributors include: Jack M. Balkin, Richard A. Bartle, Yochai Benkler, Caroline Bradley, Edward Castronova, Susan P. Crawford, Julian Dibbell, A. Michael Froomkin, James Grimmelmann, David R. Johnson, Dan Hunter, Raph Koster, F. Gregory Lastowka, Beth Simone Noveck, Cory Ondrejka, Tracy Spaight, and Tal Zarsky.


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Play Between Worlds: Exploring Online Game Culture Review

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Play Between Worlds: Exploring Online Game Culture ReviewIn her book on the MMO gaming world, Taylor brings an ethnographic approach to the game Everquest. Through interviews and personal experience, she gives an insight into the gaming world that portrays it for the rich, complex, social world that it is. A gamer herself, Taylor does an excellent job shining new light on the "frowned upon" gaming world. She also goes beyond the gaming world to show how things are connected through the internet and "in real life" to things within the game.
As far as this being too "basic" in covering the genre - this wasn't aimed to be a book only for advanced gamers. For those of the academic world, who have no experience whatsoever with games, the chapters provide sufficient information about the games to allow understanding. The summary/analysis is as comprehensive as it is rich. There are parts that she could have gone further and I do hope she does write a second book (although she does have articles on this topic as well).
All in all, this is an absolutely fantastic book for academics (or just interested people) who want an ethnographic approach to the gaming world that treats it not as a deviant, subersive "alternate" reality. Gamers and academics alike can appreciate it. Think Jenkins' Textual Poachers (written about the fan world) for gamers.
I sincerely hope this is the tip of the iceberg for this serious academic research into the community, social aspects of MMOs.Play Between Worlds: Exploring Online Game Culture Overview

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Developing Virtual Reality Applications: Foundations of Effective Design Review

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Developing Virtual Reality Applications: Foundations of Effective Design ReviewVirtual Reality is a subdivision of computer graphics and the latter is intensely mathematical. But this book eshews a mathematical bent. Instead it offers a sweeping survey of recent [2008-9] applications of VR. You can easily read this and get a good understanding of where VR is being used. The survey spans both academic and industrial/commercial efforts.
The book is also aided by a heavy use of illustrations, many in colour. Quite appropriate given that we are talking about graphics. The figures greatly help the understanding of the text.
One interesting subtopic is augmented reality. Where typically a user wears a special pair of glasses and walks around the real world. Depending on her location and perhaps orientation, the glasses communicate wirelessly with a GIS-aware database that downloads information to be displayed in an overlay fashion on her vision.Developing Virtual Reality Applications: Foundations of Effective Design Overview
Virtual Reality systems enable organizations to cut costs and time, maintain financial and organizational control over the development process, digitally evaluate products before having them created, and allow for greater creative exploration. In this book, VR developers Alan Craig, William Sherman, and Jeffrey Will examine a comprehensive collection of current,unique, and foundational VR applications in a multitude of fields, such as business, science, medicine, art, entertainment, and public safety among others.

An insider's view of what works, what doesn't work, and why, Developing Virtual Reality Applications explores core technical information and background theory as well as the evolution of key applications from their genesis to their most current form. Developmental techniques are cross-referenced between different applications linking information to describe overall VR trends and fundamental best practices. This synergy, coupled with the most up to date research being conducted, provides a hands-on guide for building applications, and an enhanced, panoramic view of VR development. Developing Virtual Reality Applications is an indispensable one-stop reference for anyone working in this burgeoning field.


Dozens of detailed application descriptions provide practical ideas for VR development in ALL areas of interest!
Development techniques are cross referenced between different application areas, providing fundamental best practices!
Includes a media-rich companion website with hours of footage from application demonstrations


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Virtual Law: Navigating the Legal Landscape of Virtual Worlds Review

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Virtual Law: Navigating the Legal Landscape of Virtual Worlds ReviewEveryone who operates a business that is involved with virtual worlds should be glad that this book was written. As everyone in that situation knows, virtual worlds give rise to a huge number of legal questions, and this book collects those and answers to them all in one place using a writing style that's very readable even for non lawyers like myself.
One thing that I really appreciated about the book is that it describes the degree of certainty associated with different topics. For example, each chapter ends with a section on "open questions" relating to the subject of the chapter, whereas there are other places where the text states very definitively that a given thing occurring in a virtual world would or would not be treated exactly the same way as elsewhere on the Web or in the physical world.
Another thing that I appreciated about the book was how clearly it is written. While it does include case law, etc. that is likely to be of intellectual interest to lawyers specializing in virtual law, it also includes a lot of very practical and accessible information for those of us who have business interests in virtual worlds.
I think it will be particularly useful to three groups of people. First, it will provide a lot of information for people running in world only businesses for which legal advice is probably prohibitively expensive. Second, it will provide small and medium size businesses operating in virtual worlds enough of an understanding of the issues to judge when it's likely to be cost-effective to seek out specialized legal advice and when it's not. Third, I think it will be helpful to the large companies operating in virtual worlds. Many of them have their own legal staff, but they are often are unfamiliar with virtual worlds. This book will help them get up to speed quickly (and avoid slowing down their companies virtual world initiatives).
I am in the second category, and I already feel I got my money's worth from the book in terms of not having to pay for unnecessary legal advice and / or worry that I should be checking things with a lawyer (particularly given that currently most "regular" lawyers are not very knowledgeable about virtual worlds). All in all, I found this book to be extremely helpful on a first read, and it's one I am sure I will refer back to in the future.
The one topic I wish would have received greater attention in the book is jurisdiction since so much interaction in virtual worlds involves people in different countries.
Virtual Law: Navigating the Legal Landscape of Virtual Worlds OverviewThis book introduces readers to the emerging and exciting world of virtual law. It examines current cases and legislation impacting virtual world providers and users, and makes predictions about the future application of current law. It addresses the application of intellectual property law (copyright, trademark, and patent), criminal law, property law, contract law, securities law, tax law, and civil procedure. It also provides practical advice to lawyers who wish to create a virtual world presence for their practice or who have clients with virtual world connections. The book includes extensive appendices listing in-world and web-based resources for practitioners and legal scholars.

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The Unofficial Guide to Building Your Business in the Second Life Virtual World: Marketing and Selling Your Product, Services, and Brand In-World Review

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The Unofficial Guide to Building Your Business in the Second Life Virtual World: Marketing and Selling Your Product, Services, and Brand In-World ReviewYou should visit even if you don't plan to establish a business presence. I bought the book because I was featured in it. It's an excellent book about the opportunities available to the people willing to take the time to build a business. I know several people who have built SL businesses since the book was written and despite the generally bad economic times we're in currently. If you're a creative person and have a feel for Second Life, get this book to spur you forward.The Unofficial Guide to Building Your Business in the Second Life Virtual World: Marketing and Selling Your Product, Services, and Brand In-World OverviewWhy market and sell to people only in the "real world.,." when there's a "Second Life" filled with unlimited possibility for profit? A comprehensive, in-depth guide to the opportunities in this new marketplace, "The Second Life Business Builder" gives readers practical tips and strategies for creating an income stream, and marketing or extending a brand on the site. This is the one book that reveals the best ways to make money using the hottest thing online.

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The Virtual Worlds Handbook: How to Use Second Life and Other 3D Virtual Environments Review

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The Virtual Worlds Handbook: How to Use Second Life and Other 3D Virtual Environments ReviewThe "Second Life" world has grown far beyond the original dreams and ideas of the founders. While it has primarily been a social networking site, the opportunity to use the virtual world as a teaching platform has been discovered, explored and developed by thousands of schools from elementary to university level. While there are several books on how to use Second Life, this book covers the use of Second Life with a specific view towards creating an educational environment.
The book begins with the simple steps of signing on to Second Life, creating an account and the basic rules of getting started. The second part of the book gets more into the teaching concepts the authors have developed and reports on what they have had their students do. Finally there is a CD-ROM that includes additional resources that are intended to help in teaching and training purposes.The Virtual Worlds Handbook: How to Use Second Life and Other 3D Virtual Environments OverviewStep into the world of virtual reality with your newly created avatar and begin to experience the tools that make this world interactive! During their infancy stage, virtual environments were largely based upon the gaming community and over time have been adapted to meet the growing number of users and educators. The Virtual Worlds Handbook, with CD-ROM, provides a user-friendly approach that will help trainers and educators create an effective and interactive environment within the Second Life virtual world. This book was written to help the novice user tackle the natural learning curve while providing the experienced user with tips, tools, and tricks to help any educator or trainer meet their professional goals faster. The opportunities using virtual reality are limitless and provide online students with a unique opportunity to connect both physically and educationally to one another, to faculty, to university, and to a worldwide market.

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Second Life: The Official Guide Review

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Second Life: The Official Guide ReviewThis book was a major disappointment.
There is very little How TO info in the book if you are not planning to create objects and try to make money in the sim. If you are just a visitor who wants a pleasant time sightseeing and chatting with others, then this book will disappoint.
A large part of the book is a tribute to selected SL residents who have made money in the sim. Nice for them, but who else cares?
Another chapter describes interesting specific locations in SL. Unfortunately, the vast majority of the sites are obsolete and gone.
Even if you are interested in learning scripting language to try to sell products in SL, there have got to be better instructional manuals out there than this.
When I had real HowTo questions, the answer was rarely found in the book.
I truly felt I had wasted my money in purchasing this book. You can learn as much useful info at the initial Help Islands and inworld tutorials once you enter SL.Second Life: The Official Guide Overview

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The Entrepreneur's Guide to Second Life: Making Money in the Metaverse Review

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The Entrepreneur's Guide to Second Life: Making Money in the Metaverse ReviewEntrepreneur's Guide to Second Life: Making Money in the Metaverse
I figured this would be a useful book because when I was interviewed for it the questions were in-depth, thoughtful, and non-fluffy. And it turns out that the book is even better than I expected. This is a GREAT book for anyone who wants to start an in-world Second Life business, or for someone who wants to improve their existing business. I would have turned a profit quicker if I'd had it when I was a newbie!The Entrepreneur's Guide to Second Life: Making Money in the Metaverse OverviewBusiness is booming in Second Life, and many residents are earning big bucks in-world—and so can you. This unique guide walks you through what it takes to launch and run a successful Second Life business. Packed with insider tips from some of the metaverse's best-known entrepreneurs, it delivers the lowdown on SL business basics and shows you step by step how to succeed in popular business niches, from real estate and construction to fashion, gadgets, toys, entertainment, music, blogging and more.

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Designing Your Second Life Review

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Designing Your Second Life ReviewThis is a useful book ONLY if you are terribly new to Second Life. I've only been in SL for 3 months and knew everything in the first half of the book. I learned a few things in the second half, but "designing" implies more than what this book offers. It sounded like a book for those who wanted to go beyond editing appearance, but it's not. It only briefly touches on more advanced concepts. If you need beginner's information, try A Beginner's Guide to Second Life or Second Life: the offical guide for a decent tour book.Designing Your Second Life OverviewWhether your second, virtual life has just begun, or you've been"in-world" for a long time, a successful and rewarding experiencedepends on your mastery of design. Everything from your avatar to yourhome, your clothes to your behavior says something about who you areand the way others see you. In this book Rebecca Tapley—"Mera Luan" inSL—shows you how to design everything from bodies to earrings, cars tocastles, for improved appearance, function, and usability. Real-worldtopics such as urban planning, color theory, user experience, interiordesign, and landscaping are mapped to SL conditions. Learn how to spotthe best skin and hair, clothing, architecture and construction,property for sale, and more. In addition, Rebecca's insights andobservations on Second Life etiquette, manners, customs, and othersubtle socio-cultural realities will help you make your way throughthis new and sometimes baffling world. Have a more rewarding secondlife by learning how to:
Create a realistic or fantastical avatar
Make gorgeous clothes and other luxury goods
Build impressive homes and planned communities
Develop whole islands
Establish a social community and career Life.


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Synthetic Worlds: The Business and Culture of Online Games Review

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Synthetic Worlds: The Business and Culture of Online Games ReviewI expected something a little more "rigorous" from Dr. Ed. I believe though that he takes an excellent first swipe at virtual worlds.
For people already playing these games the first 50 or so pages are boring. But he obviously covers this material so that even lay people can quickly be brought up to speed on his other topics. He sometimes slips back into these rudimentary explanations but I believe it is an effort to help the larger market.
He covers a wide variety of topics in this book. Discussions of property rights within VR worlds, violence within VR worlds, and the actual value of VR money and items. The variety of topics leads to a slight rambling feel in the book and some thiness on the arguements. However, I thought everything was adequately covered. I was looking for something of a "truer" economic discussion of synthetic worlds but he teased me. He does write an explanation, and defense, of synthetic economies and problems within them. For me though, I thought this was going to be all 300 or so pages when it was just about 75.
If there were more books like this published I would have given him 3 stars but since this is going to be the start in a long, long, long series of books I will give him 4 for breaking ground. He probably should have milked the material for two books. :)
If you have play these games and have and a tidbit of economics in you then buy the book and enjoy. I am going to read his papers now in an effort to get that fix.
SeanSynthetic Worlds: The Business and Culture of Online Games OverviewFrom EverQuest to World of Warcraft, online games have evolved from the exclusive domain of computer geeks into an extraordinarily lucrative staple of the entertainment industry. People of all ages and from all walks of life now spend thousands of hours—and dollars—partaking in this popular new brand of escapism. But the line between fantasy and reality is starting to blur. Players have created virtual societies with governments and economies of their own whose currencies now trade against the dollar on eBay at rates higher than the yen. And the players who inhabit these synthetic worlds are starting to spend more time online than at their day jobs.In Synthetic Worlds, Edward Castronova offers the first comprehensive look at the online game industry, exploring its implications for business and culture alike. He starts with the players, giving us a revealing look into the everyday lives of the gamers—outlining what they do in their synthetic worlds and why. He then describes the economies inside these worlds to show how they might dramatically affect real world financial systems, from potential disruptions of markets to new business horizons. Ultimately, he explores the long-term social consequences of online games: If players can inhabit worlds that are more alluring and gratifying than reality, then how can the real world ever compete? Will a day ever come when we spend more time in these synthetic worlds than in our own? Or even more startling, will a day ever come when such questions no longer sound alarmist but instead seem obsolete?With more than ten million active players worldwide—and with Microsoft and Sony pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into video game development—online games have become too big to ignore. Synthetic Worlds spearheads our efforts to come to terms with this virtual reality and its concrete effects."Illuminating. . . . Castronova's analysis of the economics of fun is intriguing. Virtual-world economies are designed to make the resulting game interesting and enjoyable for their inhabitants. Many games follow a rags-to-riches storyline, for example. But how can all the players end up in the top 10%? Simple: the upwardly mobile human players need only be a subset of the world's population. An underclass of computer-controlled 'bot' citizens, meanwhile, stays poor forever. Mr. Castronova explains all this with clarity, wit, and a merciful lack of academic jargon."—The Economist "Synthetic Worlds is a surprisingly profound book about the social, political, and economic issues arising from the emergence of vast multiplayer games on the Internet. What Castronova has realized is that these games, where players contribute considerable labor in exchange for things they value, are not merely like real economies, they are real economies, displaying inflation, fraud, Chinese sweatshops, and some surprising in-game innovations."—Tim Harford, Chronicle of Higher Education

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Coming of Age in Second Life: An Anthropologist Explores the Virtually Human Review

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Coming of Age in Second Life: An Anthropologist Explores the Virtually Human ReviewI felt obliged to respond after reading prior reviewers who gave this average ratings. Fair enough to be disappointed in this if, for some reason, you expected it to be an light-weight page-turner intended for Second Life residents.
This *is* an academic book by a professor of anthropology who uses plenty of footnotes. The target audience does *not* consist of those already well familiar with the intricacies of social customs in Second Life. And yes, there are references to anthropological thinkers throughout. Some of us actually like that kind of thing.
For its target audience, this is a great book. There are a limited number of academic books that treat the subject of contemporary virtual worlds carefully, thoughtfully, and well. This one really stands out as a study based on extensive ethnographic research and a firm grasp of the available literature. In my opinion, the audience is not just anthropologists, but anyone with a college degree and a serious interest in Second Life as a novel medium for social interaction. The style is educated, but accessible, and it is full of entertaining anecdotes and observations.Coming of Age in Second Life: An Anthropologist Explores the Virtually Human Overview

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Exodus to the Virtual World: How Online Fun Is Changing Reality Review

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Exodus to the Virtual World: How Online Fun Is Changing Reality ReviewI read and thoroughly enjoyed Castronova's first book on the subject: Synthetic Worlds. And, as in SW, Castronova is at is strongest in Exodus when he explains the "realness" of virtual worlds. The main thesis of Exodus is that because synthetic worlds are more fun, people will increasingly choose to spend time in them over the real world, and that, eventually, the real world must remodel itself, taking cues from virtual worlds; eventually the real world must become more fun. Exodus, though it has a few interesting new contributions, is terribly repetitive book that takes way too long getting to the substantial points. When it finally does, it is shallow in its descriptions and analyses of how, exactly, the exodus to synthetic worlds is going to radically affect the real world.
The biggest flaw (among the several I found in the book) is Castronova's thesis itself - that the real world will eventually have to model itself on synthetic worlds. The flaw is evident in his use of "migration" as the metaphor for what's going on with synthetic worlds. He explains that a family migrates from Old Country to New Country, and then tells its friends back in Old how great New is. Eventually, after hearing how great New is over and again, those that stayed put in Old put pressure on their government to change the country, to make it more like New. Castronova provides no historical examples of this, and I don't know my history well enough to know if this is how it has happened in the past, but the flaw in the metaphor is, and Castronova admits this himself, that the synthetic migration isn't physical, and therefore not permanent. It's super-easy to switch from real to synthetic, or among various synthetic worlds. This undermines not just his metaphor, but his entire argument...
A better metaphor, one that incorporates the ease of movement between places/activities, would be engagement in different activities, like sports: I play baseball when I want to hit home runs; I play football when I want to score touchdowns; I don't complain that I can't hit a home run in football. Or even more broadly: I go to the gym to work out; I go to the library to study. I don't complain that I can't run on a treadmill in the library. Why wouldn't this be the result of synthetic worlds? I hop into WoW to partake of the "good vs. evil" shared lore. I hop into SL to sell virtual real estate. I hop into the real world to go for a run, eat lunch, take a nap, kiss my spouse. Why should I expect to be able to do any of these things in the other worlds? Once it's established that the synthetic worlds provide fun, and that the real world does not, why/how does it follow that the real world must aspire to be more fun, like synthetic worlds? Why would I demand that the real world also be fun?
Castronova's argument that people will go where their utility is highest points to the same problem in his argument. He thinks synthetic worlds provide the highest utility, so off people go. But it's not as simple as "the world with the highest aggregate utility wins." There are different goods to be achieved in different worlds, so people will always come back to the real world for the goods that only it can provide (Castronova raises the issue of childbirth/rearing in a different context, but I think it's an adequate example of what I'm talking about here). Now, maybe some day in the future it really will be possible to hook up electrodes and "virtually" experience things we once thought we could only experience in the real world: eating a cheeseburger, having sex with our partner, giving birth to a child. But I think we are far from that point and can still easily say that there are just some things that we can only do in the real world. It seems more likely to me that we'll end up in a future where we go to synthetic worlds for fun, but still come back to the real world for other activities, even if they aren't fun.
Exodus to the Virtual World: How Online Fun Is Changing Reality OverviewVirtual worlds have exploded out of online game culture and now capture the attention of millions of ordinary people: husbands, wives, fathers, mothers, workers, retirees. Devoting dozens of hours each week to massively multiplayer virtual reality environments (like World of Warcraft and Second Life), these millions are the start of an exodus into the refuge of fantasy, where they experience life under a new social, political, and economic order built around fun. Given the choice between a fantasy world and the real world, how many of us would choose reality? Exodus to the Virtual World explains the growing migration into virtual reality, and how it will change the way we live--both in fantasy worlds and in the real one.

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Creating Your World: The Official Guide to Advanced Content Creation for Second Life Review

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Creating Your World: The Official Guide to Advanced Content Creation for Second Life ReviewThis book did not turn out to be the resource I thought it would be. It's little more than a re-hash of "The Official Guide." Everything is dealt with as an introduction to the subject, even though much of the information can be found in the previous book. Few topics are dealt with in any depth except LSL scripting. Unfortunately the scripting section is quite obviously written by a programmer who is not a teacher. Many assumptions are made about the level of knowledge of the reader who needs a previous grounding in Java or C++ to understand what the author is talking about.
Overall, this book would be fine as a stand alone, but it is NOT a companion to the Official Guide. Nor is it useful as a guide to actually making things in second life. The reader is, instead, merely given a gloss of what is possible and then sent off to experiment on his own. As much or more can be learned through in-world tutorials, web sites and You-Tube videos (which are a far better resource for learning what this book purports to teach).
If you're really interested in becoming a designer or builder in second life, this book is not your guide.Creating Your World: The Official Guide to Advanced Content Creation for Second Life OverviewEnrich your virtual existence by mastering the techniques and tactics the experts use to create jaw-dropping SL content—everything from buildings and vehicles to clothing, landscapes, and animations. This official, exclusive guide from a team of Second Life content-creation experts was written with the full support of Linden Lab and features in-depth instructions for creating beautiful content and putting it to work in-world. It's both a practical, step-by-step guide and a creative session with some of the most artistic and talented minds in the Second Life community. CD included.

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Second Life In-World Travel Guide Review

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Second Life In-World Travel Guide ReviewSean Percival's book is one of the best about Second Life I have read. He takes you to many of the best shopping, entertainment, educational, adult only, and island living areas I have seen in Second Life. This book takes the reader off of the mainland and shows that the users of Second Life are truly creative; many of the locations featured in this book far outstrip the mainland content both visually and in software performance.
Percival's writing style is easy to read and entertaining, and serious or funny in an appropriate way. I have read some of what I call, "The Linden Approved" Guides.Those books have the feeling that the writers were simply mouthpieces for Linden.They also offer little in the way of things to do. Percival's book on the other hand, is easy to read; you can pretty much open up to any page and find something interesting or fun, without all the technical hoo-doo. This book is witty and offers a fresh look at what Second Life truly has to offer the adventerous avatar.
Speaking of adventures, Percival (aka sean Voss in-world) also features an in-world companion to his book where he offers tour services and landmarks to locations both in the book and otherwise. Hello, can anyone say innovation??? No CDs, no paid websites. Just good fun ready to access at the click of a landmark. In fact, the name of his island in world is Landmark Island, I found it in places in the Second Life Search Function. Easy, straightforward, interacive. That's using 3D internet the way it should be used!
Linden approved books are expensive, and they offer little more in the way of content that a person can't learn from other residents or experimenting with the building tools in-world. Not to impune Linden Approved titles; they are great for beginners, but I was looking for something more. I found what I wanted in Percival's book. It is much more reasonably priced, has a more fun tone, and offers the in-world companion. I highly recommend this book for anyone who really wants to get the most of their Second Life experience.Second Life In-World Travel Guide OverviewSomenew users to Second Life may find that it can be very difficult to navigate this new 3D space and even harder to find some of the more interesting places to visit. Many of the best places to visit in Second Life have remained a secret to the most active and seasoned users, until now! Now there is a guide for everyone who wants to access the top destinations on Second Life. "This book provides over 200 destinations in six areas - shopping, entertainment, education, real life in Second Life, adults only, and where to live" to " over 100 top destinations in shopping, entertainment, adults only, virtual travel, education, and where to live. Answering questions like - where to go for a night out on the town, how to find the best shopping experience or find a specific area like Adidas. The book briefly covers the basics of navigating Second Life with tips on flying, teleporting and creating landmarks, then jumps into the main areas of travel. It also includes profiles of some of the people behind these locations. In most cases they are just as colorful as some of the places they create. Each location will be highlighted with a brief write up, screen shots, and location information.

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Second Life For Dummies (For Dummies (Computer/Tech)) Review

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Second Life For Dummies (For Dummies (Computer/Tech)) Reviewwhether you're a newbie, a long term resident, or thinking about getting a Second Life, this is the most contemporary and lucid guide to the essentials of a good life in SL. An easy, fun read that will enhance your journey into virtual environments. Perfect for educators like me as well, who are interested in teaching and learning using Second Life.Second Life For Dummies (For Dummies (Computer/Tech)) OverviewYou've heard all about Second Life. Maybe you've already jumped with both feet—and gotten stuck. Or maybe you're a Second Life veteran who wants to build something or run a business. Fear not! Second Life For Dummies is hear to hold your hand, pat your back, and cheer you on through this new and enchanting reality.
Written by a pair of Second Life old timers, this easy-to-use, flip-and-find guide is packed with expert advice, seasoned insight, and handy tips and tricks to get you moving fast. You'll find out how to set up your account, create an avatar, meet people and socialize, and find your comfort zone and stay in it. But it's a big world out there, so you'll also learn how to make stuff, buy stuff, do stuff, and keep track of all the stuff you're accumulating. Discover how to
Install Second Life get started
Create and customize your avatar
Meet and get to know fascinating people
Stay safe and comfortable as you learn and explore
Make, wear, and sell your own fashions
Script your Second Life
Buy land and build a house
Become a land baron or a money maker
Make real money in Second Life
Get a real-life education—even a degree

Complete with fantastic lists of cool places, answers to big questions, and supplemental software, Second Life For Dummies is your ticket to a great virtual adventure.

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How to Make Real Money in Second Life: Boost Your Business, Market Your Services, and Sell Your Products in the World's Hottest Virtual Community Review

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How to Make Real Money in Second Life: Boost Your Business, Market Your Services, and Sell Your Products in the World's Hottest Virtual Community ReviewThis is an idea book: it gives lots of examples of how companies have enhanced their business by having a presence on Second Life (especially real estate examples). The book explains that you can align with your business; similar to how a web site can be very useful. But, the book cover says, "Learn how to: Create a cool avatar and connect with residents." There is no information on how to create an avatar. There is no technical how to anything (Freedman provides a list of folks who can create software for you). If you want to get ideas of what other commercial folks (mostly real estate) have done on Second Life, want to explore taxes and legal topics, this is a good start. But, I don't like to be told that the book is about x and, when you finish, you realize x was not even mentioned.How to Make Real Money in Second Life: Boost Your Business, Market Your Services, and Sell Your Products in the World's Hottest Virtual Community Overview
SIGN ON. SAY HELLO.

START MAKING MONEY.

With a population in the millions and a monthly growth rate of 20 percent, Second Life® is a virtual 3-D world bursting with opportunities in areas like real estate, legal practice, and marketing, corporate connections, and people just like you. This all-in-one guide will show you, step by step, how to use Second Life as an alternative marketplace. Learn how to:

Create a cool avatar and connect with residents
Adapt your business for the virtual environment
Play for profit--and bring your dreams to life


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