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Synthetic worlds : the business and culture of online games /

By: Castronova, Edward
Material type: BookPublisher: Chicago : The University of Chicago Press, 2006.Description: xi, 332 p. ; 23 cm.ISBN: 9780226096278Program: HDR974Subject(s): Internet games -- Social aspects | Internet games -- Economic aspectsDDC classification: 794.814678
Summary:
"From 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-creating virtual societies whose economies trade against the dollar on eBay. 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 a behind-the-scenes look at the online game industry, exploring its implications for business and culture alike. The economies inside these worlds, we learn, have the potential to dramatically affect real world,financial systems. Ultimately, Castronova explores the long-term social consequences of online games: If players can inhabit worlds that are more alluring and gratifying than reality, how can the real world compete? Book jacket."--BOOK JACKET.
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Item type Home library Call number Status Date due Barcode Item holds
REGULAR University of Wollongong in Dubai
Main Collection 		794.814678 CA SY (Browse shelf) Available T0044540
Total holds: 0

Originally published: 2005.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

"From 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-creating virtual societies whose economies trade against the dollar on eBay. 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 a behind-the-scenes look at the online game industry, exploring its implications for business and culture alike. The economies inside these worlds, we learn, have the potential to dramatically affect real world,financial systems. Ultimately, Castronova explores the long-term social consequences of online games: If players can inhabit worlds that are more alluring and gratifying than reality, how can the real world compete? Book jacket."--BOOK JACKET.

HDR974

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