Thu, 21 Aug 2008 15:01:29 BST CiteULike: jirlong's virtualworld http://www.citeulike.org/user/jirlong/tag/virtualworld CiteULike.org en-gb Copyright © 2004-2008 citeulike.org http://www.citeulike.org/user/jirlong/article/1689859 <i>Games and Culture, Vol. 1, No. 4. (October 2006), pp. 338-361.</i> From Tree House to Barracks: The Social Life of Guilds in World of Warcraft Dmitri Williams Nicolas Ducheneaut Li Xiong Yuanyuan Zhang Nick Yee Eric Nickell Games and Culture, Vol. 1, No. 4. (October 2006), pp. 338-361. 2007-09-24T16:05:22-00:00 2006 Games and Culture 1 4 338 361 Sage Publications game gaming mmog virtualworld wow http://www.citeulike.org/user/jirlong/article/1695406 <i>Journal of MUD Research, Vol. 1, No. 1. (1996)</i> Hearts, Clubs, Diamonds, Spades: Players Who Suit MUDs Richard Bartle Journal of MUD Research, Vol. 1, No. 1. (1996) 2007-09-25T21:37:22-00:00 1996 Journal of MUD Research 1 1 Brandeis University game gaming mmog virtualworld wow http://www.citeulike.org/user/jirlong/article/1711181 <i>Games and Culture, Vol. 1, No. 1. (January 2006), pp. 68-71.</i> The Labor of Fun: How Video Games Blur the Boundaries of Work and Play Nick Yee Games and Culture, Vol. 1, No. 1. (January 2006), pp. 68-71. 2007-09-30T12:25:50-00:00 2006 Games and Culture 1 1 68 71 Sage Publications game gaming mmog virtualworld wow http://www.citeulike.org/user/jirlong/article/1356469 <i>(31 May 2007)</i><br /><br />A virtual plague is a process in which a behavior-affecting property spreads among characters in a Massively Multiplayer Online Game (MMOG). The MMOG individuals constitute a synthetic population, and the game can be seen as a form of interactive executable model for studying disease spread, albeit of a very special kind. To a game developer maintaining an MMOG, recognizing, monitoring, and ultimately controlling a virtual plague is important, regardless of how it was initiated. The prospect of using tools, methods and theory from the field of epidemiology to do this seems natural and appealing. We will address the feasibility of such a prospect, first by considering some basic measures used in epidemiology, then by pointing out the differences between real world epidemics and virtual plagues. We also suggest directions for MMOG developer control through epidemiological modeling. Our aim is understanding the properties of virtual plagues, rather than trying to eliminate them or mitigate their effects, as would be in the case of real infectious disease. Modeling Epidemic Spread in Synthetic Populations - Virtual Plagues in Massively Multiplayer Online Games Magnus Boman Stefan Johansson (31 May 2007) 2007-06-01T23:18:44-00:00 2007 epidemic modeling socialsimulation virtualworld http://www.citeulike.org/user/jirlong/article/559842 <i>(10 March 2006)</i><br /><br />In <i>Play Between Worlds</i>, T. L. Taylor examines multiplayer gaming life as it is lived on the borders, in the gaps--as players slip in and out of complex social networks that cross online and offline space. Taylor questions the common assumption that playing computer games is an isolating and alienating activity indulged in by solitary teenage boys. Massively multiplayer online games (MMOGs), in which thousands of players participate in a virtual game world in real time, are in fact actively designed for sociability. Games like the popular <i>Everquest</i>, she argues, are fundamentally social spaces. <br /> <br /> Taylor's detailed look at <i>Everquest</i> offers a snapshot of multiplayer culture. Drawing on her own experience as an <i>Everquest</i> player (as a female Gnome Necromancer)--including her attendance at an <i>Everquest</i> Fan Faire, with its blurring of online-and offline life--and extensive research, Taylor not only shows us something about games but raises broader cultural issues. She considers "power gamers," who play in ways that seem closer to work, and examines our underlying notions of what constitutes play--and why play sometimes feels like work and may even be painful, repetitive, and boring. She looks at the women who play <i>Everquest</i> and finds they don't fit the narrow stereotype of women gamers, which may cast into doubt our standardized and preconceived ideas of femininity. And she explores the questions of who owns game space--what happens when emergent player culture confronts the major corporation behind the game. Play Between Worlds : Exploring Online Game Culture TL Taylor (10 March 2006) 2006-03-22T10:01:04-00:00 2006 The MIT Press game mmog player virtualworld wow http://www.citeulike.org/user/jirlong/article/1531671 <i>Games and Culture, Vol. 1, No. 4. (1 October 2006), pp. 338-361.</i><br /><br />A representative sample of players of a popular massively multiplayer online game (World of Warcraft) was interviewed to map out the social dynamics of guilds. An initial survey and network mapping of players and guilds helped form a baseline. Next, the resulting interview transcripts were reviewed to explore player behaviors, attitudes, and opinions; the meanings they make; the social capital they derive; and the networks they form and to develop a typology of players and guilds. In keeping with current Internet research findings, players were found to use the game to extend real-life relationships, meet new people, form relationships of varying strength, and also use others merely as a backdrop. The key moderator of these outcomes appears to be the game's mechanic, which encourages some kinds of interactions while discouraging others. The findings are discussed with respect to the growing role of code in shaping social interactions. 10.1177/1555412006292616 From Tree House to Barracks: The Social Life of Guilds in World of Warcraft Dmitri Williams Nicolas Ducheneaut Li Xiong Yuanyuan Zhang Nick Yee Eric Nickell doi:10.1177/1555412006292616 Games and Culture, Vol. 1, No. 4. (1 October 2006), pp. 338-361. 2007-08-03T00:45:42-00:00 2006 Games and Culture 1 4 338 361 game gaming mmog virtualworld wow http://www.citeulike.org/user/jirlong/article/1434941 <i>Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW), Vol. 16, No. 1-2. (April 2007), pp. 129-166.</i> Virtual Third Places: A Case Study of Sociability in Massively Multiplayer Games Ducheneaut Nicolas Moore Robert Nickell Eric doi:10.1007/s10606-007-9041-8 Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW), Vol. 16, No. 1-2. (April 2007), pp. 129-166. 2007-07-05T05:10:08-00:00 2007 Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW) 0925-9724 16 1-2 129 166 Springer gaming mmog virtualworld http://www.citeulike.org/user/jirlong/article/882604 <i>Games and Culture, Vol. 1, No. 4. (1 October 2006), pp. 281-317.</i><br /><br />World of Warcraft (WoW) is one of the most popular massively multiplayer games (MMOs) to date, with more than 6 million subscribers worldwide. This article uses data collected over 8 months with automated "bots" to explore how WoW functions as a game. The focus is on metrics reflecting a player's gaming experience: how long they play, the classes and races they prefer, and so on. The authors then discuss why and how players remain committed to this game, how WoW's design partitions players into groups with varying backgrounds and aspirations, and finally how players "consume" the game's content, with a particular focus on the endgame at Level 60 and the impact of player-versus-player-combat. The data illustrate how WoW refined a formula inherited from preceding MMOs. In several places, it also raises questions about WoW's future growth and more generally about the ability of MMOs to evolve beyond their familiar template. 10.1177/1555412006292613 Building an MMO With Mass Appeal: A Look at Gameplay in World of Warcraft Nicolas Ducheneaut Nick Yee Eric Nickell Robert Moore doi:10.1177/1555412006292613 Games and Culture, Vol. 1, No. 4. (1 October 2006), pp. 281-317. 2006-10-03T13:01:32-00:00 2006 Games and Culture 1 4 281 317 mmog virtualworld wow