As mentioned in my review of Dreamville, there are some usability issues related to poor IA design and the use of two separate currencies for item purchases. Still, it’s an interesting attempt to merge a VW element with a social networking offering. I submit for your comments the idea that the reason many developers have a hard time finding anything of value not only from researchers, but often from their own players, is that they are, in effect, seeing a different world, all the time.

Earlier this year it was announced that "the biggest heist/coup/assassination in Eve(-Online) history" had took place. The story has been percolating in cyberspace for a while. It is now featured in the September 2005 PCGamer ("Murder Incorporated")... I submit for your comments the idea that the reason many developers have a hard time finding anything of value not only from researchers, but often from their own players, is that they are, in effect, seeing a different world, all the time. They looked friendly enough--at least, no one had fruit ready to throw at us. It was simply kind of surreal, after reading the comments on TN this past week and hearing other things at the conference about the problems with game studies and developer/academic relations.

Let’s imagine that the rumour is true and media-megalopolis News Corp actually does buy NCsoft. Would that be the mainline to mainstream?

From the “It’s not always about WoW” department, here’s a heads up about several interesting worlds that came onto my radar while adding them to the Virtual Worlds Review lineup this year. The best way to put the assertion (and this is all it is at this point; and again, please keep in mind that there are a number of familiar exceptions) is that the practice of game software development generates a way of seeing and defining problems (as essentially precise, logical, and algorithmic), and creating solutions (through linear, text-defined code) that makes other ways of accounting for what happens in VWs seem at worst nonsensical and at best irrelevant or quixotic. They looked friendly enough--at least, no one had fruit ready to throw at us.

I know what questions I would have wanted answered. The fact that they weren’t in his presentation makes me think that the ASF didn’t ask them either and I think that is unfortunate. The ASF is working hard to legitimize an important and easily misunderstood profession – that of the professional futurist. IMHO, if they are going to succeed, it is critically important for them to avoid even the appearance of fortunate tellers or soothsayers. They wouldn’t turn to astrology to predict the future. I’m not saying that they shouldn’t invite someone like Dr. Amen to speak. I think that they should, but they should strive for the same level of rigor that Ray Kurzweil brings to the table.

AC05 happened this last weekend. Although last year’s conference was specifically focused on digital worlds, this year’s topic of Artificial Intelligence and Intelligence Augmentation provided plenty of fodder for TN readers. First of all, Vernor Vinge – who’s book “True Names” described the reality of immersive, graphical spaces as well as anyone and predates “Snow Crash” by over a decade – talked about the singularity and the issues that could determine whether it is a “hard” or “soft” takeoff. He focused on the development of “creativity and intellect that surpasses present day humans” as the next radical change and compared it favorably to previous transitions related to fire, agriculture, and the printing press.

Via Kotaku comes mention of a survey conducted by Bowen Research on the role emotion plays in the game experience... The best way to put the assertion (and this is all it is at this point; and again, please keep in mind that there are a number of familiar exceptions) is that the practice of game software development generates a way of seeing and defining problems (as essentially precise, logical, and algorithmic), and creating solutions (through linear, text-defined code) that makes other ways of accounting for what happens in VWs seem at worst nonsensical and at best irrelevant or quixotic. They looked friendly enough--at least, no one had fruit ready to throw at us. It was simply kind of surreal, after reading the comments on TN this past week and hearing other things at the conference about the problems with game studies and developer/academic relations.

One explanation is that virtual worlds have to be the same as the real world to a great extent (so that players aren't distracted by trying to understand an alien physics), but that they also have to be different in key ways (so that players can perceive them to be separate from reality, thereby freeing them to act in ways they wouldn't ordinarily). Magic is a well-understood trope that enables this distinction to be made very easily. But still, why magic rather than technology or the supernatural or even history? All of them can easily separate the real from the imagined without distracting the player. Why magic?

I'm sick with sadness and I need your advice. I don't think my player cares about me any more. After we first met I thought that the relationship would be wonderful. He spent lots of time with me, sending me mail, taking me to interesting places in Ironforge--the auctionhouse, the postbox just inside the commons, the bank. We even once went to the Great Forge (though I think he might have been lost). He was always showering me with gifts: first was 20 bales of wool, then a magic belt, 6 linen bags, and some gnoll spittle. I thought "this is the real thing!!!11!!" The best way to put the assertion (and this is all it is at this point; and again, please keep in mind that there are a number of familiar exceptions) is that the practice of game software development generates a way of seeing and defining problems (as essentially precise, logical, and algorithmic), and creating solutions (through linear, text-defined code) that makes other ways of accounting for what happens in VWs seem at worst nonsensical and at best irrelevant or quixotic.

We're really delighted to welcome Joshua Fairfield into our little band of misfits, outcasts and ne'er-do-wells. Unfortunately he doesn't really fit our mold: he's got degrees from Swarthmore and the University of Chicago, he clerked for Hon. Danny J. Boggs, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, and has taught at Columbia. He is now at the University of Indiana Law School where he teaches electronic commerce law and commercial law. The best way to put the assertion (and this is all it is at this point; and again, please keep in mind that there are a number of familiar exceptions) is that the practice of game software development generates a way of seeing and defining problems (as essentially precise, logical, and algorithmic), and creating solutions (through linear, text-defined code) that makes other ways of accounting for what happens in VWs seem at worst nonsensical and at best irrelevant or quixotic.