Synthetic Worlds

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.

Edward Castronova is associate professor of telecommunications at Indiana University, where he specializes in the economic and social impact of multiplayer online video games.

Acknowledgments	p. ix
Introduction: The Changing Meaning of Play	p. 1
The Synthetic World: A Tour
Daily Life on a Synthetic Earth	p. 29
The User	p. 51
The Mechanics of World-Making	p. 79
Emergent Culture: Institutions within Synthetic Reality	p. 100
The Business of World-Making	p. 126
When Boundaries Fade
The Almost-Magic Circle	p. 147
Free Commerce	p. 161
The Economics of Fun: Behavior and Design	p. 170
Governance	p. 205
Topographies of Terror	p. 227
Toxic Immersion and Internal Security	p. 236
Threats and Opportunities
Implications and Policies	p. 249
Into the Age of Wonder	p. 267
A Digression on Virtual Reality	p. 285
Notes	p. 295
References	p. 311
Index	p. 319
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