Virtual Lives : A Reference Handbook

Note: Supplemental materials are not guaranteed with Rental or Used book purchases.

ISBN: 9781598845853 | 1598845853
Cover: Hardcover
Copyright: 1/6/2012

Rent

(Recommended)

$49.44

Term

Due

Price

Semester

May 29

$49.44

Quarter

May 20

$46.97

Short Term

Apr 20

$44.50

*This item is part of an exclusive publisher rental program and requires an additional convenience fee. This fee will be reflected in the shopping bag.
Buy New

Usually Ships in 3-5 Business Days

$63.30
eBook

Available Instantly

Online: 180 Days

Downloadable: 180 Days

*To support the delivery of the digital material to you, a digital delivery fee of $3.99 will be charged on each digital item.

$47.74*

ABC-CLIO's celebrated Contemporary World Issues series-available in both print and eBook formats-provides accurate, unbiased reference handbooks on the major topics of the day. Subject categories are:

Preface	p. xi
Acknowledgments	p. xv
Definitions, Background, and History	p. 1
Characteristics of Virtual Worlds	p. 2
What Are Virtual Worlds?	p. 2
Interactivity	p. 3
Physicality	p. 3
Persistence	p. 4
The History of Virtual Worlds	p. 5
The First Virtual World	p. 5
The Early Growth of Virtual Worlds	p. 7
Not a Game Anymore: Second Life and Social Virtual Worlds	p. 11
World of Warcraft Changes the Game	p. 14
Other Virtual Worlds Look to Keep Up	p. 15
Other Related Online Games, Communities, and Environments	p. 19
Graphical Chat Applications	p. 19
Social Network Games	p. 20
Looking Back: Virtual Worlds' Ancestry and Inspirations	p. 21
Direct Precursors to Virtual Worlds	p. 21
Earlier Online Ancestors of Virtual Worlds	p. 22
Offline Inspirations for Virtual Worlds	p. 24
The Future of Virtual Worlds	p. 25
The Audience and Function of Virtual Worlds	p. 37
Access to Virtual Worlds	p. 38
Global Access to the Internet	p. 38
Global Access to Virtual Worlds	p. 39
Users of Virtual Worlds	p. 41
Who Uses Virtual Worlds?	p. 41
Why Do People Use Virtual Worlds?	p. 46
The Function of Virtual Worlds	p. 48
How a User Creates an Avatar and Enters a Virtual World	p. 48
How a User Navigates a Virtual World	p. 50
Activities, Tasks, and Goals in Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games	p. 52
Activities in Social Virtual Worlds	p. 55
Developers of Virtual Worlds	p. 57
Creating and Managing a Commercial Virtual World	p. 57
Smaller-Scale Virtual Worlds	p. 57
More Users in More Worlds	p. 58
Societal Concerns and Opportunities	p. 63
Problems and Concerns	p. 63
Addiction and Problematic Use	p. 63
Aggression and Violence	p. 72
Distorted Perceptions of Social Reality	p. 78
Harassment and Griefing	p. 79
Opportunities and Benefits	p. 80
Social Opportunities	p. 80
Educational Opportunities	p. 84
Behavioral Research Opportunities	p. 85
Commercial Opportunities	p. 86
Managing Concerns and Opportunities	p. 89
Chronology	p. 105
Biographical Sketches	p. 123
Tables, Charts, and Images	p. 151
The Appearance of Virtual Worlds	p. 151
Populations of Virtual Worlds	p. 153
Research on Users of Virtual Worlds	p. 156
MUDs and MUD-Type Text-Based Online Environments	p. 159
Organizations	p. 167
Government Organizations	p. 167
Academic Associations and Other Nonindustry Organizations	p. 171
Industry Organizations	p. 187
Industry Companies	p. 194
Print and Online Resources	p. 205
Books	p. 205
Book Chapters and Contributions to Edited Volumes	p. 211
Articles	p. 212
Other Academic Papers	p. 234
Websites	p. 236
Glossary of Terms	p. 243
Index	p. 257
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

FREE SHIPPING

Rent More, Save More! Use code: BBRENTAL

5% off 1 book, 7% off 2 books, 10% off 3+ books

Virtual Lives : A Reference Handbook

Summary

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials