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Designing Virtual Worlds
book

Designing Virtual Worlds

by Richard A. Bartle
July 2003
Intermediate to advanced
768 pages
20h 50m
English
New Riders
Content preview from Designing Virtual Worlds

Chapter 1. Introduction to Virtual Worlds

KEY TOPICS

  • Some Definitions

  • What They Are and Whence They Came

  • The Past Affects the Future

  • The Basics

  • Influences on Virtual Worlds

  • The Designer

What are virtual worlds? In this context, a world is an environment that its inhabitants regard as being self-contained. It doesn't have to mean an entire planet: It's used in the same sense as “the Roman world” or “the world of high finance.”

So what about the virtual part? Not to get too philosophical about it:

  • RealThat which is.

  • ImaginaryThat which isn't.

  • VirtualThat which isn't, having the form or effect of that which is.

Virtual worlds are places where the imaginary meets the real.

Some Definitions

Virtual worlds are implemented by a computer (or network of computers) ...

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Publisher Resources

ISBN: 0131018167Purchase book