Chapter 6. It's Not a Game, It's a…
KEY TOPICS
Points of View
Making Sense of Virtual Worlds
Virtual Worlds as Subfields
Virtual Worlds as Tools
Virtual Worlds as…Virtual Worlds
Conclusion
Simulation. Or a service. Or a medium.
Actually, it's none of these: It's a place.
(What's he talking about?)
I'll explain.
Points of View
Virtual worlds began as games. However, right from the beginning—MUD1—it was clear there was more to them than being mere games. Trying to convince people to take what they considered to be a “game” seriously was problematical, though. In academic circles, the only intellectually acceptable games were traditional ones, such as chess and checkers. A new game was not a worthwhile object of study. Playing games was a waste of computer resources. ...
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