I remember back in 1999 I tried becoming a member of The Well. I had to list a few things that interested me and wanted to ‘discuss’ – being a young student who had just been introduced to new ways of thinking, I registered that I was interested in conspiracy theories. I wanted to register something that I could get into heavy discussions about because that’s what The Well is all about – discussions – and I thought that I had plenty to say about the subject. Boy was I wrong! I got a few messages inviting me to join discussions and they were all filled with dreadful warning language like “You better be interested and not one of those fools who just sit and discuss conspiracy theories for fun!”. I never did join any of those discussion groups, they were all just a tad too serious for me and I ended up not renewing my The Well subscription because I just couldn’t figure out what I wanted to talk about. Everyone was so extremely serious about their subjects of interest and I was just there trying desperately to become a member of an online community and I felt like a fool because there was not one particular subject I felt qualified enough to be a part of.
Making sense of virtual property research
I just realized that I haven’t blogged anything about VERN – Virtual Economy Research Network, here! Well…I’m just gonna point you in the direction – to start you off, there’s an interesting post/essay on “Making sense of virtual property research” – I would say it’s a must for anyone wanting to look into such matters! I felt it was very helpful!
Games as Art Discussion
The Ludologist has written a transcript of the discussion! Yay! Found here!
I don’t know what’s going on with my feeds – sorry about any inconvenience!
Reputation
I’m extremely tired at writing moment, but I couldn’t sleep because my head is just filled with thoughts that I just need to get out! So please excuse me for not linking to smart people – this is just me!
I kinda freaked out today, when I realised that my whole thesis is about reputation! It’s everywhere – and I wasn’t aware of it! It really scared the bejeebles out of me! When discussing the ontological state and identity of the avatar, reputation is essential. When discussing ownership and the attachment to virtual gaming goods, reputation is important. I had an interesting conversation with a friend who’s a WoW’er a while back (may have blogged about it actually) and he had been playing Oblivion for a while, which he thought was really cool but he missed the ‘bragging’ that WoW gave him. There he could show off the gains and riches from all his labor, he couldn’t do that with a single player game. And I think this is a perfect example of why players become so attached to their virtual property.
Korean Energy Commercial
So…I’m on the trail of fact finding! Sigh! I didn’t know it would be this hard? What? Am I too tired to think straight? Anyways – going through some previous blog stuff – like Korea’s legislature on MMOs, which ofcourse led me GameStudy – a study group for gaming culture of Korea which in turn led me to this commercial! It translates to: “All of Youth, It is time for taking “Enerzen”. While your competitors are sleeping, You, brave new worker, should recharge your energy for the win”.
First off – hahahahhahahahaha! Brave new worker!!!! Hehe! How lovely!!!
And then there’s the Americanized singing in the end! Hoooo hooo! Oh, I know I should take these things much more seriously – I’m just tired! And I want to find my freakin facts!!!!!! Anyways…enjoy!
Real Market Trade
Heya!!! Does anyone know where I can get the current figures for worldwide RMT? I know, I should have a site somewhere, but for some bizarre reason I can’t find it!! The latest numbers I can find are from Dec. 2005 – it must be much larger now!!! Any help appreciated! Will love you for always and forever!!!! ;)
The State of Play book!
I’ve pretty much accepted that my thesis is just a summary of discussions about MMORPGs. When you start out such things, you always think you’re gonna write something new – but, naw! I’ve foolishly created my own typology though – I don’t know what I was thinking, it just felt like something that needed to be done! I’m waiting for a ‘go ahead’ from my darling advisor, now, while I’m trying to sum up…well…way too much actually! The ontology of the avatar (oh please inject me with an instant psychology degree!), intellectual property rights of avatar created content (oh please inject me with a law degree!) and MMORPGs – collaborative fiction, society or gameplay? (urgh – still working on the set-up there).
ANYWAYS!!! I say that it’s all about summing up the discussions – and they can all be found in this new book!!! Excellent that they’ve published it all in one book! What I’ve always loved about the subject of MMORPGs is the involvement from so many disciplines! There’s lively discussions between designers, lawyers, economist, psychologist, anthropologists, historians, sociologists and…urgh…you name the field and they’re probably heavily involved already! If you’re interested in studying MMORPGs, buy this book! It’s ESSENTIAL!!! No matter what field you’re coming from! I hate to be an advertisement but BUY THIS BOOK!!!!!!
I’ll probably be back later to link to the brilliant minds behind it – but I’ve spent way too long with my morning news and coffee and must dash to dive into work!!
Games as Art Discussion
Oooh! Almost forgot!!! The Ludologist reports:
“Join us on Wednesday, November 1st for a chat with on the subject of games and art with Henry Jenkins, Jesper Juul, Marc LeBlanc, and Eric Zimmerman.
…
Are games art? If not, why not? And if so, why? Is thinking of games as art useful or actually a hindrance for game developers? If games are art, what should our aspirations for the form be?”
Network: irc.freenode.net
Channel: #gamesandart
Time: 6 PM PST, 9PM EST, 2 AM GMT
There’s a link on how to get on the IRC (which I honestly don’t even know what is yet).
Doubtful that I’ll be awake – but you might! Great minds talking about an interesting subject!
Referencing question
So…most of what I’ve written using TL Taylor’s fabulous research, I used after reading her papers – most of which are now in her book. So should I change the date to 2006 on everything? I guess so huh? This was a stupid question wasn’t it?! I am getting stupider and stupider aren’t I?! Hehe!
Earlier today I asked a big shot lawyer friend of mine if you could say that a persons reputation is their intellectual property!! Yup I’m all over the place! But surprisingly mellow and really enjoying writing!! So bizarre and oh so cozy and enjoyable! I’m a mad happy camper!
Halloween Pumpkin Stencils
Hehe!!! These are just brilliant!!! Stencils for your Halloween game character pumpkins! Sometimes I wish we were more into Halloween here! But now it just seems stupid to bring the tradition into our lives. Which I find sad – I guess I’m just an eager consumer! I want the money hungry industries to decide what I should celebrate and make up nice holidays for me to enjoy!!! ;) I think I’m gonna get myself some horror movies tonight! Or should I focus on getting a game? Maybe F.E.A.R.?!
Remember What The Dormouse Said 