Blurring Boundaries of Play

Worth noting, a brilliant video presentation by Nick from this summer (PARC forum, July 2006): "The Blurring Boundaries of Play: Labor, Genocide, and Addiction."  It provides a solid survey of the complicated and always intriguing MMORPG landscape.  It is well suited to novice and jaded Terra Novan alike...

Abstract:

Every day, millions of people around the world interact and collaborate via avatars in online games such as World of Warcraft. The marketing and media rhetoric make it easy to think of these online games as fantasy worlds that are somehow cut off from “reality”, but the boundaries of these virtual worlds have always been porous. After a brief overview of what these games are, who plays them and why they play, this talk traces out several case studies in the blurring boundaries of play and challenges some assumptions of what play means in these virtual worlds. Are some players’ virtual jobs more challenging and stressful than their day-time jobs? Can you really be addicted to online games? And in a fantasy world of ogres and elves, why is it that being Chinese can get you killed?

Also featured, the indomitable Leeroy Jenkins.

Bravo Nick

Comments

[Nick Yee]

1.

Thanks Nate! :)

And thanks to Nic Ducheneaut for inviting me to give the PARC talk.

[Thomas Malaby]

2.

What a luxury to be able to enjoy that excellent presentation via video. Bravo, Nick -- great stuff. And Bravo, PARC for the online access.

[csven]

3.

Excellent lecture. Thanks for posting the link.

[Gordon Calleja]

4.

Fantastic presentation /standing ovation :)

[Neils Clark]

5.

You get more than 3-4 items in a 5 hour run! Well, unless you're in Naxx, or just killing Onyxia... Don't pass that sweet loot to your publisher, either.

I was impressed with how you tackled the cultural aspect of MMO play. You gave that a clarity and depth that I haven't seen very often. This video has a lot to offer, regardless of somebody's experience level with MMOs or game scholarship.