{"product_id":"game-worlds-get-real-how-who-we-are-online-became-who-we-are-offline-hardcover","title":"Game Worlds Get Real: How Who We Are Online Became Who We Are Offline - Hardcover","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eZek Valkyrie\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThis book explores how after 20 years of existence, virtual world games have evolved: the social landscapes within digital worlds have become rigid and commodified, and \"play\" and \"fun\" have become rational and mechanical products.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eTwenty million people worldwide play Massively Multi-Player Online Role Playing Games (MMORPGs). Online role-playing gaming is no longer an activity of a tiny niche community. \u003ci\u003eWorld of Warcraft\u003c\/i\u003e--the most popular game within the genre--is more than a decade old. As technology has advanced and MMORPGs became exponentially more popular, gaming culture has evolved dramatically over the last 20 years. \u003ci\u003eGame Worlds Get Real: How Who We Are Online Became Who We Are Offline\u003c\/i\u003e presents a compelling insider's examination of how adventuring through virtual worlds has transformed the meaning of play for millions of gamers. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe book provides a historical review of earlier incarnations of virtual world games and culture in the late 1990s, covering the early years of popular games like \u003ci\u003eEverQuest\u003c\/i\u003e, to the soaring popularity of \u003ci\u003eWorld of Warcraft\u003c\/i\u003e, to the current era of the genre and its more general gaming climate. Author Zek Valkyrie--a researcher in the areas of gaming culture, digital communities, gender, sexualities, and visual sociology as well as an avid gamer himself--explores the evolution of the meaning of \"play\" in the virtual game world, explains how changes in game design have reduced opportunities for social experimentation, and identifies how player types such as the gender switcher, the cybersexual, the explorer, and the trial-and-error player have been left behind in the interest of social and informational transparency.\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eZek Valkyrie\u003c\/b\u003e, PhD, is an instructor of sociology at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs (UCCS).\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 256\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1 x 9.3 x 6.2 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e July 14, 2017\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47464414675197,"sku":"9781440851285","price":129.4,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/3414\/0157\/files\/f4SUmAGz1F9781440851285.webp?v=1777261264","url":"https:\/\/booktolia.com\/products\/game-worlds-get-real-how-who-we-are-online-became-who-we-are-offline-hardcover","provider":"booktolia","version":"1.0","type":"link"}