Synthetic Worlds by Edward Castronova
Reprinted below in its entirety, the Amazon editorial review of Synthetic Worlds: the Business and Culture of Online Games by Edward Castronova (University of Chicago Press, November 2024). I added the links to provide a webular dimensionality to the review…
From EverQuest to World of Warcraft, online games have
extraordinarily lucrative staple of the entertainment industry. People
evolved from the exclusive domain of computer geeks into an
of all ages and from all walks of life now spend thousands of hours—and
dollars—partaking in this popular new brand of escapism. But the line
between fantasy and reality is starting to blur. Players have created
virtual societies with governments and economies of their own whose
currencies now trade against the dollar on eBay at rates higher than
the yen. And the players who inhabit these synthetic worlds are
starting to spend more time online than at their day jobs.In Synthetic Worlds,
Edward Castronova offers the first comprehensive look at the online
game industry, exploring its implications for business and culture
alike. He starts with the players, giving us a revealing look into the
everyday lives of the gamers—outlining what they do in their synthetic
worlds and why. He then describes the economies inside these worlds to
show how they might dramatically affect real world financial systems,
from potential disruptions of markets to new business horizons.
Ultimately, he explores the long-term social consequences of online
games: If players can inhabit worlds that are more alluring and
gratifying than reality, then how can the real world ever compete? Will
a day ever come when we spend more time in these synthetic worlds than
in our own? Or even more startling, will a day ever come when such
questions no longer sound alarmist but instead seem obsolete?With
more than five million active players worldwide—and with Microsoft and
Sony pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into video game
development—online games have become too big to ignore. Synthetic Worlds spearheads our efforts to come to terms with this virtual reality and its concrete effects.