Edward-Castronova posts

Terra Nova blog slowing down as we enter new era

by James Egan Dec 11th 2008 at 6:00PM

Filed under: Culture, Economy, MMO industry, News items, Academic, Virtual worlds

Virtual worlds and massively multiplayer online games have truly evolved over the past several years. It wasn't so long ago that incorporating virtual economies into games was a new idea. Nor was it so long ago that we were overwhelmed at the depth that was possible in massively multiplayer online games -- and the culture that began to develop in and around these virtual spaces. But that was then, and those days of surprise and amusement at the potential in the virtual are becoming a memory. Many of us now take our games and virtual spaces, and all their depth and meaning, for granted. At least, Edward Castronova of the Terra Nova blog thinks so, when he writes, "The gee-whiz era for virtual worlds has passed, and this changes what happens at TN."

Terra Nova has been a hub for intelligent discourse on all things virtual since September of 2003. In the years that followed, Terra Nova's four founders were joined by numerous academics and authors who've explored the many facets of virtual worlds, and their interplay with our real lives. A recent post by one of the Terra Nova founders, Dan Hunter, explains how it all began... with a burst of wide-eyed enthusiasm for this previously uncharted territory. In the years since the blog began, maybe some of us have lost a bit of that initial fascination with the concept of virtual worlds, which Castronova now addresses when he states that Terra Nova will be narrowing its focus to new games and research.

Tags: academic, culture, dan-hunter, economy, edward-castronova, mmo-industry, terra-nova, terra-nova-blog, virtual-worlds

The slow demise of virtual tax havens

by James Egan Nov 29th 2008 at 8:00PM

Filed under: Economy, MMO industry, Opinion, Virtual worlds

Is taxation of commerce in the virtual space inevitable? We've been hearing more and more about this coming out of China, South Korea, and Sweden, but a recent piece on BBC News -- "Slapping a tax on playtime" -- hits a bit closer to home for many of us. Flora Graham, a technology reporter for BBC News, spoke with Professor Edward Castronova of Indiana University, well-known for his research and commentary on virtual economies over the years, and game researcher Dr. Richard Bartle about the impact of taxation on games and virtual worlds.

Castronova points out the idea of taxation of virtual goods exchanged for virtual money, saying, "... it's an extraordinarily dangerous development... It's as if every time I played soccer in my backyard and scored a goal, I would have to pay the government three euros. It takes away from the game's contribution to human happiness."

Tags: asia, china, edward-castronova, fantasy, richard-bartle, second-life, south-korea, sweden, tax, taxation, taxes, theodore-seto, virtual-economics, virtual-economies, world-of-warcraft

Edward Castronova reveals lessons learned from Arden

by Akela Talamasca Mar 23rd 2008 at 9:00AM

Filed under: Historical, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Tips and tricks, Opinion, Free-to-play, Arden, Academic, Virtual worlds

As you may recall, Edward Castronova, professor at Indiana University and researcher of virtual world economics, had been developing a Shakespeare-based MMO, only to close it down because, in his words, 'It's no fun. We failed to design a gripping experience.'

In the current issue of Wired, Castronova offers his '5 tips for making games that don't suck', based on his experience. To summarize:

Tags: 5-tips, advice, arden, edward-castronova, shakespeare, wired

Curtain falls on "Shakespeare World"

by Eloise Pasteur Jan 8th 2008 at 12:01PM

Filed under: News items, Academic, Education

You may never have heard of Arden, the brain child of Edward Castronova and now you never really will. The project was ambitious, aiming to create a MMORPG that also educated the players in the world and works of someone regarded by many as the greatest wordsmith the English language has ever seen.

According to this report in Technology Review, the virtual world failed because whilst it was crammed with educational content, no one went there because "it was no fun" and they forgot to include the puzzles and the monsters and the game-play elements. The work was supported by a $250,000 grant from the MacArthur Foundation's digital learning programme. Whilst this is pretty big money in educational grant terms, particularly in the humanities, it's a drop in the ocean when compared to the millions of dollars that go into creating the online MMORPGs that we normally review.

It is a lesson well worth remembering for everyone creating educational games, you need the educational content AND the game content. A hard balance to strike - I speak from personal experience here.

Tags: Arden, Digital-Learning, education, Edward-Castronova, MacArthur-Foundation, Shakespeare

Exodus to the Virtual World review from the other virtual world

by Louis McLaughlin Dec 27th 2007 at 9:30PM

Filed under: Culture, MMO industry, Reviews, Academic

As we've previously covered on Massively.com before, virtual worlds researcher Edward Castronova's new book is entitled Exodus to the Virtual World: How Online Fun is Changing Reality -- but if you want to know if it's actually worth reading, there's a review over at Rik Santos's personal blog.

I'm almost tempted to pick up a copy, but to me, serious real world influence from virtual worlds feels a long way off. When governments can't even accept gaming, the idea of them trying to learn from MMOs doesn't seem likely any time soon.

And yes, the author is the same man who recently demanded a female dwarf. Comments from that post show he isn't the only one!

Tags: edward-castronova, exodus, exodus-to-the-virtual-world, female-dwarf, reviews, rik-santos, ted-castronova, virtual-worlds

Are MMOGs escapism or a refuge?

by Michael Zenke Dec 17th 2007 at 3:00PM

Filed under: Culture, MMO industry, Opinion, Academic

When you play a Massive game, are you escaping the real world? Are you running from it? Or are you just seeking a temporary refuge from all the frustrations and challenges of modern living? That's the question asked by well-known Virtual Worlds researcher Edward Castronova in his new book Exodus to the Virtual World: How Online Fun is Chaning Reality.

In a discussion with the BBC, Castronova elaborates on concepts implied by the book's title. The professor sees a lot of people withdrawing from physical reality as the opportunity to do so arises - a move the BBC refers to as an Exodus. Castronova likens this to the settling of the North American continent.

"What I tried to do in this book is say, 'listen - even if the typical reader doesn't spend any time in virtual worlds, what is going to be the impact on him of people going and doing this?'" And he predicted that everyone will be involved in a virtual environment within ten years - although the level of that involvement will vary.

In the meantime, though, he focuses on the reasons that people go online today. On the one hand you have people who go online to escape reality, to disconnect. On the other, you have people who seek to connect in ways they couldn't offline.

"A father of two spending 90 hours a week in a virtual world because he doesn't like his wife - I would say that's escapism, and it isn't anything you would say is good. "But if it's a heavy-set girl from a small town who gets victimised just because her body isn't the 'right' kind of body, and she goes online to make friends because she can't get a fair shake in the real world, then I would say the virtual world is more of a refuge."

If you're willing to share, why not add a comment letting us know why you log into your MMOG of choice?

Tags: culture, edward-castronova, escapism, refuge, society, virtual-worlds

Arden released to the public

by Mike Schramm Nov 27th 2007 at 6:26PM

Filed under: Historical, Culture, New titles, PvE, Opinion, Roleplaying, Arden

Arden, the MMO supposedly based around "the world of William Shakespeare," has been released... kind of. I've been waiting for this one for a while-- who wouldn't want to walk the halls of Kronborg Castle with Hamlet, or visit Banquo's banquet with MacBeth? But unfortunately, "released" is a little strong a word here-- the "game" consists of a Neverwinter Nights module, so you've got to have the NWN toolset up and running to even check it out, and even then, I'm not sure it quite makes the definition of an MMO.

I'm hesitant to actually call Arden vaporware, but I don't see how a Neverwinter Nights module can help "test political and social theories." Over on Terra Nova, Edward Castronova (who's running the project), admits that they didn't make it fun, and laments that testers wanted "monsters" to turn the thing into a game. So he's planning Arden II: ~~Electric Boogaloo~~ London Burning, a game that is designed to be fun from the beginning.

I take a little issue with the fact that he thinks only "monsters" can make a "gripping game experience," but seeing as I don't have NWN installed at the moment, I'll have to leave my analysis at that. If you get a chance to check out Arden, let us know what it's like. I'm sure there is a lot of interest in a "gripping" virtual world full of references to Shakespeare, but by the creator's own admission, it seems that Arden probably isn't it.

Tags: academic, arden, edward-castronova, gripping, monsters, neverwinter-nights, nwn, nwn-toolset, shakespeare-mmo, william-shakespeare