Ruling the virtual world. Governance in massively multiplayer online games
(2008) Ruling the virtual world. Governance in massively multiplayer online games. European Journal of Cultural Studies 11(2):pp. 149-171.
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Abstract
This article explores governance and control in Massively Multiplayer Online Games (MMOGs). It examines areas where tactics of control are mobilized: by developers through design processes, by publishers through community management and legal practices and by players through participatory practices. As people with access to online technologies come to live more of their social lives (and work lives) in online environments, and to construct identities and communities in proprietary spaces, the terms under which they do so become increasingly important. In a context where economic value resides in intellectual property and immaterial labour, and where social networks have economic value extracted from them, the corporate practices which harness this value and the responses of participants become interesting for sociocultural and economic reasons. Using EverQuest and World of Warcraft as case studies, this article traces the flows of power between publishers, developers and players in the networked production of MMOGs.
| Item Type: | Journal Article |
|---|---|
| Status: | Published |
| Keywords: | computer games, governance, MMOG, online games, social software, video games |
| Subjects: | 400000 Journalism, Librarianship and Curatorial Studies > 400100 Journalism, Communication and Media > 400104 Communication and Media Studies 420000 Language and Culture > 420300 Cultural Studies 420000 Language and Culture > 420300 Cultural Studies > 420304 Screen and Media Culture 400000 Journalism, Librarianship and Curatorial Studies > 400100 Journalism, Communication and Media |
| ID Code: | 13328 |
| Deposited By: | Humphreys, Sal |
| Deposited On: | 17 April 2008 |
| Alternative Locations: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1367549407088329 |
| Copyright Owner: | Copyright 2008 Sage Publications |
| Copyright Statement: | The final, definitive version of this article has been published in the Journal, European Journal of Cultural Studies 11(2):pp. 149-171. © <SAGE Publications Ltd at the <European Journal of Cultural Studies> page: http://ecs.sagepub.com/ on SAGE Journals Online: http://online.sagepub.com/ |
| Additional Information: | For more information, please refer to the journal's website (see hypertext link) or contact the author. |