Here are some people and papers that I've
found to be particularly illuminating and thought-provoking. (Click on
a person's name or image to read more by this author)
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Players Who Suit
MUDs by Richard Bartle
Richard Bartle built some of the earliest MUDs, and his observations
about player interactions should be required reading for everyonewho'sdesigning
online gaming worlds - and online social enviroments in general. |
|
Cyberspace
is not Disneyland by Amy Bruckman
Amy is a longtime MUD researcher with a passionate interest in education.
She's an Assistant Professor at Georgia Tech, where she teaches game
design and virtual community design, and focuses her research efforts on
building and studying Constructive Learning Environments. |
|
Proving
the Value of Online Communities in Business by Joseph
Cothrel
Joe is the VP of Research at Participate.com, a consulting company
that helps large corporations build and maintain online communities. |
|
Identity
& Deception in the Virtual Community by Judith
Donath
Judith runs the Sociable Media Group at the MIT Media Lab, where she
explores issues of identity and society in a networked world. |
|
Social
Dimenions of Habitat's Citizenry by Randy
Farmer & Chip Morningstar
Habitat was one of the earliest virtual worlds, and many basic ideas
about online community-building were first articulated in the paper above,
along with another seminal paper by Chip and Randy called The
Lessons of Lucasfilm's Habitat. |
|
The
Art of Online Hosting Good Conversations Online by Howard
Rheingold
Howard write the seminal book, "Virtual Communities" and is the CEO
of Rheingold and
Associates, a company that helps organizations get their community
up and running. |
|
Production
of Trust in Online Markets by Peter
Kollack
Peter Kollack is a sociologist who specializes in studying the
dynamics of online marketplaces. |
|
The Laws
of Online World Design by Raph
Koster
Raph is a longtime MUD developer who currently designs online games
for Verant Interactive, the company that created EverQuest. Raph was the
lead designer on Ultima Online, and his personal
web site contains many of his writings and musing on game design,
along with stories, poetry and music. |
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