News, research and discussion on virtual goods, currencies and economies globally.

Social studies

Virtual worlds don't exist

Author(s): 
Lehdonvirta, Vili
Year: 
2008
Publication information: 
Working paper

Cash Trade Within the Magic Circle: Free-to-Play Game Challenges and Massively Multiplayer Online Game Player Responses

Author(s): 
Lin, Holin; Sun, Chuen-Tsai
Year: 
2007
Publication information: 
Proceedings of DiGRA 2007: Situated Play. Tokyo: The University of Tokyo, September, 2007. Pp. 335-343.
URL: 
http://www.digra.org/dl/db/07312.38207.pdf

The Value of Virtual Assets – The Role of Game Characters in MMOGs

Author(s): 
Manninen, T. and T. Kujanpää
Year: 
2007
Publication information: 
International Journal of Business Science and Applied Management, 2007. 2(1): p. 21-33
URL: 
http://www.business-and-management.org

Making real money in virtual worlds: MMORPGs and emerging business opportunities, challenges and ethical implications in metaver

Author(s): 
Papagiannidis, Savvas; Bourlakis, Michael; Li, Feng
Year: 
2008
Publication information: 
Technological Forecasting and Social Change 75, 610-622.
URL: 
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2007.04.007

Synthetic Economies and the Social Question

Author(s): 
Castronova, Edward
Year: 
2005
Publication information: 
Working Paper Series
URL: 
http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=782826

The Social Construction of Virtual Assets. Step One: Relevant Social Groups and Interpretive Flexibility

Author(s): 
Bromberger, Jan
Year: 
2006
Publication information: 
Unpublished manuscript

Play Between Worlds

Author(s): 
Taylor, T.L.
Year: 
2006
Publication information: 
MIT Press
URL: 
http://mitpress.mit.edu/catalog/item/default.asp?ttype=2&tid=10770

The comparison of online game experiences by players in games of Lineage & EverQuest: Role play vs. Consumption

Author(s): 
Whang, Leo Sang-Min and Kim, Jee-Yeon
Year: 
2005
Publication information: 
Paper presented at DIGRA 2005, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada.
URL: 
http://www.gamesconference.org/digra2005/viewabstract.php?id=193

Parlaying Value: Capital in and beyond Virtual Worlds

Author(s): 
Malaby, Thomas M.
Year: 
2006
Publication information: 
Games & Culture 1(2):141-162, Spring 2006.
URL: 
http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=871851

Moving Beyond the Game: Social Virtual Worlds

Author(s): 
Book, Betsy
Year: 
2004
Publication information: 
Unpublished manuscript
URL: 
http://www.virtualworldsreview.com/papers/BBook_SoP2.pdf