Play Between Worlds

[ceitfianna]

Play Between Worlds is a book I read for my Milliways' paper, which is here on my box. The author T.L. Taylor has played in EverQuest for a number of years and this book is about her experiences there and her views of how players connect. One of the most powerful ideas inspires the title, the idea that when we play online, our interaction happens in places that are in-between places, online, offine, the main site, personal sites etc.

I found this rang true with my experiences with Milliways and online play though Milliways was even more fluid as EverQuest, which is an MMORG creates more of an infrastructure. That means that many of the player spaces are a reflection of the game, ones for details about maps, items and classes with built-in systems for discussion. I've never played this type of online game before, but Taylor did an incredible job of balancing explaining for those who have never played while going into the details that a long time player knows.

The chapter on women made me so happy, because she dealt with things I've been reading about and took them head on. Such as how women are seen as something other instead of normal players and that ends up hurting the general player base. There are so many things within this book that I could talk about but instead I'm going to recommend it so I can talk about it with other people.

I found this a fascinating read and I'm planning on lending it to the_croupier.

Comments

[yakalskovich]

Many books you need to read for studies are either dull, or merely informative and useful. Only a very few tend to stick. This might be one for you; mine is The Catalpa Bow by Carmen Blacker, which I think I already mentioned?

[ceitfianna]

You mentioned that before and it does look interesting. If I paint my nails with the newsprint, I'll definitely take photos. Though I might end up just doing regular color at this point.