QotW10: Wanna Play for Credits?

Are games simply forms of entertainment, or can they be much more?

As fair warning, I had you guys start early since this will take a while. Here’s the Question of the Week (QotW), which is more like a series of tasks:

1. Haven’t already done so? Register an account with Second Life
2. Get familiar with Second Life (SL) via our computer labs, or via the downloadable client for your laptop (Mac/Windows).
3. Complete the Orientation Island to understand the controls for Second Life.
4. Add yourself to our SL group: At the lower menu, click on Search > Groups tab > enter “COM125” and join in.
5. Personalize your avatar as much as possible by editing appearance and finding clothes you like. Search via in-world for “freebies” (there are tons of freebie places), or check out this neat SL shopping blog (freebies category). If you have real money to burn into Linden dollars, check out Wired: Second Life Must-Have Stuff.
6. Go sightseeing in Second Life, preferably together with your classmate. (e.g. Look for web-based guides such as SLSingapore.com, Wired’s Travel Guide to Second Life or NMC’s SL Tips & Tricks).
7. Take screenshots of your avatar at your most favorite place in Second Life.
8. Blog about it under the title “QotW10:_____”
9. First, publish your screenshots and write captions under them.
10. Second, write about your avatar (SL name, likeness to your real-self, by gender, clothing, etc)
11. Third, write about the place you’ve chosen (Explore! Don’t be lame and pick something common).
12. Optional: Use the built-in SLurl generator to share a direct teleport link to that location.

Bonus Mission #2 (worth 3 extra credits)

1. Based on the readings below, argue: Why is Second Life not a game?
2. Support your argument by giving an example of how virtual worlds, such as Second Life, could be used beyond mere entertainment (plenty of real-world examples if you look hard enough).
3. Make a concise argument in 500 words or more (proper written English), supported with at least two APA-style citations.
4. Start the title of your blog post as “Bonus Mission #2: _____”
5. Drop a comment here with a permalink to your blog post.

Deadline
8th April, Sunday, 9am (special time!)
Warning: Late work will not be graded

Required
Why should we take games seriously?
• World of Warcraft: Is It a Game?
• Virtually dead in Iraq

Optional
• A Rape in Cyberspace
• Synthetic statehood and the right to assemble
• Second Life: CopyBot causes widespread protests…
• Video: Building a Flying-V Guitar in Second Life (by Ivan and Kevin)

Unreal Estate and Virtual Capitalisms
• The Unreal Estate Boom
• Pitfalls of Virtual Property (PDF)
• Video: Chinese Gold Farmers in MMORPGs (Ge Jin, PhD candidate @ UCSD)
• Ogre to Slay? Outsource It to Chinese

Optional
• Anda’s Game (short story)