Well I can honestly say that the book "Play Money" by Julian Dibbell was my favorite of the course. I've long been aware of the world of MMORPG's because a ton of my friends play World of Warcraft or Everquest. Personally I never got into it because I didn't see the point in paying MONTHLY for a video game. Either way I never really knew about the intricacies of this world and how so many people can use it for financial gain.
It was really interesting seeing Dibbell start out as a noob in the world he really knew nothing about. He starts off just as a journalist trying to learn more but slowly he gets addicted. At first it's purely gaming. He enjoys leveling up and fighting monsters. Soon enough though....he's getting into the world of money making. He meets a few people who help him out and get him started. Teach him the basics. Show him the ropes. That helps greatly and eventually Dibbell becomes somewhat of an important guy. He's got big towers, nice houses, a steady income.....but it's all virtual.
That's one thing that really got me interested in the book. I thought it would be boring but following his character and hearing his thoughts throughout really made for a cool read. Him having a blog was a smart move and really helped his claim that this was all an experiment.
It was funny reading about "Radny" the kid who began to live in Dibbell's virtual home. I liked reading about the parts where Radny was asking the adult Dibbell on advice or bothering him with other childlike things.
Basically the book felt like I was just learning about a player and the world of gaming. It didn't really have many slow parts. It was eye-opening to learn about the people who use bots and cheat to get ahead. That really bothered me. I was also a little confused as to why people would just buy whole characters rather than start from new and build them up - isn't that the point of the game?
Anyway....good read. I'm glad we were assigned it.
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