Includes bibliographical references (p. [311]-317) and index.

Introduction: the changing meaning of play -- Part I: The synthetic world: a tour. Daily life on a synthetic earth -- The user -- The mechanics of world-making -- Emergent culture: institutions within synthetic reality -- The business of world-making -- Part II: When boundaries fade. The almost-magic circle -- Free commerce -- The economics of fun: behavior and design -- Governance -- Topographies of terror -- Toxic immersion and internal security -- Part III: Threats and opportunities. Implications and policies -- Into the age of wonder -- Appendix: a digression on virtual reality.

From EverQuest to World of Warcraft, online games have evolved from the exclusive domain of computer geeks into an extraordinarily lucrative staple of the entertainment industry. People of all ages and from all walks of life now spend thousands of hours?and dollars?partaking in this popular new brand of escapism. But the line between fantasy and reality is starting to blur. Players have created virtual societies with governments and economies of their own whose currencies now trade against the dollar on eBay at rates higher than the yen. And the players who inhabit these synthetic worlds are s.