{"product_id":"9780857299031","title":"Springer Series in Immersive Environments","description":"\u003ch1\u003eSpringer Series in Immersive Environments\u003c\/h1\u003e \u003ch2\u003eBainbridge, William Sims\u003c\/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe newest communication technologies are profoundly changing the world's politics, economies, and cultures, but the specific implications of online game worlds remain mysterious.  \u003ci\u003eThe Virtual Future\u003c\/i\u003e employs theories and methods from social science to explore nine very different virtual futures:  \u003ci\u003eThe Matrix Online\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eTabula Rasa\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eAnarchy Online\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eEntropia Universe\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eStar Trek Online\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eEVE Online, Star Wars Galaxies\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eWorld of Warcraft: Burning Crusade\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eThe Chronicles of Riddick\u003c\/i\u003e.  \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eEach presents a different picture of how technology and society could evolve in coming centuries, but one theme runs through all of them, the attempt to escape the Earth and seek new destinies among the stars.  Four decades after the last trip to the moon, a new conception of spaceflight is emerging.  Rather than rockets shooting humans across vast physical distances to sterile rocks that lack the resources to sustain life, perhaps robot space probes and orbiting telescopes will glean information about the universe, that humans can then experience inside computer-generated environments much closer to home.  \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAll nine of these fantastically rich multiplayer masterpieces have shown myriads of people that really radical alternatives to contemporary society could exist, and has served as a laboratory for examining the consequences.  Each is a prototype of new social forms, a utopian subculture, and a simulation of technologies that have yet to be invented.  They draw upon several different traditions of science fiction and academic philosophy, and they were created in several nations.  By comparing these nine role-playing fantasies, we can better consider what kind of world we want to inhabit in the real future.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003ch3\u003eDetails\u003c\/h3\u003e \u003cp\u003ePublished by: Springer\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ePublication Date: 2011-09-07\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eFormat: Hardcover\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eISBN-13: 9780857299031\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eDOI: 10.1007\/978-0-85729-904-8\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eDimensions: 235cm x155cm\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ePages: 202\u003c\/p\u003e ","brand":"Springer London","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47672146952332,"sku":"9780857299031","price":98.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0710\/9545\/1788\/files\/9780857299031.jpg?v=1776520262","url":"https:\/\/fh90cf-fv.myshopify.com\/products\/9780857299031","provider":"Late Knight Books and Services, LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}