Emerging Virtual Institutions
Encyclopedia
Emerging Virtual Institutions are patterns of organized culture; such as forms of government
, business model
s, or social norms, that develop endogenously within a virtual world
. Just as real world institutions are introduced to virtual worlds by their users and designers, virtual institutions are carried back into the real world when those people “log off.”
Emerging Virtual Institutions collectively include the future economic and community-based growth of virtual reality
worlds such as Second Life
and World of Warcraft
, the point where these spaces are no longer just a place for individuals to interact through computer
-mediated reality
, but instead become significant structures and mechanisms of social order
and cooperation
within the real-world. As demonstrated by Prof. Larry Lessig of Stanford University
in 2003, citizens of Second Life
are capable of protesting the virtual laws of their space to enact positive change (in this case, allow individuals to have virtual
property rights).
Institutions emerge in virtual worlds when the rules of the world encourage users to act in a way that creates a widespread pattern of behavior. Such rules can be hard-coded by the developer
s, but may be existing informal norms from within the virtual world, or imported from the real world experience of its users. The institution that results from this emergence
then becomes a part of the rules that will seed future emergent conventions. The developer of a virtual world can shape the values of its users by carefully choosing the appearance of the world, the capabilities of its avatar
s, the challenges presented, methods of communication, and even the laws of physics, among countless other design decisions. These shared values, in turn, shape patterns of behavior and the development of institutions within the world.
. These conflicts frequently enter into the real world as letters of suggestion or complaints to the virtual worlds' developers, or hot debates posted on fan forums
.
A Tale in the Desert
allows users to write up and vote on laws, which are then implemented by the developers. It also grants elected players the ability to permanently ban other users' characters after passing specific, socially-oriented challenges.
EVE Online
will be implementing an elected council of player representatives, who will travel to Iceland
once every six months to meet with the game's developers. However, in keeping with the game world's cutthroat theme, vote-buying, proxy voting
, coercion, and other unsavory tactics will not be prevented in the elections.
The browser-based game NationStates has a system of local influence that players can leverage to evict other players from an in-game region.
Unsanctioned protests often amount to gatherings and disruptive behavior that can tax the servers which run a virtual world. Such protests have occurred in Ultima Online
, Everquest
, Star Wars Galaxies
, and others. A gathering held in World of Warcraft
by members of the Warrior
class protested the perceived weakness of that role, and managed to shut down the Argent Dawn server before it was broken up by developer authorities.
, items, and services are ultimately an emergent result of that world's rules. The resulting virtual economy
then meshes with that of the real world when virtual goods and services are traded for real world currency on auction sites and specialist trading venues.
Some virtual worlds are designed with real-world economic interaction in mind, such as Second Life
. The Linden Dollar, Second Life's currency, is exchangeable for real-world currencies through the developer's own LindeX
system. Here, exchange is facilitated between users, although Linden Labs has the ability to sell Linden Dollars directly.
Other virtual worlds, including many of the popular MMORPG
s, discourage real money trading as policy. Such exchanges are thought to be disruptive to the in-world theme and economy, and many players view the practice as a form of cheating
.
Indeed, there is now even a trend of virtual law firm
s, allowing for legal services through a virtual link of attorneys.
clan
of a few players, to a MMORPG
guild
of hundreds, to a faction in World of Warcraft
constituting tens of thousands. Often, these users are encouraged to form bonds by the world's structure – dividing them into opposing teams, or enforcing roles on avatar
s such that a group is more than the sum of its parts. These social groups persist outside the virtual world in real life friendships, email, voice chat, fan parties, and even marriages that occur in both the real and virtual worlds.
's "Fly safe."
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
, business model
Business model
A business model describes the rationale of how an organization creates, delivers, and captures value...
s, or social norms, that develop endogenously within a virtual world
Virtual world
A virtual world is an online community that takes the form of a computer-based simulated environment through which users can interact with one another and use and create objects. The term has become largely synonymous with interactive 3D virtual environments, where the users take the form of...
. Just as real world institutions are introduced to virtual worlds by their users and designers, virtual institutions are carried back into the real world when those people “log off.”
Emerging Virtual Institutions collectively include the future economic and community-based growth of virtual reality
Virtual reality
Virtual reality , also known as virtuality, is a term that applies to computer-simulated environments that can simulate physical presence in places in the real world, as well as in imaginary worlds...
worlds such as Second Life
Second Life
Second Life is an online virtual world developed by Linden Lab. It was launched on June 23, 2003. A number of free client programs, or Viewers, enable Second Life users, called Residents, to interact with each other through avatars...
and World of Warcraft
World of Warcraft
World of Warcraft is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game by Blizzard Entertainment. It is the fourth released game set in the fantasy Warcraft universe, which was first introduced by Warcraft: Orcs & Humans in 1994...
, the point where these spaces are no longer just a place for individuals to interact through computer
Computer
A computer is a programmable machine designed to sequentially and automatically carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. The particular sequence of operations can be changed readily, allowing the computer to solve more than one kind of problem...
-mediated reality
Reality
In philosophy, reality is the state of things as they actually exist, rather than as they may appear or might be imagined. In a wider definition, reality includes everything that is and has been, whether or not it is observable or comprehensible...
, but instead become significant structures and mechanisms of social order
Social order
Social order is a concept used in sociology, history and other social sciences. It refers to a set of linked social structures, social institutions and social practices which conserve, maintain and enforce "normal" ways of relating and behaving....
and cooperation
Cooperation
Cooperation or co-operation is the process of working or acting together. In its simplest form it involves things working in harmony, side by side, while in its more complicated forms, it can involve something as complex as the inner workings of a human being or even the social patterns of a...
within the real-world. As demonstrated by Prof. Larry Lessig of Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
in 2003, citizens of Second Life
Second Life
Second Life is an online virtual world developed by Linden Lab. It was launched on June 23, 2003. A number of free client programs, or Viewers, enable Second Life users, called Residents, to interact with each other through avatars...
are capable of protesting the virtual laws of their space to enact positive change (in this case, allow individuals to have virtual
Virtual
The term virtual is a concept applied in many fields with somewhat differing connotations, and also, differing denotations.The term has been defined in philosophy as "that which is not real" but may display the salient qualities of the real....
property rights).
Institutions emerge in virtual worlds when the rules of the world encourage users to act in a way that creates a widespread pattern of behavior. Such rules can be hard-coded by the developer
Software developer
A software developer is a person concerned with facets of the software development process. Their work includes researching, designing, developing, and testing software. A software developer may take part in design, computer programming, or software project management...
s, but may be existing informal norms from within the virtual world, or imported from the real world experience of its users. The institution that results from this emergence
Emergence
In philosophy, systems theory, science, and art, emergence is the way complex systems and patterns arise out of a multiplicity of relatively simple interactions. Emergence is central to the theories of integrative levels and of complex systems....
then becomes a part of the rules that will seed future emergent conventions. The developer of a virtual world can shape the values of its users by carefully choosing the appearance of the world, the capabilities of its avatar
Avatar (computing)
In computing, an avatar is the graphical representation of the user or the user's alter ego or character. It may take either a three-dimensional form, as in games or virtual worlds, or a two-dimensional form as an icon in Internet forums and other online communities. It can also refer to a text...
s, the challenges presented, methods of communication, and even the laws of physics, among countless other design decisions. These shared values, in turn, shape patterns of behavior and the development of institutions within the world.
Politics
Citizens of virtual worlds often try to change the rules of that world. These actions can be a part of the existing rules, as a user-regulated system, or they may be acts of protestProtest
A protest is an expression of objection, by words or by actions, to particular events, policies or situations. Protests can take many different forms, from individual statements to mass demonstrations...
. These conflicts frequently enter into the real world as letters of suggestion or complaints to the virtual worlds' developers, or hot debates posted on fan forums
Internet forum
An Internet forum, or message board, is an online discussion site where people can hold conversations in the form of posted messages. They differ from chat rooms in that messages are at least temporarily archived...
.
A Tale in the Desert
A Tale in the Desert
A Tale in the Desert is a massively multiplayer online roleplaying game set in Ancient Egypt, run by the independent company eGenesis. The initial software download and all new content are free, with a monthly subscription required to play beyond the first 24 hours.-Gameplay:A Tale in the Desert...
allows users to write up and vote on laws, which are then implemented by the developers. It also grants elected players the ability to permanently ban other users' characters after passing specific, socially-oriented challenges.
EVE Online
EVE Online
Eve Online is a video game by CCP Games. It is a player-driven, persistent-world MMORPG set in a science fiction space setting. Characters pilot customizable ships through a galaxy of over 7,500 star systems. Most star systems are connected to one or more other star systems by means of stargates...
will be implementing an elected council of player representatives, who will travel to Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
once every six months to meet with the game's developers. However, in keeping with the game world's cutthroat theme, vote-buying, proxy voting
Proxy voting
Proxy voting has two forms: delegable voting and delegated voting, which are procedures for the delegation to another member of a voting body of that member's power to vote in his absence, and/or for the selection of additional representatives, as in the case with transitive proxies...
, coercion, and other unsavory tactics will not be prevented in the elections.
The browser-based game NationStates has a system of local influence that players can leverage to evict other players from an in-game region.
Unsanctioned protests often amount to gatherings and disruptive behavior that can tax the servers which run a virtual world. Such protests have occurred in Ultima Online
Ultima Online
Ultima Online is a graphical massively multiplayer online role-playing game , released on September 24, 1997, by Origin Systems. It was instrumental to the development of the genre, and is still running today...
, Everquest
EverQuest
EverQuest, often shortened to EQ, is a 3D fantasy-themed massively multiplayer online role-playing game that was released on the 16th of March, 1999. The original design is credited to Brad McQuaid, Steve Clover, and Bill Trost...
, Star Wars Galaxies
Star Wars Galaxies
Star Wars Galaxies is a Star Wars themed MMORPG for Microsoft Windows developed by Sony Online Entertainment and published by LucasArts.-History:...
, and others. A gathering held in World of Warcraft
World of Warcraft
World of Warcraft is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game by Blizzard Entertainment. It is the fourth released game set in the fantasy Warcraft universe, which was first introduced by Warcraft: Orcs & Humans in 1994...
by members of the Warrior
Warrior (character class)
Warrior is a character class found in many role-playing games. This class may also be referred to as Fighter, as in Dungeons & Dragons. The class is sometimes also referred to as a Knight, although in some games this is a separate class with a more chivalric aspect...
class protested the perceived weakness of that role, and managed to shut down the Argent Dawn server before it was broken up by developer authorities.
Economics
The value of a virtual world's currencyCurrency
In economics, currency refers to a generally accepted medium of exchange. These are usually the coins and banknotes of a particular government, which comprise the physical aspects of a nation's money supply...
, items, and services are ultimately an emergent result of that world's rules. The resulting virtual economy
Virtual economy
A virtual economy is an emergent economy existing in a virtual persistent world, usually exchanging virtual goods in the context of an Internet game...
then meshes with that of the real world when virtual goods and services are traded for real world currency on auction sites and specialist trading venues.
Some virtual worlds are designed with real-world economic interaction in mind, such as Second Life
Second Life
Second Life is an online virtual world developed by Linden Lab. It was launched on June 23, 2003. A number of free client programs, or Viewers, enable Second Life users, called Residents, to interact with each other through avatars...
. The Linden Dollar, Second Life's currency, is exchangeable for real-world currencies through the developer's own LindeX
Lindex
Lindex is a Swedish fashion chain, known for its fast fashion clothing offerings for women, teenagers and children. Lindex has around 400 stores in Scandinavia including Iceland, the Baltic States, Russia, central Europe, the Middle East as of November 2011...
system. Here, exchange is facilitated between users, although Linden Labs has the ability to sell Linden Dollars directly.
Other virtual worlds, including many of the popular MMORPG
MMORPG
Massively multiplayer online role-playing game is a genre of role-playing video games in which a very large number of players interact with one another within a virtual game world....
s, discourage real money trading as policy. Such exchanges are thought to be disruptive to the in-world theme and economy, and many players view the practice as a form of cheating
Cheating
Cheating refers to the breaking of rules to gain advantage in a competitive situation. The rules infringed may be explicit, or they may be from an unwritten code of conduct based on morality, ethics or custom, making the identification of cheating a subjective process. Cheating can refer...
.
Indeed, there is now even a trend of virtual law firm
Virtual law firm
A virtual law firm is a group of lawyers with diverse expertise that are banded together through technological means to provide a suite of services to its clients.- History :...
s, allowing for legal services through a virtual link of attorneys.
Social Groups
Friendships and social groupings often develop within virtual worlds, from a first-person shooterFirst-person shooter
First-person shooter is a video game genre that centers the gameplay on gun and projectile weapon-based combat through first-person perspective; i.e., the player experiences the action through the eyes of a protagonist. Generally speaking, the first-person shooter shares common traits with other...
clan
Clan
A clan is a group of people united by actual or perceived kinship and descent. Even if lineage details are unknown, clan members may be organized around a founding member or apical ancestor. The kinship-based bonds may be symbolical, whereby the clan shares a "stipulated" common ancestor that is a...
of a few players, to a MMORPG
MMORPG
Massively multiplayer online role-playing game is a genre of role-playing video games in which a very large number of players interact with one another within a virtual game world....
guild
Guild
A guild is an association of craftsmen in a particular trade. The earliest types of guild were formed as confraternities of workers. They were organized in a manner something between a trade union, a cartel, and a secret society...
of hundreds, to a faction in World of Warcraft
World of Warcraft
World of Warcraft is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game by Blizzard Entertainment. It is the fourth released game set in the fantasy Warcraft universe, which was first introduced by Warcraft: Orcs & Humans in 1994...
constituting tens of thousands. Often, these users are encouraged to form bonds by the world's structure – dividing them into opposing teams, or enforcing roles on avatar
Avatar (computing)
In computing, an avatar is the graphical representation of the user or the user's alter ego or character. It may take either a three-dimensional form, as in games or virtual worlds, or a two-dimensional form as an icon in Internet forums and other online communities. It can also refer to a text...
s such that a group is more than the sum of its parts. These social groups persist outside the virtual world in real life friendships, email, voice chat, fan parties, and even marriages that occur in both the real and virtual worlds.
Language
The communication mechanisms and cultures of virtual worlds can lead to new forms of language. Dialects of l33t are common, as are esoteric greetings and phrases, such as "Hail" or EVE OnlineEVE Online
Eve Online is a video game by CCP Games. It is a player-driven, persistent-world MMORPG set in a science fiction space setting. Characters pilot customizable ships through a galaxy of over 7,500 star systems. Most star systems are connected to one or more other star systems by means of stargates...
's "Fly safe."
See also
- Simulated realitySimulated realitySimulated reality is the proposition that reality could be simulated—perhaps by computer simulation—to a degree indistinguishable from "true" reality. It could contain conscious minds which may or may not be fully aware that they are living inside a simulation....
- Social simulationSocial simulationSocial simulation is a research field that applies computational methods to study issues in the social sciences. The issues explored include problems in sociology, political science, economics, anthropology, geography, archaeology and linguistics ....
- Virtual economyVirtual economyA virtual economy is an emergent economy existing in a virtual persistent world, usually exchanging virtual goods in the context of an Internet game...
- NetiquetteNetiquetteNetiquette is a set of social conventions that facilitate interaction over networks, ranging from Usenet and mailing lists to blogs and forums. These rules were described in IETF RFC 1855. However, like many Internet phenomena, the concept and its application remain in a state of flux, and vary...
- Interactive online charactersInteractive online charactersAn automated online assistant is a program that uses artificial intelligence to provide customer service or other assistance on a website. Such an assistant may basically consist of a dialog system, an avatar, as well an expert system to provide specific expertise to the user.Automated online...
External links
- http://www.atitd.com/
- http://secondlife.com/
- http://wired.com/wired/archive/14.10/slfacts.html
- http://www.fc.bus.emory.edu/~dbray/2019.html
- Virtual Worlds, Virtual Economies, Virtual Institutions on SSRN