Play’s Republic

The journal Space and Culture, “the International Journal of Social Spaces,” has a call for papers for an upcoming issue centered on the theme of “the function of place in virtual spaces.” The issue, they explain, “will examine how individuals, communities and institutions form identities in relation to sims. And it will interrogate the role of ‘real-world’ places and networks in the construction of meaningful ‘virtual’ spaces.”

For those of you who may be interested in exploring issues of meaning and ludic space for your final project in CCT–688, consider submitting a version of the paper for potential publication. Deadlines: 500–word abstract by 2nd April; final paper due 16th July. If your abstract is accepted, we’ll work over the early summer to extend and expand your 688 paper to meet their requirements.

Be sure to check out the intellectual hybridity of Space and Culture’s elegant blog, and take a peek at the journal proper.

In the meanwhile, here’s the full CFP; for more ideas, see the “possible topics” below.

Synthetic worlds can now boast tens of millions of members. From game environments such as World of Warcraft to the social environment Second Life, these avatar-driven platforms are becoming central to the wider networked culture. Increasingly, users don’t require a game pretense to spend time in synthetic space, they log on to socialize, conduct business, go to meetings, wander around or shop. Linden Lab’s platform Second Life is leading the way in this. Distinct from other Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games (MMORPGs), there are no missions, goals, or winners in Second Life. Artists take up residence there; academic conferences are conducted there; and increasingly, institutions are establishing themselves there: Harvard and the University of Southern California have campuses, Reuters recently opened a Second Life bureau, the CDC opened an office to promote safe sex and emergency preparedness, Sony is positioning itself to deliver content, and Nike has started selling virtual shoes. As societies take shape in this environment, it has become quite clear that for most users, the second life looks remarkably like the first one. Users are engaging in everyday activities with represented environments (Sims) that are surprisingly similar to their real life counterparts. Consequently, Second Life cannot accurately be called “virtual” reality; more to the point, it is a synthetic world that produces a mixed reality through immersive digital social networks.

This issue of Space and Culture will explore the function of place in virtual spaces. It will examine how individuals, communities and institutions form identities in relation to sims. And it will interrogate the role of “real-world” places and networks in the construction of meaningful “virtual” spaces.

While Second Life presents a fascinating case study in the evolution of synthetic worlds, papers need not be limited to that platform. Possible topics include:

dwelling in virtual space
public vs. private
inside vs. outside
physical vs. virtual
home
shopping and place
place of sex
youth culture and “hanging out”
the place of the virtual classroom
landmarks, memorials, parks
location in the virtual real estate market
cityscapes
virtual place blogging
local journalism
institutions
ritual
art practice

500 word abstracts are due by April 2, 2007. Completed essays
(5000-7000 words) are due July 16, 2007. All questions should be
directed to Eric Gordon (Eric_Gordon@emerson.edu).