This book is about the fastest growing form of electronic game in the world--the Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (MMORPG). It introduces these self-contained three-dimensional virtual worlds, often inhabited by thousands of players. It also delves into the psychology of the people who inhabit the game universe and explores the development of unique cultures, economies, moral codes, and slang in virtual communities. The work describes MMORPGs' ever-greater effect on society. It explains how the games are built, the spin-offs that players create to enhance their game lives, and...