Designing Virtual Worlds

Reviews / Votes

"It is impossible to understand the origins of today's fully immersive online existence without reflecting on the achievements of Richard Bartle. He conceived internet-based co-location, then willed it into existence - as an undergraduate in a small British university. Like Bede at Yarrow, from a perch distant from the intellectual centers of his time, he wrote a book read by many, one that helped define the very idea of media-in-common. It is the book you are holding in your digital hands."

-- Edward Castronova, Professor of Media, Indiana University

"The long-awaited Second Edition of Designing Virtual Worlds contains a lifetime of wisdom about a question central to modern game design: how and why do people play together online? Bartle entertainingly intertwines history and psychology in a way that brings insight after insight to any student of online play."

-- Jesse Schell, author of The Art of Game Design: A Book of Lenses

"The first edition of Designing Virtual Worlds was a major work. The second edition is in many ways quite different, but is equally as important, updating the text for the modern day and bringing fresh insight to topics ranging from legal issues to player psychology. Its relevance extends well beyond games. It is an indispensable text for understanding the what, why, and how of online worlds."

-- Raph Koster, designer of Ultima Online and Star Wars Galaxies