Productive Play: The Convergence of Play and Labor in Online Games and Virtual Worlds

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This workshop will bring together knowledgeable computer and information scientists in the human-computer interaction and computer-supported work fields, as well as experts from the game and online research community, to assess the current status and likely future development of massively multiplayer online worlds (MMOWs) in work applications. MMOWs are three-dimensional electronic environments in which members create embodied characters and interact with each other through text and voice chat. Frequently categorized as technologies of play, MMOWs range from games such as World of Warcraft with a set of specific, goal-oriented game activities, to open environments such as Second Life, in which players create any content they desire. Increasingly, corporations, educators, and the military are recognizing these online spaces as legitimate communication media, thereby blurring the lines between work and play. However, it is unclear whether the passion players bring to games such as World of Warcraft or virtual worlds such as Second Life will translate to non-play contexts. The objective of this workshop is to advance our understanding of relations between work and play in online virtual environments. The results of this workshop will be disseminated through a website and a special issue of a scholarly journal. A primary benefit of the workshop will be the cultivation of working relationships for development of critical tools for incorporating play into work environments in a productive manner. This is essential, as interactive games become an increasingly important part of our culture. The combination of these two - building the literature and building the scientific community - will play a significant role in advancing the state of the art.