Well I thought I would try out the new blog… sweet! I’m off to NYC this week to the State of Play conference hosted by Dan Hunter at the New York Law School. Program details are here and before that starts a group of game studies hasbeens will be hanging out with a supercharged group of grad students working on virtual worlds … the first ever grad student symposium on virtual worlds I think.
So me — I’m on a panel on virtual world security with some experts on international terrorism, cyberpolicing and stuff …
Its true. I am going to try a mini-rap on surveillance theory and how MMOGs seem to be perfect surveillance scenarios but in fact they stink because the basic premise is Bahktinian; masquarades, dissimulation, pomo identities and all that. Yet despite this MMOG design is working towards making surveillable people by encouraging stronger identification between players and the behaviours of their avatars… it’ll be Foucauldian I think… the trend towards greater individuation and increased responsibilization. The only resistance… multiply your avatars, share your accounts and lie all the time in game. Oh yeah… that already happens.
Plus I am trying to get reservations for Babbo… very tricky — anyone have suggestions for good eating on short notice?