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Online Game Worlds as a Virtual Co-presence across National Borders

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Global Game Industries and Cultural Policy

Part of the book series: Palgrave Global Media Policy and Business ((GMPB))

Abstract

Lin and Sun discuss three characteristics of Massively Multi-Player Online Games (MMOGs) that make them promising social gathering spaces, which are also known as virtual “third places.” Through analyzing the MMOGs, this chapter explicates that the sense of co-presence, the crystallization of game communities and identities, and digital-game subjectivity contribute to the emerging global village. Ongoing online game worlds then in the long term cultivate shared experiences among users. The authors then argue that the online game world migration phenomenon is a vivid example of collective contact experiences in the current digital era.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Animal Crossing Nintendo DS.

  2. 2.

    Huang Yi Online.

  3. 3.

    Chinese Hero Online.

  4. 4.

    pc5453 (November 6, 2011). [information] [guild] German server Els guild—<Valhalla> Open Enrollment. Bahamut gaming discussion forum. Retrieved from http://forum.gamer.com.tw/C.php?bsn=12259&snA=136375&tnum=46&subbsn=18.

  5. 5.

    (October 29, 2011). [chat] Is there anyone that plays on Mainland China’s servers? Message posted to PTT LOL discussion board.

  6. 6.

    Ptt332211 (September 13, 2009). [chat] Korean server M group. Message posted to PTT SD-GundamOL discussion board.

  7. 7.

    (March 4, 2012). [question] Which server in the international version has more Taiwanese? Bahamut gaming discussion forum. Retrieved from http://forum.gamer.com.tw/C.php?bsn=07650&snA=680656&tnum=7.

  8. 8.

    (September 11, 2011). [guild] a hundred-members guild in the northern American server [BLACKROCKSHOOTER]. Bahamut gaming discussion forum. Retrieved from http://forum.gamer.com.tw/C.php?bsn=12259&snA=128954&tnum=18&subbsn=18.

  9. 9.

    Japan 2001 (June 21, 2007). [general] How to connect to Taiwan’s MapleStory Online. Gamebase gaming discussion forum. Retrieved from http://www.gamebase.com.tw/forum/5937/topic/78392487/1.

  10. 10.

    Eslernie (August 4, 2006). [general] a place for foreign server players to sign in and release emotions. Gamebase gaming discussion forum. Retrieved from http://www.gamebase.com.tw/forum/5937/topic/73606602/1.

  11. 11.

    Seven-se (December 8, 2008). [TWOW][share][warm reminder] Survival Guide for Chinese players that play on Taiwanese servers. Azeroth National Geographic gaming discussion forum. Retrieved from http://bbs.ngacn.cc/read.php?tid=2003748&rand=0.09838270000182092.

  12. 12.

    Tlax (May 5, 2009). Steps for marching into Taiwanese servers—How to choose a server. WOW TGbus gaming discussion board. Retrieved from http://wow.tgbus.com/news/twnews/200905/20090505111610.shtml.

  13. 13.

    TGbus (May 5, 2009). Steps for marching into Taiwanese servers—How to select a proxy service. WOW TGbus gaming discussion board. Retrieved from http://wow.tgbus.com/news/twnews/200905/20090505114122.shtml.

  14. 14.

    Tlax (May 5, 2009). Steps for marching into Taiwanese servers—How to add value to your game account. WOW TGbus gaming discussion board. Retrieved from http://wow.tgbus.com/news/twnews/200905/20090505154716.shtml.

  15. 15.

    Limbo-shooting-star (November 22, 2008). [Beginner] Things to never do on Taiwanese servers, for those who have stayed too long on Chinese servers. Azeroth National Geographic gaming discussion forum. Retrieved from http://bbs.ngacn.cc/read.php?tid=1996652&rand=0.6220541875809431.

  16. 16.

    Small-thunder (July 31, 2007). A collection of daily vocabulary used on Taiwanese servers. WOW TGbus gaming discussion board. Retrieved from http://wow.tgbus.com/emotion/notes/200707/20070731151500_2.shtml.

  17. 17.

    For example, see War of Internet Addiction, a popular machinima created by Chinese WoW players.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sociology, National Taiwan University, Taiwan, Republic of China

    Holin Lin

  2. Computer Science and Education, National Chiao Tung University, Taiwan, Republic of China

    Chuen-Tsai Sun

Authors
  1. Holin Lin
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  2. Chuen-Tsai Sun
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Journalism and Communication, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong

    Anthony Fung

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Lin, H., Sun, CT. (2016). Online Game Worlds as a Virtual Co-presence across National Borders. In: Fung, A. (eds) Global Game Industries and Cultural Policy. Palgrave Global Media Policy and Business. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-40760-9_14

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