An insider view of life in virtual worlds, focusing on The Sims Online and Second Life. Ludlow and Wallace concentrate on social issues -- including governance, power and conflict – and they succeed remarkably well in conveying the rich and complex nature of online communities and their significance for the members. The book is highly valuable for any interaction designer who seeks to better understand the social aspects of life online (which ought to include more or less all of us).

"The Second Life Herald: The Virtual Tabloid That Witnessed the Dawn of the Metaverse" is a riveting introduction to the culture of massively multiplayer online games (MMOs)—The Sims Online, World of Warcraft, and of course, Second Life—through the adventures of a philosophy professor and his avatar, a techno-pagan priest and muckraking tabloid journalist.

Ludlow (the professor) teams up with real-life journalist Wallace to recount the emergent social dynamics and conflicts they witnessed within these virtual spaces—and between the worlds’ corporate overlords and inhabitants—and to investigate attendant legal questions—free speech, intellectual property, and other rights of the virtual citizenry. Their fascination with the subject is thoroughly contagious, excited storytelling voice escaping the page. (Indeed, this n00b recalls giggling aloud at their cheeky descriptions of online antics and reading many passages to my very patient housemate.)

Also compelling is their decision to tell their tale in the third person and to couch the narrative, tongue in cheek, in terms of a crime thriller, with the “assassination” of Urizenus, publisher of the Alphaville Herald, at the core.

The only detraction from my enjoyment of this tome was the unfortunate recurrence of egregious typos, totally unbefitting an outfit like The MIT Press. (If you’re short on proofreading talent there, fellas, I hasten to offer my services—cheap and very thorough.)

By my reckoning, the best moment comes when Ludlow, after a hundred pages of (quite amusingly) exploring the unsavory behavior of virtual mafiosi, scammers, and cyber-prostitutes, sits at the computer with his young daughter, discussing the demise of his avatar:

"Ludlow spent that New Year’s Eve with his seven-year-old daughter. In the morning they logged on to TSO with a borrowed account to see the old Herald headquarters, and talked about why Urizenus had been terminated (along with his pets). His daughter giggled at the thought that they were doing something naughty by going back into the game, and expressed her anger with EA for killing the cats Black and Cheddar Cheese Cheetah." (161)

If only more people would be such enlightened guides for their children!

It's now available as an ebook on the MIT press portal http://mitpress-ebooks.mit.edu/product/second-life-herald