The State of Play:
Law, Games, and Virtual Worlds
November 13-15, 2003
A Conference Sponsored By
Institute for Information Law and Policy
at New York Law School
and
Information Society Project
at Yale Law School
From November 13-15, 2003, 250 designers, computer scientists, entrepreneurs and legal scholars joined together to explore the phenomenon of virtual worlds and videogames. Please visit this page for photos and reports of the conference.
Check back here for updates on final conference papers and information about book and video production.
LATEST NEWS
(JUNE 10) PROFESSOR NOVECK QUOTES ON VIRTUAL WORLDS IN THE LATEST ARTICLE BY MEDIA DAILY NEWS. Read more...
(MAY 27) CLAY SHIRKY'S ARTICLE ENTITLED "NOMIC WORLD: BY THE PLAYERS, FOR THE PLAYER" HAS BEEN PUBLISHED AND SUMMERIZES THE TALK THAT WAS DELIVERED AT THE STATE OF PLAY LAST YEAR. Read more...
(MAR 15) SAP INFO HAS JUST PUBLISHED AN INTERVIEW WITH PROFESSOR BETH NOVECK ON HER EXPERIENCE WITH STATE OF PLAY AND THE ISSUES UNCOVERED WHEN REAL WORLDS COLLIDE WITH VIRTUAL WORLDS. Read more...
(FEB 11) CORY ONDREJKA FROM LINDEN LAB POSTS SYNOPSIS OF THE ERULEMAKING SESSION ENTITLED "U.S. GOVERNMENT POWNED!"
(FEB 11) SLASHDOT - READ THE LATEST THREAD ON THE COLLABORATION OF GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS AND GAME DESIGNERS SPAWNED BY THE STATE OF PLAY.
(FEB 9): VILLAGE VOICE MR. ROBOTICS GIVES A SHOUT OUT TO THE STATE OF PLAY, SEE BRENDAN KOERNER'S COMMENT.
(FEB 9): WIRED NEWS FEATURES STORY ENTITLED "LAWMAKERS GAME THE SYSTEM" ON THE DEMOCRACY: THE VIDEOGAME WORKSHOP ORGANIZED BY THE DEMOCRACY DESIGN WORKSHOP AT THE STATE OF PLAY. ARTICLE BY DANIEL TERDIMAN AND AVAILABLE HERE.(JAN 1): THE STATE OF PLAY IN THE AMERICAN LAWYER - CARLYN KOLKER RECAPS ON THE CONFERENCE IN THIS MONTH'S ISSUE. CHECK OUT THE ARTICLE ENTITLED "GAME SHOW."
(DEC 29): DRAWING FROM THE STATE OF PLAY, FINANCIAL TIMES ARTICLE EXPLORES THE ECONOMIC COMPLEXITIES OF VIRTUAL GOODS. LOG ON TO FINANCIAL TIMES ONLINE FOR MORE.
(DEC 5): JAMES GRIMMELMAN POSTS CONFERENCE REPORT AND CORY ONDREJKA POSTS PAPER.
(NOV 15): PICKING UP DATES IN VIRTUAL WORLDS? READ BLOG POSTING ON DISCOURSE.NET ENTITLED "HOW NOT TO PICK UP WOMEN ONLINE"
Pre-Conference Description: From the international Olympics to football pools, communities, both public and private cohere through games. All cultures play. Games reflect our fantasies and reinforce our values. We spend much of our time playing games that immerse us in the world and values of a game designer and inculcate the norms of imagined cultures.
With the advent of digital technologies, some games have become multimedia but often solitary and isolating experiences of play, the refuge of "anti-social geeks.” Other computer games have evolved into networked games where any number of participants can play together within the framework and rules of the game. Even those who rarely play multimedia computer games can play networked versions of bridge, cards and other traditional games in cyberspace. Now, with the launch of massive multiplayer on-line gaming, electronic games have gained an even broader reach. A vast number of participants can play together in a game space and the rules of play are dynamic and evolving.
The new environments of electronic games, especially those that are massively multiplayer, are not just gamespaces; they are cultures unto themselves. Like real societies, they grow and evolve as their members create rules and norms. Some norms in games are cooperative and democratic, others are dictatorial and dystopic. This interdisciplinary conference will examine the state of play today in an effort to understand the phenomenon of digital games and the virtual worlds they create and to discuss the complex social, psychological, and legal issues to which they give rise.
Contact:
Conference Coordinator: Mr. Edward Chin, Program Director of the Institute for Information Law at New York Law School
Press Contact: Mr. Jim Hellegaard, Communications Director, New York Law School
Graphic Design By Andre Pennycooke