Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
FIGURE 3.3
The US National Archives and Records Administration has simplified the work
of genealogists by putting millions of records online.
(Courtesy of The National Archives)
Now that the National Archives has put more than 50 million historical records
online, the same searches can be performed remotely—and much more quickly—
over the Internet (Figure 3.3) [21].
8.
We enter virtual worlds.
An
online game
is a game played on a computer network that supports the simulta-
neous participation of multiple players. A
persistent online game
is an online game
in which each player assumes the role of a character in a virtual world and the at-
tributes of the character and the world persist beyond a single gaming session. The
most popular persistent online game is World of Warcraft, with more than ten mil-
lion monthly subscribers worldwide [22]. At times, the number of simultaneous
players in China alone has reached one million [23].
Another hub of persistent online gaming is South Korea. Cybercafes (called
PC bangs
in South Korea) have large-screen monitors enabling spectators to watch
the gameplay, which is full of virtual violence and mayhem. Some children spend
up to 10 hours a day playing games, hoping to turn professional. Kim Hyun Soo,
chairman of the Net Addiction Treatment Center, complains that “young people are
losing their ability to relate to each other, except through games” [24]. We discuss
the topic of Internet addiction in Section 3.9.
The phenomenon of global online gaming has created a real economy based
on virtual worlds. Some people are making a living playing persistent online games.
