T.L. Taylor, Dept. of Communication North Carolina State University: Owning Bodies, Owning Culture: Multiuser Games and the Challenge of Commercialization

This presentation will explore ways the commercialization of multiuser space is posing particular challenges to user autonomy and authorship. With ever broadening definitions of intellectual property rights, the status of cultural and symbolic artifacts as products of collaborative social effort becomes increasingly problematized. In the case of virtual environments - such as massive multiplayer online roleplay games like Everquest - where users develop identities, bodies (avatars) and communities the stakes are quite high. This talk will draw on several emerging case studies to discuss the status of culture, bodies, and authorship in these virtual environments.

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Mikael Wiberg