Diversity of Online Communities

Diversity of Online Communities

The article in U.S. News & World Report called "Go Play-On the Web" represents a community of virtual gamers on the Internet. These games are a lot more complex than the online gaming of the past. When these people that belong to this particular community log on to the net they are interacting with each other in huge 3-D virtual worlds. Some of these games focus on a particular subject like playing virtual game shows with others on the net. Some of the new games that are just recently being released are far more complex. One of these new more complex games is called "Motor City Online". Motor City Online is a game where people buy old muscle cars and customize them to their own personal specifications. When they are ready they can go out to the virtual races and race other people that are logged on to the game. Although most people like to race cars what makes this game unique is the fact that people can do a lot more in this game than just race cars. Some people spend their time browsing the car actions and buying cars cheap, then they strip the cars down in order to sell the parts to other people online and make a profit. Other people find a niche in the game as a mechanic helping others find the best and cheapest parts for their street rods. These are just a few of the roles that a person can play in this game. I think the fact that you can assume so many different roles in games like Motor City Online makes it unique. To me these types of games seem to be more than just games but they are almost a virtual life that some people live in the spare time. When they log on to these games they are taking positions in jobs in these worlds such as Race car drivers, Mechanics, Promoters, and Auctione...

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...of the Internet say that the net is a dangerous place for people to spend their time because there are so many horrible people and things that users can be exposed to on the net. I don't agree with this at all I think that the Internet is very similar to real life. The Internet can be what ever each individual user wants it to be. It all depends on what communities that people chose to go online and be apart of. It takes a lot longer to find a community online than it does in real life but there is a community online for everyone. I think the critics of the Internet just haven't spent enough time browsing for a place where they feel comfortable.

Works Cited

Reingold, Howard "The Heart of the WELL" Composing Cyberspace Ed. Phillip A. Butcher Boston: Mc Graw Hill 1998 151-163

Terrell, Kenneth "Go Play- on the Web" U.S. News & World Report Sept. 2001: 78-80