Books
This compilation is a selection of books regarding virtual worlds and other immersive environments, including educational, technical and scholarly aspects. Many of these titles are featured in the virtual Rockcliffe Library in Second Life. Papers, reports and articles will be compiled elsewhere on this wiki. Search for theses and dissertations here. See also Gaming Research on this wiki.
Bibliography
Being there together : social interaction in virtual environments by Ralph Schroeder. New York : Oxford University Press, 2011.
Brand Avatar : translating virtual world branding into real world success by Alycia De Mesa. New York : Palgrave Macmillan, 2009.
Cases on collaboration in virtual learning environments : processes and interactions by Donna Russell. Hershey, Pa. : Information Science Reference, 2010.
Closed Systems/Open Worlds Edited by Jeremy Hunsinger et al. 2015.
Coming of age in Second Life : an anthropologist explores the virtually human by Tom Boellstorff. Princeton : Princeton University Press, 2008.
Communities of play : emergent cultures in multiplayer games and virtual worlds by Celia Pearce. Cambridge, Mass. : MIT Press, 2009.
Computer games and virtual worlds : a new frontier in intellectual property law by Ross A Dannenberg. Chicago, Ill. : American Bar Association, Section of Intellectual Property Law, 2010.
Connected play: tweens in a virtual world by Yasmin B. Kafai and Deborah A. Field. MIT Press, 2013.
Constructing the self in a digital world by Cynthia Carter Ching; Brian J Foley. Cambridge ; New York : Cambridge University Press, 2012.
Critical Gaming: Interactive History and Digital Heritage by Erik Champion. Routledge, 2015. Link to book.
Creating second lives : community, identity, and spatiality as constructions of the virtual by Astrid Ensslin; Eben J Muse. New York : Routledge, 2011.
Creating your world : the official guide to advanced content creation for Second life by Aimee Weber; Kimberly Rufer-Bach; Richard Platel. Indianapolis, IN : Wiley Pub., 2008.
Cutting-edge social media approaches to business education : teaching with LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Second Life, and blogs by Charles Wankel; Matthew Marovich; Jurate Stanaityte. Charlotte, N.C. : Information Age Pub., 2010.
Design for learning in virtual worlds by Brian C Nelson; Benjamin E. Erlandson. New York : Routledge, 2012.
Designing adaptive virtual worlds by Ning Gu and Mary Lou Maher. De Gruyter, 2015. This is an open access book.
Designing your second life : techniques and inspiration for you to design your ideal parallel universe within the online community, Second Life by Rebecca Tapley. Indianapolis, Ind. : New Riders, 2007.
Emerging ethical issues of life in virtual worlds by Charles Wankel; Shaun K. Malleck. Charlotte, N.C. : Information Age Pub., 2010.
Engaging the avatar: new frontiers in immersive education by Randy J. Hinrichs; Charles Wankel. Charlotte, N.C.: Information Age Pub., 2012.
The entrepreneur's guide to Second life : making money in the metaverse by Daniel Terdiman. Hoboken, N.J. : Wiley Pub., 2008.
Ethnography and virtual worlds : a handbook of method by Tom Boellstorff. Princeton, NJ : Princeton University Press, 2012.
Evolutionary Games in Natural, Social, and Virtual Worlds by Daniel Friedman and Barry Sinervo. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2016. This is not a free book. LC: Game theory.
Exodus to the virtual world : how online fun is changing reality by Edward Castronova. New York : Palgrave Macmillan, 2007.
Extending Virtual Worlds: Advanced Design for Virtual Environments by Ann Latham Cudworth. CRC Press, 2016.
Feminist Cyberspaces, edited by S. Collingwood, et al. Cambridge Scholars Press, 2012. An anthology of essays.
The Functions of Role-Playing Games: How Participants Create Community, Solve Problems and Explore Identity by Sarah Lynne Bowman. McFarland, 2010.
Games and Rules: Game Mechanics for the »Magic Circle« by Beat Suter et al. transcript Verlag, 2019. Find an open access edition here.
The Gamification of Learning and Instruction: Game-based Methods and Strategies for Training and Education by Karl M. Kapp. Pfeiffer, 2012.
Hello Avatar: rise of the networked generation by B. Coleman. MIT Press, 2011.
Higher education administration with social media : including applications in student affairs, enrollment management, alumni relations, and career centers by Laura A Wankel; Charles Wankel. Bingley, UK : Emerald, 2011.
Higher education in virtual worlds : teaching and learning in Second Life by Charles Wankel; Jan Kingsley. Bingley, U.K. : Emerald Group Pub., 2009.
How to do everything with Second life by Richard Mansfield. New York : Mcgraw-Hill, 2008.
How to get a second life by Madddyyy Schnook; Andrew Sullivan. London : Fusion Press, 2007
How to make real money in second life : boost your business, market your services, and sell your products in the world's hottest virtual community by Robert Freedman. New York : McGraw-Hill, 2008.
I, avatar : the culture and consequences of having a second life by Mark Stephen Meadows. Berkeley, CA : New Riders, 2008.
Immersive gameplay: essays on participatory media and role-playing edited by Evan Torner, William J. White. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Co, 2012. ISBN 9780786468348
The immersive Internet : reflections on the entangling of the virtual with society, politics and the economy by Dominic Power; Robin Teigland. Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire : Palgrave Macmillan, [2013].
Implementing Second Life: ideas, challenges, and innovations by Joe Sanchez; Jane D. Stimpson; ALA TechSource. Chicago, IL : ALATechSource, 2009.
Increasing student engagement and retention using immersive interfaces : virtual worlds, gaming, and simulation by Charles Wankel; Patrick Blessinger. Bradford : Emerald Group Pub., 2012.
Infinite reality : avatars, eternal life, new worlds, and the dawn of the virtual revolution by Jim Blascovich; Jeremy Bailenson. New York : William Morrow, 2011. Book website is here.
Information dynamics in virtual worlds : gaming and beyond by Woody Evans. Oxford, UK : Chandos Pub., 2011.
Internet virtual worlds quick tour : MUD's, MOO's & MUSHes : interactive games, conferences & forums by Sean Carton. Chapel Hill, NC : Ventana Press, 1995.
Law and order in virtual worlds : exploring avatars, their ownership and rights by Angela Adrian. Hershey, PA : Information Science Reference, 2010.
The law of virtual worlds and Internet social networks by Andrew Peter Sparrow. Farnham, Surrey, England ; Burlington, Vt. : Gower Pub., 2010.
Learning and research in virtual worlds by Jeremy Hunsinger; Aleks Krotoski. London ; New York : Routledge, 2012.
Learning and teaching in the virtual world of Second Life by Judith Molka-Danielsen; Mats Deutschmann. Trondheim : Tapir Academic Press, 2009.
Learning in real and virtual worlds: commercial video games as educational tools by Pilar Lacasa. Palgrave MacMillan, 2013.
Learning in 3D: Adding a New Dimension to Enterprise Learning and Collaboration by Karl M. Kapp and Tony Driscoll. Pfeiffer, 2010.
Learning in Virtual Worlds: Research and Applications, edited by Sue Gregory, Mark J.W. Lee, Barney Dalgarno, and Belinda Tynan. Athabasca Press, 2016. This book is available as a free .pdf
Learning online with games, simulations, and virtual worlds : strategies for online instruction by Clark Aldrich. San Francisco : Jossey-Bass, 2009.
Leet Noobs: the life and death of an expert player group in World of Warcraft by Mark Chen. Peter Lang: 2011.
Librarianship in virtual worlds by Thomas A Peters. Chicago, IL : ALA TechSource, 2008.
Living virtually : researching new worlds by Don Heider. New York : Peter Lang, 2009.
The making of Second Life : notes from the new world by Wagner James Au. New York : Collins, 2008.
Making virtual worlds : Linden Lab and Second Life by Thomas M Malaby. Ithaca : Cornell University Press, 2009.
Marketing in virtual worlds by Natalie T Wood. Boston : Prentice Hall, 2011.
MMO's from the Inside Out: The History, Design, Fun, and Art of Massively-multiplayer Online Role-playing Games by Richard Bartle. Apress, 2016.
MMO's from the Outside In: The Massively-Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games of Psychology, Law, Government, and Real Life by Richard Bartle. Apress, 2016. A "follow-up volume to MMOs from the Inside Out" can be read online at IT eBooks.
The multi-player classroom: designing coursework as a game by Lee Sheldon. Cengage Learning PTR, 2011.
My Life as a Night Elf Priest: An Anthropological Account of World of Warcraft by Bonnie A. Nardi. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press, 2009. Available as a creative commons book at Digital Culture Books.
Nonverbal Communication in Virtual Worlds: understanding and designing by Joshua Tannebaum, et al. ETC Press, 2014. Download the book for free at ETC Press.
On virtual economies by Edward Castronova. Munich : Univ., Center for Economic Studies [u.a.], 2002.
Online multiplayer games by William Sims Bainbridge. [San Rafael, Calif.] : Morgan & Claypool Publishers, 2010.
Online worlds : convergence of the real and the virtual by William Sims Bainbridge. New York ; London : Springer, 2010.
Oxford handbook of virtuality, edited by Mark Grimshaw. Oxford University Press, 2014. A collection of over 50 essays.
Platform Second Life : developing real world applications by Nicholas Chase; Jason D Clark. Greenwich, Conn. : Manning ; London : Pearson Education [distributor], 2009.
Preserving complex digital environments edited by Janet Delve and David Anderson. Facet Publishing, 2014.
A Reader in Themed and Immersive Spaces by Scott Lukas et al. ETC Press, 2016. Download this open access book from ETC Press (Carnegie Mellon University).
Reinventing ourselves : contemporary concepts of identity in virtual worlds by Anna Peachey; Mark Childs. London : Springer, 2011.
Religion and popular culture: a cultural studies approach by Chris Klaussen. Oxford University Press, 2014. Section 9 discusses SL and World of Warcraft.
Researching learning in virtual worlds, edited by Peachey, A.; Gillen, J.; Livingstone, D.; Smith-Robbins, S. Springer, 2010.
Scripting your world : the official guide to Second Life scripting by Dana Moore; Michael Thome; Karen Haigh. Indianapolis, Ind. : Wiley Pub., 2008.
Second Life : a guide to your virtual world by Brian A White. Indianapolis, Ind. : Que Pub., 2008.
Second life : the official guide by Michael Rymaszewski; et al. [San Francisco, Calif. : Sybex] ; Chichester ; Hoboken, N.J. : John Wiley [distributor], 2007.
The Second Life Herald : the virtual tabloid that witnessed the dawn of the metaverse by Peter Ludlow; M. Wallace. Cambridge, Mass. : The MIT Press, 2007.
Second Life in-world travel guide by Sean Percival. Indianapolis, Ind. : Que Pub., 2008.
Second Life, media, and the other society by Phylis Johnson. New York : Peter Lang, 2010.
Security in virtual worlds, 3D webs, and immersive environments : models for development, interaction and management by Alan Rea. Hershey, PA : Information Science Reference, 2011.
Serious educational game assessment : practical methods and models for educational games, simulations and virtual worlds by Leonard A Annetta; Stephen C Bronack. Rotterdam : Sense Publishers, 2011.
The state of play : law, games, and virtual worlds by J. M. Balkin; Beth Simone Noveck. New York : New York University Press, 2006.
Teach yourself getting started in the Second Life world by Irie Tsure. London : Hodder Education ; [New York] : McGraw-Hill, 2008.
Teaching literature in virtual worlds : immersive learning in English studies by Allen Webb. New York : Routledge, 2012.
Teaching through multi-user virtual environments : applying dynamic elements to the modern classroom by Giovanni Vincenti; James Braman. Hershey, Pa. : IGI Global, 2011.
This gaming life: travels in three cities by Jim Rossignol. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press, 2008. Available as a creative commons book on Digital Culture Books.
Tools of Engagement : presenting and training in a world of social media by Bunzel, Tom. John Wiley & Sons 2010.
Total engagement : using games and virtual worlds to change the way people work and businesses compete by Byron Reeves; J Leighton Read. Boston, Mass. : Harvard Business Press, 2009.
Training and collaboration with virtual worlds : how to create cost-saving, efficient, and engaging programs by Alex Heiphetz; Gary Woodill. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2010.
Transforming virtual world learning by Randy J. Hinrichs; Charles Wankel. Bingley, U.K. : Emerald, 2011.
Understanding machinima : essays on filmmaking in virtual worlds by Jenna Ng. New York : Bloomsbury Academic, 2013.
The unofficial guide to building your business in the Second Life virtual world : marketing and selling your product, services, and brand in-world by Sue Martin Mahar; Jay Mahar. New York : AMACOM, 2009.
Values at play in digital games by Mary Flanagan and Helen Nissenbaum. MIT Press, 2014. Values at Play website.
Virtual Body Language; The History and Future of Avatars: How Nonverbal Expression is Evolving on the Internet by Jeffrey Ventrella. ETC Press, 2011. Download free chapters from the book website. See also the Virtual Body Language blog.
Virtual Economies: design and analysis by Vili Lehdonvirta and Edward Castronova. MIT Press, 2014.
Virtual economies and financial crime : money laundering in cyberspace by Clare Chambers-Jones. Cheltenham, UK ; Northampton, Mass. : Edward Elgar, 2012.
Virtual justice : the new laws of online worlds by F Gregory Lastowka. New Haven, Conn. : Yale University Press, 2010.
Virtual law : navigating the legal landscape of virtual worlds by Benjamin Tyson Duranske. Chicago : American Bar Association, 2008.
Virtual social networks : mediated, massive and multiplayer sites by Niki Panteli. Basingstoke [England] ; New York : Palgrave Macmillan, 2009.
Virtual world design by Ann Cudworth. CRC Press, 2014. Publisher information is here. For more information from the author visit her website at http://www.anncudworthprojects.com
Virtual worlds : controversies at the frontier of education by Kieron Sheehy; Rebecca Ferguson; Gill Clough. New York : Nova Science Publishers, 2010.
Virtual worlds and criminality by Kai Cornelius; Dieter Hermann. Berlin ; Heidelberg ; New York : Springer, 2011.
Virtual worlds for language learning : from theory to practice by Randall Sadler. New York : P. Lang, 2012.
The virtual worlds handbook : how to use Second Life and other 3D virtual environments by Elizabeth Hodge; Sharon Collins; Tracy Giordano. Sudbury, Mass. : Jones and Bartlett Publishers, 2011.
Virtual worlds on the Internet by John Vince; Rae A Earnshaw. Los Alamitos, Calif. : IEEE Computer Society, 1998.
Virtual worlds, real libraries : librarians and educators in Second Life and other multi-user virtual environments by Lori Bell; Rhonda B Trueman. Medford, N.J. : Information Today, 2008.
The Well-Played Game by Bernard De Koven. MIT Press, 2013.
Women and Second Life : essays on virtual identity, work and play by Dianna Baldwin; Julie Achterberg. Jefferson, North Carolina : McFarland & Company, Inc., [2013].
