The ethics and experience of “treacherous play”: an exploration of three games that allow deception and betrayal—EVE Online, DayZ, and Survivor. Deception and betrayal in gameplay are generally considered off-limits, designed out of most multiplayer games. There are a few games, however, in which deception and betrayal are allowed, and even encouraged. In Treacherous Play, Marcus Carter explores the ethics and experience of playing such games, offering detailed explorations of three games in which this kind of “dark play” is both lawful and advantageous: EVE Online, DayZ, and the television series Survivor. Examining aspects of games that are often hidden, ignored, or designed away, Carter shows the appeal of playing treacherously. Carter looks at EVE Online’s notorious scammers and spies, drawing on his own extensive studies of them, and describes how treacherous play makes EVE successful. Making a distinction between treacherous play and griefing or trolling, he examines the experiences of DayZ players to show how negative experiences can be positive in games, and a core part of their appeal. And he explains how in Survivor’s tribal council votes, a player’s acts of betrayal can exact a cost. Then, considering these games in terms of their design, he discusses how to design for treacherous play. Carter’s account challenges the common assumptions that treacherous play is unethical, antisocial, and engaged in by bad people. He doesn’t claim that more games should feature treachery, but that examining this kind of play sheds new light on what play can be.
The fantasies that underpin common perceptions of Virtual Reality—and what we need to know about VR’s potential risks as well as its opportunities. Virtual reality is the next new frontier for Silicon Valley. Mark Zuckerberg, who has overseen Meta’s investment of billions into VR, pitches it as the next dominant computing paradigm. More than just a gaming technology, VR is top of mind for academics, tech reportage, and industry evangelists who all see the potential for VR to revolutionize fields such as education and health, as well as the way we work and communicate. But will VR achieve all this? In Fantasies of Virtual Reality, Marcus Carter and Ben Egliston strip bare the tech industry’s vision of a future dominated by immersive VR experiences, challenging the utopian promises of this technology’s potential. Carter and Egliston offer a critical account of VR in a variety of contexts, from gaming to human resources to policing and the military. They argue that while VR does hold significant potential, the overhyped expectations surrounding it, from achieving true empathetic understanding to transforming traditional education and office work, are often overstated and fraught with issues of privacy, control, and exclusion. What’s more, there is nothing truly virtual about virtual reality: VR is deeply entrenched in the material world, driven by tangible technological, economic, and social logics. An accessible introduction to this emerging technology, Fantasies of Virtual Reality is essential reading for anyone interested in what VR can really do—and what is just plain fantasy.
Welcome to Black Cat Weekly #43. If this isn’t the best issue we had to date, it’s pretty darn close. Lots of great tales are packed into this one—including not one, but two mystery novels (by Edwin Balmer and Nicholas Carter), three shorter mysteries (including a major new novelet by Robert Lopresti, a great reprint by Victoria Weisfeld, and a solve-it-yourself puzzler from Hal Charles). On the science fiction side, we have an amazing set of stories by Daniel Marcus, Isaac Asimov, George O. Smith, Murray Leinster, and Robert Silverberg. It’s hard to get better than that. Oh, wait—we also have an interview with Robert Varley, courtesy of Darrell Schweitzer. This is another one of his “paleo-interviews,” going back to 1976, the time when Varley burst onto the scene and became one of this hottest writers in the field. Here’s the complete lineup: Mysteries / Suspense / Adventure: “The Suicide Club,” by Robert Lopresti [Michael Bracken Presents short story] A Wee Bit of Dough,” by Hal Charles [Solve-It-Yourself Mystery] Evidence, by Victoria Weisfeld [Barb Goffman Presents short story] Ruth of the U.S.A., by Edwin Balmer [novel] An Uncanny Revenge, by Nicholas Carter [novel] Non-Fiction: "Speaking with John Varley” [Interview with Darrell Schweitzer] Science Fiction & Fantasy: “Jesus Christ Superstore,” by Daniel Marcus [Cynthia Ward Presents short story] “Let’s Get Together,” by Isaac Asimov [short story] “The Undamned, by George O. Smith [short story] “Planet of Sand,” by Murray Leinster [short story] “The Guest Rites,” by Robert Silverberg [short story]
In the United States, divorce rates are steadily rising, reaching nearly 50% in 2018. With frightening statistics like this, many question whether marriage is even worth it, and we're here to tell you it is. Love Talk is geared towards those who are married but may be on the verge of adding to the divorce rate statistics. Perhaps this is a last-ditch effort to rekindle the romance and remember why you took those vows. Or, maybe you're headed toward the altar but are worried about the success of your pending nuptials. Regardless of relationship status, race, sexual orientation, or social status, the information provided in this book will help you foster beautiful bonds that beat the odds.With over a decade of experience, we dig deep into what it takes to keep a marriage going after so many years. The key to having longevity is a solid foundation, and in this book, we cover pre-marital topics, how to overcome obstacles, and even answer questions from people who, just like you, are willing to do what it takes to keep their love alive. Also discussed are real-life personal events that could have cost us our marriage, but with the practical tools and resources we'll provide, we aim to show you how you, too, can conquer any hardship.Marriage is hard-there's no doubt about that. But, with a united front and two people who are willing to fight for their relationship, success is always possible. Picking up this book is the first step to changing how you view your current situation. Despite the odds that seem stacked against you, you can have a successful, loving, healthy marriage that lasts, and we're living proof.
- This partipant book is also available as a pack of five - Faith formation resource for young adults on human sexuality - For use in congregational and campus ministry settings
- Faith formation resource for young adults on human sexuality - For use in congregational and campus ministry settings Our inherent value and worth comes from God's love for us, but our modern world is filled with sexual expression that too often leads us away from the life of Christ. As Christians seeking to live a life worthy of our calling and desiring to pass along these values to our children and youth, these books (Leader Guide and Participant Book) offer session plans with activities for Young Adults (ages 18-30) to explore issues of sexuality in the context of our faith, building on the foundational book of the same name and as part of the These Are Our Bodies program resource. Session topics include: - Holiness - Intimacy - Covenant - Love - Biology - Communication - What is Sacred? - Power and Parity - Mind, Body, and Soul - Brokenness and Shame - Our Bodies: Currency and Creators
Carter's up in the middle of the night, too excited to sleep: her baby sister is being born! She asks her Uncle Marcus to tell her stories about the beautiful things in his dreadlocks so she can relax and rest. He tells her about the day she was born, how he met his partner Uncle Jeff and much more.
The publication of Volume VII marks the completion of the American series of The Marcus Garvey and Universal Negro Improvement Association Papers. This final book in the seven-volume set charts the magnetic, controversial Pan-African leader's career from his deportation from the United States in November 1927 to his death in England in 1940. The volume begins with Garvey's triumphant welcome in Jamaica, his tour abroad, and his entry into Jamaican party politics. It traces his reshaping of the organizational structure of the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) in the late 1920s, and his management of UNIA affairs from Kingston and London in the 1930s. Though typically seen as a time of decline, this final period of Garvey's life appears, in editorials drawn from his publications, as a fruitful one in which some of his strongest political writings were produced. Surveillance reports filed by Jamaican police and British colonial officials provide a rich account of Garvey's speeches and activities. Although he was banned from the United States and restricted from traveling or speaking in many areas under colonial supervision, Garvey nevertheless traveled widely after his deportation, visiting and influencing affairs in Geneva, Paris, and London, and making organizational tours of Canada and the Caribbean. He chaired UNIA conferences in Toronto and inaugurated the School of African Philosophy, a series of lectures designed to train UNIA leaders. In the mid-1930s he moved the headquarters of the UNIA to London. In the final months of his life, correspondence between Garvey in England and his young sons in Jamaica shows the personal side of the public leader. The tragedy of Garvey's personal demise is framed by the cataclysmic events of Europe entering a world war and by the decline of the movement he had worked so diligently to build. The long financial hardships of the previous decade and the loss of Garvey's presence had winnowed the membership of the UNIA. Garvey suffered a disabling stroke in January 1940. He died in London the following June, as Italy invaded France and Germany prepared to occupy Paris. Volume VII ends with the reconstitution of the UNIA in the months immediately after Garvey's death and the establishment of a new headquarters with new leadership in Cleveland.
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