Are massively multiplayer online games and virtual worlds potential havens for activities that require a systemic response in the name of national security? This is the question raised—and as it belatedly turned out, rather extensively explored—by more than one secret service over the past decade. The rise of online gaming has not only changed the way we think about role-playing, but also transformed the strategy genre; networked computing also spawned virtual worlds that are venues for congregating, exploring, communicating, and commerce. They rely on data flows that are minutely logged and analyzed—not only by publishers of games and virtual worlds themselves, who have an obvious interest in monitoring them for operation and feedback, but also by secret services.

Organisation und Kontakt
Eduardo Luersen (Postdoctoral Fellow / Literature) | Zukunftskolleg