Copy MarkdownView markdownPrint entire sectionDesigning Virtual WorldsThe complete text of Designing Virtual Worlds by Richard A. Bartle, first published in 2003 and re-released under a Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 4.0 licence. The copyright page keeps the original terms.ContentsFront MatterPrefaceIntroduction to Virtual WorldsSome DefinitionsWhat They Are and Whence They CameThe Past Affects the FutureThe BasicsInfluences on Virtual WorldsThe DesignerHow to Make Virtual WorldsDevelopmentOn ArchitectureTheory and PracticePlayersWho Are These People and What Do They Want?Player TypesOther CategorizationsThe Celebration of IdentityAnonymityRole-PlayingMasqueradingCommunityInfluence Through DesignWorld DesignScopeMajor DecisionsGeographyPopulationPhysicsReset StrategyLife in the Virtual WorldAdvancementCharacter GenerationThe Virtual BodyGroupsCombatCraftingThe Elder GameThe Whole PictureIt’s Not a Game, It’s a…Points of ViewMaking Sense of Virtual WorldsVirtual Worlds as SubfieldsVirtual Worlds as ToolsVirtual Worlds as…Virtual WorldsConclusionToward a Critical AestheticA Theory of Virtual WorldsThe Story of StoryThe Critical Aesthetic in UseCoda: Ethical ConsiderationsCensorshipPlayers as PeopleGroups of Players as Groups of PeopleYourselfList of FiguresList of TablesIndex of EquationsIndex of ExamplesFront MatterPrefaceIntroduction to Virtual WorldsHow to Make Virtual WorldsPlayersWorld DesignLife in the Virtual WorldIt’s Not a Game, It’s a…Toward a Critical AestheticCoda: Ethical ConsiderationsFront Matter→