VIRTUAL SOCIAL LIFE AND RELATED MARKETING EFFORTS IN THE WORLD OF ONLINE GAMES

Year 2010, Volume: 2 Issue: 1, 17 - 23, 01.06.2010

Cevdet Panayırcı Fazli Yıldırım

Abstract

As the Internet and the World Wide Web proliferate, a new form of communication and interaction
has been made possible. People live increasingly hybrid lives where the physical and the digital,
the real and the virtual interact. Massively multiplayer online role - playing games (MMORPGs),
i.e. online role playing games, are a special medial and social phenomenon of our time and
experienced a massive growth of players. Studies reveal that mmorpg players compose a
heterogenic population and spend considerable amount of time in the virtual world. Extensive
interest in the virtual world makes way for a new entertainment market and supplementary
environments such as game forums, chat points and specialized web sites. On the other hand while
the market shares of game based networks are increasing dependence and addiction become an
important issue.
This research concentrates on game oriented social life and related markets in this phase and tries
to describe the framework of internet based virtual communications, game based online markets,
game memberships, forums and virtual chat points with regard to effects on social life in the
global frame as well as mentioning Turkey’s position.

Keywords

Mmorpgs, game based social life, online game marketing, game forums, virtual chat.

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