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On the Research Value of Large Games

Natural Experiments in Norrath and Camelot

Edward Castronova

Indiana University

Coordination game theory is quite important to a number of literatures but has had very few direct empirical tests because that would require experimental participation by large numbers of people. Large games however can produce natural experiments: situations that through no intent of the designer offer controlled variations on a phenomenon of theoretical interest. Unlike any other social science research technology, such games provide for both sufficient participation numbers and careful control of experimental conditions, making them like Petri dishes for social science. This article examines two examples of games as Petri dishes for macro-level coordination effects: (a) the location of markets inside EverQuest and (b) the selection of battlefields inside Dark Age of Camelot.

Key Words: games • social science methods • natural experiments • MMORPGs

Games and Culture, Vol. 1, No. 2, 163-186 (2006)
DOI: 10.1177/1555412006286686
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