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Drawing together some of the leading authors in tourism, this text provides state-of-the-art reviews of research in fields of tourism. The text also revisits classic reviews which first appeared in "Progress in Tourism, Recreation and Hospitality Management" series, over a decade before the publication of this title. Topics covered include gender, alternative tourism, urban tourism, heritage tourism and environmental auditing. ... Read more

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Comic book published by Marvel Comics. The adventures of a group of paranormal investigators, spun off from the "Midnight Sons" crossover event that ran throughout Marvel's various supernatural titles in 1992. ... Read more

Product Description
Comic book published by Marvel Comics. The adventures of a group of paranormal investigators, spun off from the "Midnight Sons" crossover event that ran throughout Marvel's various supernatural titles in 1992. ... Read more

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Inside Title: Loyalty Test. ... Read more

Product Description
Comic book published by Marvel Comics. The adventures of a group of paranormal investigators, spun off from the "Midnight Sons" crossover event that ran throughout Marvel's various supernatural titles in 1992. ... Read more

Product Description
Comic book published by Marvel Comics. The adventures of a group of paranormal investigators. Part of the "Midnight Massacre" crossover event that ran throughout Marvel's various supernatural titles in 1993. This issue has a unique all-black cover with gold ink. ... Read more

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This comic is written in the Klingon language! There is a glossary in the back to assist with reading, but not all the words in the comic are there, so some previous knowledge of the language will be helpful in reading it! ... Read more

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Photographer Robbie Cooper's Alter Ego explores personal and social identities being shaped in the metaverse at the beginning of the twenty-first century. Portraits of online gamers and virtual-world participants from America, Asia and Europe are paired with images of their avatars, with profiles of their real-world and virtual characters. The book is both an entertainment and a serious look at a phenomenon that is shaping the future of human interaction. With an introduction by Julian Dibbell and interviews and a glossary by Tracy Spaight. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

from missprint.wordpress.com
At first glance, Robbie Cooper's Alter Ego: Avatar and Their Creators (2007) is fundamentally a coffee table book: large, non-standard size, glossy photos, high quality paper, and a really interesting topic. But it's also more than that.

With the unprecedented popularity of massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPG) like Second Life and World of Warcraft, avatars--the customized, computerized virtual characters that move around a computer game when you move your mouse or type on the keyboard--are a big deal. They're not only how a player interacts with a given game interface, they are also how a player presents themselves to that game.

For that reason, avatars also become a part of a player's life--sometimes simply to enable gameplay but also often in very meaningful ways unrelated to the game per se. The chosen title of this book, Alter Ego, points out that fact very well. These are characters that players alter for various reasons. Some to adopt a persona more accurate than a physical appearance could ever be. Others to create a virtual version of themselves down to the smallest detail. At the same time, avatars also can become an alternative personality.

In this book Cooper has collected photographs of real people and the avatars they have created for themselves. The book also provides vital statistics (who they are, where they live, game played, etc.). Each person interviewed also explains, in their own words, the thought process that went into making their avatar and what it (and online role play gaming in general) means to their lives.

The book and its range of subjects is fascinating. Senior citizens in a nursing home, a disabled young man, teens, drag queens, actors, entrepreneurs, and regular people are all represented in this book. And they all have an avatar.

No one really knows what the implications of increased online socialization will be yet. But in a time where more and more time is spent online, Alter Ego shows that there is a lot more to gaming than mashing a few buttons.

People worth meeting
When I received this book I thought I could just do a quick glance through it then off to bed.Oh well, I don't usually have this much fun being wrong, so that is one good thing.If you have any dealings with mmorpg gaming, the pictures alone make the book worth having.However, even if you don't, the bios and essays with each catch your interest and may even draw you into the virtual universe.Some are just fun to see, such as the 4 women who have been friends since middle school and are women warriors online.Some make you realize that all the hype in the world can't adequately demonstrate the importance of the venue to some. In particular the photos of people with handicaps and their online personalities tied with their bios and essays.Those are not mere pathos.Look closely, and you will see their personalities shining through.And some are just amazing in the imaginations of the players.One even made me do a double take.The real life image looked as if it came from the movie "The Matrix", making the avatar look "more real" at first glance.In all, it is a lot of fun and may even kick start your own creativity.

Coffee table book for a gamer or digital culture scholar!
What fun this book is! The front cover is a "hologram" just like on the covers of some of the books I had as a kid in the seventies, where moving your head a little morphs the photo of two World of Warcraft avatars into a photo of the couple who play them. The entire book is devoted to photos of avatars alongside their players, with brief facts given about each player and avatar. A perfect coffee table book for a gamer or digital culture scholar!

Avatars...
Interesting book. Good concept. Excellent cover. It becomes a little repetitive throughout the pages though... I wish there were more interesting people in it. Many of them are very similar to each other...

Couldn't put it down
I thought it would be just a nice topical coffee table book, but it is way more compelling than I expected. The layout and form is quite unique. A precious work of art. Each pair of pages a jewel. There is a photo of each user on one side and image of their avatar on the facing page. But it's the couple of paragraphs in each of the users own words that wouldn't let me put the book down. Just amazing the various types of relationships these people have with their avatars. My favorite quote: "I used to be a satanic priest, but now I have a girlfriend." ... Read more

Product Description
This series provides an information library on the main aspects of physical science, with an emphasis on enquiry; answering the questions that children ask and addressing the topics that they are required to research at this level. Each book contains aspects of science which are linked to everyday examples that will be familiar to the reader to aid understanding, before moving on to more complex topics. There are answers to key questions about the main topics at this level. The books also include experiments to illustrate the topic under discussion and to develop understanding of scientific methodology. Scientific measurement is covered and the more unusal or amazing applications. ... Read more