The Guardian’s just published my latest column, “Developers still finding that it pays to get in the game,” about the increasingly prevalent online game practice of selling items to players, and the parallels this has to the download wars:

Official, game-sponsored exchanges for real-money trades (RMTs) are more than places where players can swap goods for money. Fundamentally, these exchanges act as an honest broker between two extremely different types of player: cash-rich/time-poor players (people with jobs, for the most part) and time-rich/cash-poor players (retirees and young people). Seen through this lens, a “game” is just a bunch of applied psychology that makes kids work long hours to earn virtual gewgaws that adults are trained to desire. In this “Free to play, pay for stuff” world, kids are alienated from the product of their leisure by a marketplace where the game-company skims a piece off of every transaction.

The psychology of this is fascinating, since it all only works to the extent that the game remains “fun”. One key element is that skilled players (eg kids) must not feel like the rich players are able to buy their way into positions of power. Game devs are advised to sell defensive items – shields, armour, dodging spells, but not offensive ones. A skilled player will still be able to clobber a heavily armoured rich player, given enough time (and skilled players have nothing but time, by definition), but may quit in disgust at the thought that some rich wanker is able to equip himself with a mega-powerful sword or blaster that gives him ultimate killing power. No one wants to play in a game where one player has an “I win” button.

For me, the most fascinating thing about this is how it can be seen as the application of the business model that downloaders have been advocating since Napster: “Don’t sue the kids who download your music or movies, rather, see them as the marketing that sells the same media to cash-rich adults who lack the time to use P2P software.”

Developers still finding that it pays to get in the game

Last week, I gave a talk at Berlin’s Re:publica conference and recorded this video interview with Golem.de.

The Serbian City Magazine just published the first-ever interview with me in Serbo-Croatian!

Gomila mojih prijatelja je napisala knjige za mlade i odlično su se zabavljali. Moja prijateljica Kathe Koja je bila poznata horor spisateljica koja je pisala veoma živopisan horor, kada je, za svaki slučaj, odlučila da piše te skoro hemingvejske romane za mlade(ž). Iskustva koja mi je opisala su bila tako cool, pisati za decu koja ne čitaju samo iz zabave nego iz potrebe da prokljuve kako svet funkcioniše.

Povratna informacija koju je dobila je bila tako otvorena i iskrena i ona je bila tako jako, jako, jako uzbuđena da je promenila žanr.

Druga stvar koju sam želeo je bila da napišem roman u kom tehnologija zbilja funkcioniše, gde je tehnologija – prava tehnologija. Mislio sam da je young adult pravi žanr za to. U fikciji prozi za mlade postoji časna tradicija pisanja o tome kako tehnologija radi – prave lekcije – i stvarno mi se sviđao taj način rada. [Robert Anson] Heinlein je bio veliki zagovornik toga. Kada sam bio dete dosta sam saznao o finansijama i politici u knjigama kao što je Have Space Suit—Will Travel. Moja knjiga (Little Brother) je neka vrsta radikalne, političke Have Space Suit—Will Travel. Tako da se literatura za mlade nametnula kao pravi žanr za taj posao.

Intervju: Cory Doctorow

(Thanks, Zoran!)

My latest Guardian column, “Authors have lost the plot in Kindle battle,” argues that the Authors’ Guild is nuts to focus on the text-to-speech feature, and should really be paying attention to the fact that it’s apparently possible to remotely disable features in the ebook reader.

Maybe I’m right and maybe I’m wrong, but the important thing is, we don’t need new theories about copyright law to test the proposition. The existing, totally non-controversial aspect of copyright law that says, “Amazon can’t publish and sell my book without my permission” covers the territory nicely.

But while we were all running our mouths about the plausibility of the singularity emerging from Amazon’s text-to-speech R&D, a much juicier issue was escaping our notice: it is technically possible for Amazon to switch off the text-to-speech feature for some or all books.

That’s a hell of a thing, isn’t it? Now that Amazon has agreed with the Authors Guild that text-to-speech will only be switched on for authors who sign a contract permitting it, we should all be goggling in amazement at the idea that this can be accomplished.

Authors have lost the plot in Kindle battle

French fan-translation (Eric Moreau)

Charlie Stross and I are doing a benefit talk for the Open Rights Group on May 1 in London, entitled “Resisting the all-seeing eye.” Hope to see you there — Stross is a ball, and ORG is a damned worthy cause, especially in this era of ubiquitous surveillance.

From technologies like PGP and Tor to the arguments that will convince people – friends and family as well as media and politicians – to watch out for their digital rights, this event is your anti-surveillance 101.

Cory Doctorow – science fiction novelist, blogger and technology activist – and Charlie Stross – science fiction writer and former programmer and pharmacist – will share how and why to control your data. The event will be moderated by Ian Brown – academic, activist and Blogzilla.

The entry price is either joining Open Rights Group – by handing door staff a completed form (link to PDF) – or making a one-off £10 donation on the door. Please register for tickets here. Drinks will be available, as is The Three Kings – a local pub – to continue the debate.

What: Doctorow and Stross: Resisting the all-seeing eye
When: 1830, Friday 1 May 2009
Where: Crypt on the Green, St James Church, Clerkenwell, Clerkenwell Close, London, EC1R 0EA – Map

Event – Doctorow and Stross: Resisting the all-seeing eye