Product Description

"Virtual Worlds: Rewiring Your Emotional Future is a preview of coming attractions which only guides the imagination on the rails provided by a reality which is not so virtual anymore.' - Taran Rampersad www.knowprose.com Virtual Worlds are becoming an embedded part of our culture and the implications for every aspect of society are unimaginable. This 122-page easy-to-read book discusses the potential that Virtual Worlds have to dramatically alter the emotional code of the human race, and also reviews the opportunities for individuals, corporations, advertising and media companies to build personal and corporate marketing campaigns in Virtual Worlds. This first reader generated book not only will open the eyes of readers to this completely new world but, in itself, will become an immersive experience for readers that could keep them involved, engaged and emotionally connected to a virtual world community experience for years ahead.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #545166 in Books
• Published on: 2007-04-30
• Released on: 2007-04-30
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 160 pages

About the Author
Jack Myers is editor and publisher of Jack Myers Media Business Report, www.JackMyers.com and www.MediaVillage.com, the online community for intelligent TV fans. He was identified as one of the "1,000 Most Creative Individuals in the U.S" by Who's Really Who and is the recipient of the George Foster Peabody Award, won the Crystal Heart Award from the Heartland Film Festival, and has been nominated for both an Academy and Emmy Award. Myers has consulted with more than 200 leading media companies, agencies and major global marketers on media and marketing trends. The Myers Emotional Connections Research Studies, launched in 1999, have emerged as state-of-the art standards for measuring audiences' emotional connections with media. He is a Board Member of the Newhouse School of Communications at Syracuse University, serves on the Dean's Advisory Board for the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development at New York University, is a member of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, and serves on the boards of several charitable organizations.

Customer Reviews

Yes, but how do you feel about the Future?
Virtual World. Emotion. Why do these two words seem so separate? Is it because the technology masks our emotions with a gilded frame of ones and zeros? Is it that we are surrounded by technology so much that we forget our own humanity? Is it as Thoreau said, that men have become the tools of their tools? Or is it instead that humanity is offering more of itself into the technology that it creates? Deep questions which are not often approached, and when they are approached they are not often approached wisely. What is an 'emotional future', and do I want one? Do I have a choice? People get uncomfortable with such questions. These are dangerous questions, which usually means that they are good questions.

Of course, I got a gold paper clip with the book. This was somewhat of a novelty for me, and also gave me pause.

When I looked at the cover of this book, these were things that I thought about a bit. I wasn't sure what to expect. Two blurry avatars kissing on the cover of the book hint at romance, a topic that I cannot comment on beyond half a life's sojourns. What is this about?

So, I read the book.

The book was a quick read. It was well written and, more importantly, easy to read. The large text hints that this is bifocal friendly, but what this reader liked was that it was just plain easy to read. So often books fail in the mechanics department by not catering to their business properly, and I was pleased and even encouraged to read this book after glancing in its covers. Large text is encouraging; it is the promise that the book is thinner than it looks - and it is fairly thin.

The reader takes a journey into the concept of a virtual world - but not through the technical explanations. Refreshingly, it simply said that virtual worlds are, that they exist, and that they are just as real to virtual world users as the rest of their lives. That virtual communities have become powerful on the internet, and that virtual worlds are a promise - and a premise - of things to come. That virtual worlds are tied to internet seems to go without saying, and yet so many people treat them as separate. The authors spared us this deviation, instead focusing on virtual worlds as a subset of the internet. This was refreshing.

The connections between technology and emotion are as well defined as the fuzzy nexus can be, and the authors managed to capture that with a basis in humanity and society rather than technology. This book isn't so much about virtual worlds as much as it is about real people being affected and perhaps changed by virtual worlds. The separation of brain, heart and gut resonates with a truth that cannot be measured empirically but will gain some nods from readers - and that forms a powerful base for the book itself.

From this basis in how we perceive the world around us, the book manages to make stops poignantly. Virtual worlds are approached as reality, then as new economies and new markets with potential for reinventing things. The second to last chapter - titled the same as the book title - brings it all together nicely, and the very last chapter is 'Virtual World Generated Fiction'.

In all, this book answered some of the questions I had when I looked at the cover - more importantly, it got me asking different questions. While short, this is a thought provoking book which promises much to the thoughtful. It is not a marketing book, it is not an economic paper - it is not a technology book. What this book is about is our use of technology and how technology affects us and connects us - perhaps even separating us in some instances. It carries with it some warnings of a future of controversy which transcends what we think normal now.

Overall, this book gets a KnowProSE.com 9 out of 10. It isn't for the experts; it was not written for experts. The book was - convincingly - written for the average person who would like to consider a future that has stealthily entered through the front door of millions of people, disguised as entertainment. Virtual Worlds: Rewiring Your Emotional Future is a preview of coming attractions which only guides the imagination on the rails provided by a reality which is not so virtual anymore.

Important Book for Parents of Young Children
Myers' Virtual Worlds: Rewiring Your Emotional Future offers parents and would-be parents essential insight for understanding their children's fascination with virtual worlds. He explains why the generations born in the 21st century are learning to listen to their heart and gut and act on their emotions rather than depending almost exclusively on their brains. This subtle shift, which Myers calls rewiring the emotional DNA, will alter relationships, marketing, business, culture and society. For parents who are nervous about their children's relationship with media, this is a must-read.

Virtual Worlds: Rewiring Your Emotional Future by Jack Myers
Jack Myers quickly sets the stage to introduce the growing impact and cultural acceptance of living in a "virtual world" through the Internet. He allows the reader to see this phenomenon as a new society in formation. It's a little scary, yet thrilling as he describes its impact on today's lifestyles looking into the future.

I believe the book's description of the influence and interdependence of the brain, the heart, and the gut in all humans is brilliant! It allows the reader ro understand how thoughts and emotions interact, and their importance in motivating, impeding or re-directing basic decision-making.

Once again, Myers proves his uncanny ability at blazing trails all of us need to follow, through this small but powerful book.

Kenneth Marks
Principal
Kenneth L. Marks Consulting
Del Mar, Ca.