Description
About the Author
Robert M. Geraci is Professor in the Department of Religion at Manhattan College. He is the author of Apocalyptic AI: Visions of Heaven in Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, and Virtual Reality and many essays that analyze the ways in which human beings use technology to make the world meaningful. He was the principle investigator on a National Science Foundation grant to study virtual worlds and the recipient of a Fulbright-Nehru Senior Research Award (2012-2013), which allowed him to investigate the intersections of religion and technology at the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore.
Reviews
In Virtually Sacred, Robert Geraci argues that 'virtual worlds are now rearranging or replacing religious practice', competing with traditional religions and their stories in a new spiritual marketplace. This provocative book represents a major empirical and theoretical step forward for the study of digital religion, engaging seriously and thoughtfully with the history of religions, virtual anthropology and actor-network theory, and will make an essential contribution to the next generation of debates in the field of religion, media, and culture. * Tim Hutchings, CODEC, St . Durham University *
This lucid but sophisticated book demonstrates that online virtual realities like World of Warcraft and Second Life allow the sacred to flourish in a secular society, encourage players to experiment with ethical issues, sustain community in an age when tribe is an obsolete concept, and offer not merely escape but transcendence. * William Sims Bainbridge, author of The Warcraft Civilization and eGods *
Robert Geracis astute argument that video gamers discover enchantment, redemption, and transcendence in gaming deserves widespread attention. Virtually Sacred is one of the most original treatments of gaming and participation in virtual worlds I have ever read. The elegant, understated prose provides the perfect foil for Geracis unexpected, provocative foray into grasping the contours of religiosity in gaming and virtual worlds. * Bonnie Nardi, University of California, Irvine *
Book Information
ISBN 9780199344697
Author Robert M. Geraci
Format Hardback
Page Count 368
Imprint Oxford University Press Inc
Publisher Oxford University Press Inc
Weight(grams) 614g
Dimensions(mm) 241mm * 163mm * 31mm