Journal For Virtual Worlds Research (Texas Digital Library - TDL E-Journals)
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366 research outputs found
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Who is Portrayed in Second Life: Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde? The Extent of Congruence Between Real Life and Virtual Identity
No full textVirtual social environments opened the door to individual experiences that may not be feasible o
The Demographic Distribution and Social Experience of Chinese MMO Players
No full textNuanced knowledge of who plays and how is necessary for a meaningful understanding of behaviors in the virtual world (e.g. Williams et al., 2008). Despite increasing use of Massively Multiplayer Online games (MMO) in China, systematic investigation of the demographic distribution, play patterns and social experience of Chinese players is limited. Based on a large web survey of players of a large Chinese MMO (N = 18,819), this study examines the demographic distribution of Chinese MMO players and its influence on their play patterns and social experience. The results suggest that compared to male players, Chinese females engage in more text chat, are more likely to play with romantic partners and friends, perceive higher salience of social capital, but have a lower sense of community. Older players engage in less chat, adventure and competition activities, but have a stronger sense of community than younger players. Controlling for age and gender, Chinese player
From Orlando to Milan: Virtual Worlds Business Disillusionment
No full textThe last issue of 2012 includes three papers on the topic o
An Assembled Issue
No full textDespite differences in topics, style, and methodologies, all the papers in this assembled issue shar
Samarita Ibanez: An Identity Journey from First Life to Second
No full textWhen we are given the chance to have a Second Life online, we often choose to modify our offlin
The P.R.O.S.E. (Psychological Research on Synthetic Environments) Project: Conducting In-World Psychological Research on 3D Virtual Worlds
No full textThe P.R.O.S.E. (Psychological Research on Synthetic Environments) Project was established to investigate the psychology of 3D virtual worlds. Under the auspices of the project, a systematic program of in-world behavioral research is being conducted that addresses three core questions related to the psychology of 3D immersive environments: What are the characteristics of active participants in virtual worlds? Do the principles of psychology that operate in the real world also apply to the virtual world? Do experiences in the virtual world have the capacity to influence behavior and subjective experience in the real world? The current paper describes a series of studies that examine each of these questions and outlines future directions for the project. If projections for a highly populated, ubiquitously accessible (web-based), and seamlessly integrated (interoperable) network of virtual worlds are borne out, a new realm of psychological reality and interaction will have been created that will be increasingly important for behavioral scientists to investigate and understand
Virtual Nation Branding: the Swedish Embassy in Second Life
No full textIn this article I will present and discuss the Swedish virtual embassy as a new example of nation branding. By exploring the development of the Swedish embassy in Second Life, activities arranged by and involving the virtual embassy as well as the surrounding discourse of international mainstream media and people engaged in the development of Second Life, I will analyse the significance of the virtual environment in this virtual nation-branding project. I argue that the most important achievement of the Swedish virtual embassy was reached through the connection with the virtual environment in the coverage of traditional international mass media and that the key dimension, although not the only one, of the virtual world in branding Sweden was to serve as a fresh and influential brand signifier within the marketing project
Teleportation of Objects between Virtual Worlds: Use Case: Exer-gaming
No full textThe Internet and virtual worlds are increasingly become a part of our daily lives. Currently these two are not capable of exchanging information, largely because of the lack of a global accepted standard for information exchange. Interaction between the real world and virtual worlds is mostly limited to classic mouse and keyboard devices, and exchange of information between different virtual worlds is virtually non-existent. We present a Use Case in the Metaverse1 project to increase motivation for continued physical exercising for the elderly by connecting real-world devices to virtual worlds, and allow information exchange through the teleportation of virtual objects from Second Life to our custom virtual biking world created in the Logos3D engine. We show that the principle of exchanging information between real and virtual worlds is simple, but the solution is non-trivial and requires not only a globally accepted standard to facilitate information exchange. From the results of a focus-group study, we show that a virtual environment does have the capability to increase motivation for exercising and that users do respond to a virtual exercise coach
Creating a VW Killer App for the Department of Defense
No full textOrganizations within the Department of Defense have adopted a large number of first person shooter games for use in military training. However, the use of virtual worlds has been much slower and no large investments have been made to date. This article explores some of the reasons for this slow progress and suggests some features that might make virtual worlds more attractive to DoD users
Avatars as the First Manifestation of Geo-politically Unconstrained Global Citizens
No full textDeveloping the appropriate behaviors and competencies to integrate into society is a crucial test for any concept of citizenship1. Virtual society today is a connected community of global citizens thriving across multiple platforms and social networks. People are dispersed geographically, culturally and politically and are unconstrained by whom they interact with and why they interact. In virtual worlds, the borders are fluid and physically unconstrained. The personal surrogate encoded as an avatar can move about freely and participate in dynamic, multiple states at the same time. The avatar is valued more for his performance, skill and abilities in the context of the virtual world, rather than by his race, pay grade or political affiliation. The avatar is empowered with self prescribed roles and responsibilities and is emerging into a new kind of sovereign world, bursting out as the first manifestation of a geo-politically unconstrained global citizen