The Journal of Virtual Worlds Research 

About: The Journal of Virtual Worlds Research is an academic journal. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Metaverse & Instructional simulation. Over the lifetime, 334 publications have been published receiving 4817 citations.

Toward a Definition of “Virtual Worlds”

Abstract: This is a brief essay, we call "think-pieces", designed to stimulate a discussion on a particular topic. The topic for this series of essays is "defining virtual worlds".

Defining Virtual Worlds and Virtual Environments

Abstract: This is a brief essay, we call "think-pieces", designed to stimulate a discussion on a particular topic. The topic for this series of essays is "defining virtual worlds".

On the Relationship between My Avatar and Myself

Abstract: What is the relationship between avatars and the people they represent in terms of appearance and behavior? In this paper, we hypothesize that people (balancing motives of self-verification and self-enhancement) customize the image of their avatars to bear similarity to their real selves, but with moderate enhancements. We also hypothesize that virtual-world behavior (due to deindividuation in computer-mediated communication environments) is less restrained by normal inhibitions than real-world behavior. Lastly, we hypothesize that people with more attractive avatars than their real selves will be somewhat more confident and extraverted in virtual worlds than they are in the real world. We examine these issues using data collected from Second Life residents using an in-world intercept method that involved recruiting respondents’ avatars from a representative sample of locations. Our quantitative data indicate that, on average, people report making their avatars similar to themselves, but somewhat more attractive. And, compared to real-world behavior, respondents indicate that their virtual-world behavior is more outgoing and risk-taking and less thoughtful/more superficial. Finally, people with avatars more attractive than their real selves state that they are more outgoing, extraverted, risk-taking, and loud than their real selves (particularly if they reported being relatively low on these traits in the real world). Qualitative data from open-ended questions corroborate our hypotheses.

A Typology of Virtual Worlds: Historical Overview and Future Directions

Abstract: Virtual worlds constitute a growing space for collaborative play, learning, work, and e-commerce. To promote study of this emerging realm of activity, we suggest a typology adapted from C. Porter’s (2004) typology of virtual communities. The five elements of the proposed typology include (1) purpose (content of interaction), (2) place (location of interaction), (3) platform (design of interaction), (4) population (participants in the interaction), and (5) profit model (return on interaction). We argue that this five-element typology facilitates identification of (a) the historic antecedents of virtual worlds in gaming and social networking, (b) future applications of virtual worlds for society, education, and business; and (c) topics for future research.

Understanding "Gold Farming" and Real-Money Trading as the Intersection of Real and Virtual Economies

Abstract: This paper has three purposes. First, it extends the range of economic ideas that have been applied to massively-multiplayer online games (MMOGs), drawing on scale economies, exchange rates, and information failure. It does this, as its second purpose, by deepening the analysis of one relatively-neglected aspect of virtual economies—gold farming (the production of MMOG virtual currencies, items, and services for financial gain) and trading—in order to understand in-game, out-game, and hybrid aspects of this activity. Third, the paper draws conclusions about two key real/virtual issues on which earlier literature has disagreed. One is the extent to which standard/real-world economic models are applicable to virtual economies. The paper argues a strong fit of standard models for analysis of gold farming and trading with little need for modification, but that MMOGs may be better understood through the lens of development economics rather than mainstream economics. The other issue discussed is the nature of the relation between the real and the virtual. On this, the paper concludes that gold farming is part of a dynamic that has eroded the real/virtual dichotomy. At the least, gold farming and trading represents the intersection and blurring of the real and the virtual. At most, it reflects their indistinguishability. Finally, the paper ends by identifying alternative systemic models for understanding gold farming specifically, and MMOGs more generally.