This infographic summarizes key findings of our study which can be found here: https://www.academia.edu/11239596/Virtual_Worlds_Survey_Report_A_Trans-World_Study_of_Non-Game_Virtual_Worlds_Demographics_Attitudes_and_P... more abstractThis infographic summarizes key findings of our study which can be found here: https://www.academia.edu/11239596/Virtual_Worlds_Survey_Report_A_Trans-World_Study_of_Non-Game_Virtual_Worlds_Demographics_Attitudes_and_Preferences

Virtual Environments, Virtual Communities, and Virtual Worlds

This Report presents results of a virtual world (VW) survey conducted in the summer of 2012, and subsequent analysis through summer of 2014. The aim of this study was to enhance our understanding of demographics, atti... more abstractThis Report presents results of a virtual world (VW) survey conducted in the summer of 2012, and subsequent analysis through summer of 2014. The aim of this study was to enhance our understanding of demographics, attitudes, activities and play preferences across a variety of non-game, social virtual worlds, also referred to as metaverses. The need for this study arose out of our observation that, while multiple surveys have been conducted on these aspects of a variety of different massively multiplayer games (MMOGs), only a few single-world, topical surveys have been conducted of equivalent non-game worlds, such as Second Life and There.com. Our past qualitative and mixed-methods research in multiple virtual worlds indicated that there were significant differences in both demographics and play patterns between open-ended worlds and the more studied game-style worlds. The survey included over 800 denizens of 36 different virtual worlds – recruited via Facebook, virtual world forums and blogs, as well as inworld networks – and focused on four key areas: Demographics: including age, gender, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, marital and family status, income and employment status, religion, region of residence, and disability. Avatar Presentation: including form, dress, role, use of alts, and cross-gender play Activities and Play Patterns: including amount and times of day spent, favorite activities, and social interactions including dating, sex, and the fluidity of relationships between virtual worlds and real life Creativity and Commerce: including creative activity, real estate ownership, virtual item transactions, virtual currency transactions, and income from virtual world activities The report also includes a comparative analysis of similar results from game-based surveys to better understand the similarities and differences between these forms of virtual worlds. We conclude with a summary of the findings, a description of a planned supplement dealing with responses to open-ended questions, and suggested topics for further research. This report covers primarily multiple-choice questions across these subject areas, and a summary of responses to open-ended questions. A subsequent supplement will be released with more detailed analysis of open responses.

Publication Date: 2003

Publication Date: 2003

Publication Name: Leonardo

Publication Date: 2009

Publication Date: 1998

Publication Date: 1997

Publication Date: 1997

Publication Date: 1997

Music, Game studies, New Media, Digital Media, Gesture, and 18 more