![]() ![]() These two factors, the wider uptake by younger generations, and the improvement in the technology itself, signal the increasing integration between the real and virtual world. Equally, rapid improvements in the platforms themselves have prompted the serious consideration of 3D virtual environments for geographically dispersed or resource-limited communities, or where remote services and collaborative projects are being undertaken. Globally, participation in online spatial environments is on the rise, spearheaded by a bullish kids and youth market, which sees constituents migrating comfortably to virtual worlds for social and gaming purposes. ![]() Since then, the faint pulse has turned into a strong heartbeat. The idea that virtual environments are places for community engagement has been understood by the gaming community for some time, however the rise of the online world, Second Life (SL) during 2005-7, brought wider recognition, when a fascinated media reported on the more sensational aspects of living in a pixelated world. ![]() A subsequent supplement will be released with more detailed analysis of open responses. This report covers primarily multiple-choice questions across these subject areas, and a summary of responses to open-ended questions. 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. 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. 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. 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 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. 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. ![]() This Report presents results of a virtual world (VW) survey conducted in the summer of 2012, and subsequent analysis through summer of 2014. ![]()
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