As a qualitative researcher, one of my primary areas of concern when conducting research in a RL or virtual environment setting is ethics – in other words, ensuring that participants are treated ethically and with the respect they deserve. Ethics has also been, interestingly, the primary barrier when conducting my research. As many of you in academia know, every study involving human subjects in the … Continue reading Virtually Ethical
Reading Vaneeesa’s interpretation of what is presence in virtual worlds made me think of an article I read a while back (and which thoroughly influenced my research and interest in virtual reality) by Thomas and Brown. While I am applying their concept of presence to virtual environments akin to SL, MMOGs, especially WoW, were the original context of their research. Basically, Thomas and Brown posited … Continue reading Networked Imagination
All this talk about Salons and blogs got me thinking about the role of virtual worlds in all of this. Ultimately, most of the learning that occurs in virtual worlds is informal and social in nature; people from different cultures and backgrounds with a common goal, idea, etc. get together and talk. Apart from the fact that you are interacting with an avatar as an … Continue reading The Virtual Salon
I Rez Therefore I Am 