The scientific research potential of virtual worlds |
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| Authors: | Bainbridge William Sims |
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| Institution: | Division of Information and Intelligent Systems, National Science Foundation, 4201 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA 22230, USA. |
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| Abstract: | Online virtual worlds, electronic environments where people can work and interact in a somewhat realistic manner, have great potential as sites for research in the social, behavioral, and economic sciences, as well as in human-centered computer science. This article uses Second Life and World of Warcraft as two very different examples of current virtual worlds that foreshadow future developments, introducing a number of research methodologies that scientists are now exploring, including formal experimentation, observational ethnography, and quantitative analysis of economic markets or social networks. |
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