I have read a really interesting article about this (about the the different ways a person can be "present" in a MMORPG like Second Life or WoW) Bartle, Richard. 'Hearts, Clubs, Diamonds, Spades: Players Who Suit MUDs'. Available: http://www.brandeis.edu/pubs/jove/HTML/v1/bartle.html ABSTRACT Four approaches to playing MUDs are identified and described. These approaches may arise from the inter-relationship of two dimensions of playing style: action versus interaction, and world-oriented versus player-oriented. An account of the dynamics of player populations is given in terms of these dimensions, with particular attention to how to promote balance or equilibrium. This analysis also offers an explanation for the labelling of MUDs as being either "social" or "gamelike". kind regards, Heleen van der Klink 2006/11/14, T. Kennedy <tkennedy@netwomen.ca>:
"If people really don't want to interact with strangers they probably would not choose to participate in Second Life"
Second Life can be anything a person wants it to be; it can be a game with structure & rules, it can be a community or group with interaction, it can be a virtual (second) reality that may or may not mirror real life, it can also be a solitary activity where you do your own thing and putter on your land - or go for 'bush-walks' and 'walk-abouts' throughout the grid.
:)
Tracy - aka TracyTrail Blazer in SL
******************************************** Tracy L. M. Kennedy PhD Candidate - Department of Sociology
Graduate Fellow - Knowledge Media Design Institute
Research Coordinator - NetLab - Centre for Urban & Community Studies
University of Toronto 725 Spadina Ave. Toronto, ON M5S 2J4 tkennedy@netwomen.ca www.netwomen.ca www.kmdi.utoronto.ca/collaborative
Virtual Research Assistant - Centre for Digital Media Great Northern Way Campus 555 Great Northern Way Vancouver, BC V5T 1E2
Research Director Netwomen Consulting ********************************************
-----Original Message----- From: air-l-bounces@listserv.aoir.org [mailto:air-l-bounces@listserv.aoir.org] On Behalf Of Mark Bell Sent: November 14, 2006 2:01 PM To: air-l@listserv.aoir.org Subject: Re: [Air-l] refs on myspace and facebook
Bonnie,
Just a note. There is no overall shared activity in Second Life.
M
On 11/14/06, Bonnie Nardi <nardi@ics.uci.edu> wrote: If people really don't want to interact with
strangers they probably would not choose to participate in Second Life, WoW, and many other virtual worlds that are heavily social but also focused on some kind of shared activity.
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