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Bainbridge, William S. "The Scientific Research Potential of Virtual Worlds." Editorial. Science 27 July 2007: 472-76. Science. 27 July 2007. Web. 23 May 2011. . Online virtual worlds create a network of people from around the world in which people act in a somewhat realistic manner. This article examines the potential for interactive worlds built for entertainment can be used for social, behavioral and economic research.


Dede, Chris. "The Evolution of Constructivist Learning Environments: Immersion in Distributed, Virtual Worlds." Constructivist Learning Environments. Englewood Cliffs: Educational Technology Publication, 1996. 165-75. Google Books. Web. 23 May 2011. . Virtual worlds have seen large use as learning tools as they are able to represent very diverse subjects that may be impractical to emulate in real life. This chapter looks to see how virtual worlds can perform better than traditional methods of teaching students.


Foster, Andrea L. "What Happens in a Virtual World Has a Real-World Impact, a Scholar Finds - Technology - The Chronicle of Higher Education." Home - The Chronicle of Higher Education. 4 Apr. 2008. Web. 23 May 2011. . This article challenges the idea that online avatars emulate offline users, and instead poses that users are likely to follow the example of their character in a virtual world. The connection between the real world and a virtual world are very real, and much closer and more complicated than we had expected.


King, Rita J. "Why Virtual Worlds Play an Important Role in the Changing Arab World." Mashable. 8 Feb. 2011. Web. 23 May 2011. . King looks at how virtual worlds impact the participants psychologically by bringing diverse viewpoints together to interact. Specifically she looks at how virtual protests and virtual world users are changing the Middle East.


Lastowka, F. G., and Dan Hunter. "The Laws of the Virtual Worlds." California Law Review 92 (2004). Print. This analyzes how the law views virtual worlds, and the legal protections extended into virtual property rights and the rights of avatars. This is important as it gives insight on the legal stature of virtual worlds and therefore how society perceives them.


MacManus, Richard. "Virtual Worlds Poised to Become Valuable Work Tools." ReadWriteWeb. 9 Jan. 2008. Web. 23 May 2011. . This article analyzes a report by Forrester about how virtual worlds can be used productively in the workplace. While the potential is still there, many enterprises shy away because they see virtual worlds as tools useful only for gamers.


Mennecke, Brian, Edward M. Roche, David A. Bray, Benn Konsynski, John Lester, Michael Rowe, and Anthony M. Townsend. "Second Life and Other Virtual Worlds: A Roadmap for Research by Brian Mennecke, Edward Roche, David Bray, Benn Konsynski, John Lester, Michael Rowe, Anthony Townsend :: SSRN." Social Science Research Network. Web. 23 May 2011. . While virtual worlds are becoming important tools for socialization, networking, entertainment, and other activities, they also offer researchers the opportunity to view how large systems are managed by operators, used by users, and the impact they have on society.


Miller, Christopher. Virtual Worlds and Their Effects on Business. Virtual Worlds and Their Effects on Business. 2 Nov. 2009. Web. 23 May 2011. . Virtual worlds don't only reach out into the real world in social aspects, but also have real and measurable effects on business. Many of these effects come from globalization trends and the ability of virtual worlds to shrink the world to a manageable size.


Olsen, Stefanie. "What Kids Learn in Virtual Worlds - CNET News." Technology News - CNET News. 15 Nov. 2007. Web. 23 May 2011. . The normal perception of immersive virtual worlds is dangerous, especially among young, impressionable youth. This article provides research that shows kids who are active members of virtual worlds actually learn social skills, learn to interact with technology, and become better consumers.


"Virtual World Therapeautic For Addicts: Study Shows Impact Of Environment To Addiction Cravings." Science Daily: News & Articles in Science, Health, Environment & Technology. 30 Apr. 2008. Web. 23 May 2011. . Virtual worlds can be used as therapeutic tools to help addicts overcome their addiction. This article looks at how cravings can be triggered in a virtual world in a controlled environment and help people in trouble get better.


Workman, Thomas A. "The Real Impact of Virtual Worlds - The Chronicle Review - The Chronicle of Higher Education." The Chronicle of Higher Education. 19 Sept. 2008. Web. 23 May 2011. . This article looks at the power of virtual worlds and how it can be harnessed for use in higher education. Workman cautions us against thinking of virtual worlds as a playground, and wants us to see them as places where real, valuable things can happen.