Conducting empirical research in virtual worlds: experiences from two projects in Second Life

We have been asked for more Second Life/Virtual Worlds empirical studies. Here is The Researcher’s Toolbox posting for November 2010. The Open University in the UK, has conducted empirical qualitative research in Second Life, a virtual world. The first project is in the education domain in which they are investigating the designs of learning spaces in Second Life, while the second project is related to shopping and consumer behavior of users in Second Life. In this paper, they discuss their experiences of conducting empirical research in virtual worlds with a specific focus on the following aspects: ethical norms, real-world and virtual identities, privacy of the participants, communication modalities (voice, text and use of gestures), logistics of conducting user-based studies, and skills and training needs of researchers. (contributed by SL Scarlett Sismondi)