World of Whyville
An Introduction to Tween Virtual Life
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 2409424 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Yasmin B Kafai (0000-0003-4018-0491, University of Pennsylvania, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2010 |
| Volume | 5 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 3-22 |
| Publication date | 2010-01-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Games and Culture (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1555-4120 • E-ISSN: 1555-4139 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1177/1555412009351264 |
| OpenAlex | W1978399142 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 4 |
| References cited | 19 |
Virtual worlds have become the new playground for millions of tweens but we know little what it takes to become a player in a virtual community. This paper focuses on one virtual world, called Whyville.net, which at the time of our study hosted over 1.2 million players ages 8 to16 years, with the average player 12.3 years old. Girls represent over 68% of all players. A guided tour to the various places in Whyville, the different types of science games, and the range of players' activities provides insights into what players talk about, with whom they socialize, what they like to play, and how they engage in investigations. In 2005, a group of researchers set out to study Whyville by recruiting hundreds of participants online and offline in classrooms and after school clubs and by conducting observations, surveys, and interviews about their online activities. In addition, we collected log files that captured their online movements and chat interaction during a six month period. We discuss ethical issues of conducting research as adults in tween virtual communities and limitations of capturing the complexities of interactions simultaneously in online and offline spaces. The paper concludes with an overview of following papers in the special issue that cover players' avatar designs, representation of race, cheating practices, learning how to throw virtual mudballs, and participation in virtual epidemic
Avatar · Cheating · Human–computer interaction · Internet privacy · Metaverse · Multimedia · Set (abstract data type · The Internet · Virtual reality · Virtual world · World Wide Web · Computer Science · Digital Games and Media · Impact of Technology on Adolescents · Psychology · Social Media and Politics · Social Psychology
Gender play
Hanging Out, Messing Around, and Geeking Out
Virtual Ethnography
The Hidden Life of Girls
Play Between Worlds
Psychological Research Online
Blacks Deserve Bodies Too
Coming of Age in Second Life
How Computer Games Help Children Learn
The Serious Side of Jump Rope
Investigating the ''Why'' in Whypox
Knowing and Throwing Mudballs, Hearts, Pies, and Flowers
Stealing From Grandma'' or Generating Cultural Knowledge
Your Second Selves
Guest Editors' Introduction
| Unique citing works | 4 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,25 |
| Citation span | 2010 - 2016 (7) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 4 |