Findings in Brief

• Use of this technology is likely to grow exponentially.
• Internally, virtual worlds are largely normal in their economic structures and behaviors.
• Fantasy and gaming applications vastly outnumber productivity and marketing applications.
• The atmosphere of fantasy is costly and difficult to maintain yet crucial to the success of fantasy worlds.
• The "proteus effect" (real-world behaviors and attitudes are carried over to avatars - Yee and Bailenson, 2007) is legitimate.
• Game developers are quasi-governmental actors who solicit interests and proclaim policy.

Papers