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. 2007 Jul 27;317(5837):472-6.
doi: 10.1126/science.1146930.

The scientific research potential of virtual worlds

William Sims Bainbridge  1
Affiliations

The scientific research potential of virtual worlds

William Sims Bainbridge. Science. .

Abstract

Online virtual worlds, electronic environments where people can work and interact in a somewhat realistic manner, have great potential as sites for research in the social, behavioral, and economic sciences, as well as in human-centered computer science. This article uses Second Life and World of Warcraft as two very different examples of current virtual worlds that foreshadow future developments, introducing a number of research methodologies that scientists are now exploring, including formal experimentation, observational ethnography, and quantitative analysis of economic markets or social networks.

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