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How can virtual worlds be used in government? Aren't they a game? Virtual worlds can be used as a game, but they are much more.

This article discusses play in virtual worlds (focusing on World of Warcraft) with an emphasis both on the learning that takes place and the engagement. You'll have to log in with your Harvard ID to get the article, FYI. "Our observation showed that players are motivated by the game's scope, rules, and scenario to create and participate in virtual communities, and share their knowledge with others, while newcomers are encouraged to engage in collective actions, and develop their skill base. We also found that although current MMORPGs have not been designed as instructional tools, they provide an excellent fantasy environment for intrinsically motivating learning, where players can experience the elements of challenge, curiosity, and control [30]." "People engage in pervasive games that use the best of two worlds, the virtual and the physical, in order to offer to its players the sense of maximum enjoyment."

Jeremy Bailenson from the Virtual Human Interaction Lab (Stanford) talks at the Berkman Center about how the use of avatars fundamentally alters communication styles both in virtual and real world settings. (Includes video and slides)

Healthcare facilities are discovering that practicing in the virtual world can have major benefits in real life. Doctors, nurses and students are using online community to learn how to cope with crises, boost clinical skills and make their facilities more efficient.

What i found most interesting about this article was the idea that the popularity of Facebook games has caused a "technological step backward"

A start-up trying to bring some real world flavor to virtual worlds on the net plans to publicly launch an online real m it calls Project X now.

Virtual world that allows people to learn about ancient history is actually holding a live music festival in the virtual space to motivate new users to interact and to entice would-be users to download the software the game requires

Using open source Virtual World software to intentionally disrupt an education system. A bold vision and I think an opportunity for bold research.

Covers topics we have been discussing for the class lately. Also, provides views on transfer from virtual world to physical world.

This is an interesting article that speaks to the result of over-engagement. I wonder if this problem is specific to Korea and less so in other countries (if so, what is it about that environment that makes video games so addictive) or if it's only been studied in Korea but could be a similar problem in other parts of the world.

Virtual Education Oasis... humm? Where do you think we will be in 2044? Author Ernest Cline, is interviewed about his novel Ready Player One, where "schools are built like palaces on the violence-free planet Ludus, and students take daytrips through both the Louvre and the human heart. These are but some of the benefits offered by the OASIS, a massive, multiplayer online game where most people in 2044 choose to spend their existence, away from the troubles of the real world. The OASIS combines the scope of a galaxy with the immersion of the Matrix; it is a near-perfect virtual reality."

This is very, very sad. The irony of this tragedy should not be overlooked however. Obsession with virtual dependant leads to starvation of real child.

Kwedit, an online lending site, lets teens sign a virtual "play now, pay later" contract in exchange for real-world currency for virtual games. Is this model really valuable for teaching credit responsibility, or does it take advantage of the draw of virtual games to make a profit...or both?

What one professor learned from playing World of Warcraft for 2,300 plus hours.

""For all intents and purposes, this is an economy that has activity equal to a small country in real life," Guðmundsson says. "There's nothing 'virtual' about this world.""

The avatar movie motivated audiences, but paradoxically led to depression in some audience members who wanted to live in the virtual world.

The Vatican embraces the use of digital media and social networks to promote dialogue among different communities, but cautions against "excessive exposure to the virtual world".

Two players who met in the World of Warcraft virtual world, wound up falling in real-life love.