social avatars = real life not important, role play
endeavor avatars = using virtual worlds for a very specific purpose (real persons)
The Daedalus Project
A long-running survey study of MMO players.
It is easy to dismiss video games as pointless activities that only teenagers indulge in. The truth is that the average age of MMORPG players is around 26. In fact, only 25% of MMORPG players are teenagers. About 50% of MMORPG players work full-time. About 36% of players are married, and 22% have children. So the MMORPG demographic is fairly diverse, including high-school students, college students, early professionals, middle-aged home-makers, as well as retirees. In other words, MMORPGs do not only appeal to a youth subculture. (daedalus/gateway) ,
- Demographics of Players
- Complex “Play”
- Motivations of Play
- Avatar and Identity
- Gender-Bending
- Relationship Formation
- Playing Together
- Engineering Relationships
- Growth and Change
- Addiction
- Memorable Experiences
- Making a Living
- Critiques and Concerns
- Imagining Future Worlds
Community:
Neko – cat people
Greenies – small green aliens
hobos –
Furrys –
Tinies – tiny toy animals – rabbits, bears, ferrets, and cats
Scripted Agents, Bots, non-player characters (NPC)
And so on ….. http://www.slarf.org/
