The virtual sandbox
Iris A. Junglas, Douglas J. Steel · ACM SIGMIS Database the DATABASE for Advances in Information Systems · 2007
Modern virtual environments are three-dimensional, simulated worlds. Inside of them, avatars live the equivalent of a human life: they walk, talk, and interact with other avatars, thus exposing what is considered to be social behavior. As a result, virtual worlds lend themselves to the study of social behaviors in a laboratory setting. In fact, their technical capabilities provide a number of advantages over real life experimental laboratories. On the downside, however, virtual worlds also add complexity to experiments by clouding the identities of the people who "play" the role of their avatars. Despite these issues, virtual environments can contribute to future experimental research by addressing three generic needs that information systems support: increasing social presence, offering an elaborate visualization tool, and providing a safe haven for simulation, exploration, and innovation.