No abstract

A two-part quantitative and qualitative study of role players within a virtual game world examined their prevalence, practices, and identity formation. Drawing on unobtrusive behavioral data captured by the game, combined with a large survey and traditional ethnographic methods, the study found that role players both negotiate identity and use their time online as a moratorium for their offline lives. Descriptive results showed that role players are a relatively small, but psychologically burdened subgroup. When examined from the theoretical perspectives of Goffman’s Self-Presentation theory, Huizenga’s Magic Circle, and Turkle’s early work on online identity formation, these players were seen as largely using virtual spaces as creative outlets and for socialization. The worlds also functioned as coping mechanisms for players frequently unable to gain acceptance, social connectivity or social support offline due to their personal situation, psychological profile, or their minority status.

Although video gaming is becoming a more widespread activity beyond its historically core demographic of young males, participation in competitive gaming remains largely male dominated. Addressing this issue, this research examines the experience of female players in one of the world's most popular games, League of Legends. Two studies-one qualitative (with 15 participants) and the other quantitative (with 16,821 participants)-confirm that although female players accrue skill at the same rate as males, there remains a dearth of female players in this community. Moreover, those females who play with a male partner are less confident in their skills and often focus on supporting their partner's advancement, not their own. This work suggests that one way to address the gender gap in gaming is to better understand and improve the social dynamics within popular games.

No abstract

No abstract

Information and communication technologies are blurring the boundaries between work and play. We present the first empirical investigation of gender gaps in virtual game economies. Analysing big data sets from two major game economies, we find that player gender and character gender influence virtual wealth in different ways in different games. We conclude that this can be explained by different returns on female-and male-dominated play activities, that is, virtual pink and blue collar occupations. As the line between work and play increasingly blurs, researchers should track which occupations get to keep their conventional economic rewards, and which end up being remunerated in play money. KeywordsVirtual economy, playbor, prosumer work, online community, online games, digital divide, gender gap, occupational segregation, avatars, MMO The remainder of the article is structured as follows. We first briefly introduce the impact of ICT adoption on work and organization, focusing on a recent stream of research that examines online activities that display characteristics of both work and leisure. We argue that online gaming is an important area of activity where this ambiguity is particularly strong. We then move on to review the literature on economic gender gaps and the mechanisms that produce them, after which we finish the theoretical discussion by examining what kinds of gender gaps might be present in virtual game economies. In particular, we note that analyses of virtual gender gaps must consider both player gender as well as genders of the virtual characters through which participants interact. We then present such an empirical analysis, drawing from a large sample of online gamers. The article concludes with a discussion of the implications of the results to the larger picture of ICTs and the changing nature of work.

In October 1988, right-to-know legislation was introduced in Canada. This presented a technical and administrative challenge to the health care sector. With over 170 health care facilities in Manitoba to be brought into compliance, some large, some small, some rural, some urban, a cooperative approach was needed. A labor-management steering committee with representatives from a cross-section of facilities as well as the various health care unions was formed to design and implement a train-the-trainer program. A small-group, highly participatory modular program was developed with input from all parties, and delivered across the province by trainers selected jointly by labor and management. The program achieved its goal of assisting member facilities to implement the legislation. Follow-up surveys and discussions with health care workers showed improved understanding of labelling requirements, material safety data sheet interpretation, and requirements for hazard control. This first bipartite program empowered the health care workforce to use its newly acquired right-to-know, and has provided the incentive to implement other cooperative safety and health programs.

ACCESSThe creation of public internet access facilities is one of the principal policy instruments adopted by governments in addressing 'digital divide' issues. The lack of plans for ongoing funding, in North America at least, suggests that this mode is regarded mainly as transitional, with private, home-based access being perceived as superior. The assumption apparently is that as domestic internet penetration rates rise, public access facilities will no longer be needed. Central to this issue are the varied characteristics of publicly provided and privately owned access sites and their implications for non-employment internet activities. What are the relative advantages and disadvantages of these two access modes? More fundamentally, how do people conceptualize public and private spaces and how does this perception influence their online activities? Finally, why do people choose one over the other, and how do they navigate between the two? This article attempts to answer these questions by drawing on data generated within the Everyday Internet Project, a 'neighborhood ethnography' of internet usage. It argues that the conventional view of private and public access facilities as immiscible, fixed alternatives is inadequate. Rather than 'pure' types, they are better understood as offering hybrid spaces whose identity and character are fluid, perceived differently by individuals in light of the activities being performed, life experiences, infrastructure and architecture. The picture emerging from our study is one where public and private access modes intertwine with each other in a variety of ways, their combination offering significant additional value for many users. From a public policy perspective, these findings suggest that if universal access is to be achieved, there is a continuing need for publicly supported broadspectrum facilities with integrated technical support and learning opportunities, even if domestic penetration rates approach that of the telephone.