RatSWD Research Notes Research Note No. 40 Surveying The Virtual World A Large Scale Survey in Second Life Using the Virtual Data Collection Interface (VDCI) Mark W. Bell, Edward Castronova, Gert G. Wagner June 2009 Research Notes of the Council for Social and Economic Data (RatSWD) The RatSWD Research Notes series publishes empirical research findings based on data accessible through the data infrastructure recommended by the RatSWD. The pre-print series was launched at the end of 2007 under the title RatSWD Working Papers. The series publishes studies from all disciplines of the social and economic sciences. The RatSWD Research Notes provide insights into the diverse scientific applications of empirical data and statistics, and are thus aimed at interested empirical researchers as well as representatives of official data collection agencies and research infrastructure organizations. 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The RatSWD Research Notes are edited by: Chair of the RatSWD (2007/ 2008 Heike Solga; 2009 Gert G. Wagner) Managing Director of the RatSWD (Denis Huschka) Contact: Council for Social and Economic Data (RatSWD) | Mohrenstraße 58 | 10117 Berlin | [email protected] Surveying The Virtual World A Large Scale Survey in Second Life Using the Virtual Data Collection Interface (VDCI)i Mark W. Bell Indiana University: bellmw[at]indiana.edu Edward Castronova Indiana University and DIW Berlin: castro[at]indiana.edu Gert G. Wagner Berlin University of Technology, DIW Berlin, and Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin: gwagner[at]diw.de Abstract Technology has always introduced changes in the way researchers administer surveys. A new technology known as virtual worlds has now emerged that promises to change data collection once again. Virtual worlds are persistent, online, computer-rendered spaces populated by hundreds, thousands, or even millions of people at a time. Previously, this population has only been surveyed in ways that required respondents to exit the virtual world before giving their answers. No survey method has existed whereby they could be surveyed while remaining present in the virtual space. Needless to say, this is less than ideal for any survey about the respondent’s attitudes, perceptions, and behavior within the virtual world itself. This study introduces a method for solving this problem and a tool that allows surveys entirely within a virtual environment. The method is introduced as Virtual Assisted Self Interview (VASI), and the tool for implementing it, the Virtual Data Collection Interface (VDCI). The tool was created and deployed in the virtual world Second Life (SL), where users were asked questions about demographics and quality of i This study was conducted in a virtual environment created with funding from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), Grant No. 01UW0706 - PT-DLR. 1 life. The valid response numbers for the survey (N=2094) make it the largest in-virtual- world data collection seen so far. This paper discusses the VDCI and describes several different sampling methods, as well as results that provide unique, new insights into virtual world populations. It is found, for example, that the demographic make-up of SL is unlike that of other virtual worlds. Moreover, the SL population is unlike that of other worlds in its approach to gender-switching. The limitations and new hazards of virtual world survey research are also discussed, especially survey "hacking" by individuals hoping to exploit the survey for financial gain. Despite the challenges, the results generally suggest that the VDCI is a valuable new research tool for obtaining representative data on virtual world population. Keywords: VASI, VDCI, Second Life, Survey Plan, Fieldwork JEL Classification: C81, C82, Z19 2 1. Introduction In the past few years, a new form of computer media environment has emerged from the Internet. This new environment is known as a “virtual world," which can be defined as a "synchronous, persistent, network of people, represented by avatars, facilitated by computers." (Bell & Robbins- Bell, 2008). Examples of virtual worlds include Linden Lab's Second Life (SL), Blizzard's World of Warcraft (WoW), and Sony Entertainment's Free Realms. All told, virtual worlds today have millions of users interacting 24 hours a day 365 days a year. Yet despite having populations larger than many cities and even countries, there is today no systematic data collection among the virtual world population. One explanation might be that these places are “mere games” and not worthy of attention. However, virtual worlds are now used by businesses, governments, and foundations to conduct serious activities. Another explanation relates to the lack of government jurisdiction – no virtual world is a “part” of any Earth country, any more than the internet is. The populations of virtual worlds are mixed samples of the populations of all the countries on Earth, and no one country’s central statistical office is likely to decide that this population is part of its target population. Finally, and most critically, there is not even a tool for conducting survey research inside virtual spaces. At best, current practice is to contact members of a virtual world community and invite them to go to a website to take a survey. There is no known method for surveying them inside the virtual world itself. Thus while virtual worlds have emerged as an important site of human activity, there is literally no general information available about the humans who spend their time there. The lack of a tool that preserves immersion is a significant problem. When a user is in a virtual world they have a sense of immersion that involves feelings and perceptions that are particular to that environment (Bystrom et al., 1999). Surveys have been done of virtual world in the past but have involved the respondent leaving the virtual world experience and completing a web-based survey (Griffiths, Davies, & Chappell (2003), Seay, Jerome, Sang Lee, & Kraut (2004), Yee (2006a), Yee (2006b), Yellowlees & Cook (2006), Williams (2006c), and Kemp & Livingstone (2006)). Moving out of the virtual world to answer a survey creates a break in immersion and thus potentially prevents accurate recall of the virtual environment. 3 To move forward on the absent-tool problem, this paper reports the deployment of a new survey method and research tool for collecting data entirely within a virtual world, that is, without requiring the respondent to break out of the virtual environment to a web survey. To combat the break in immersion, a new data collection method has been proposed, the Virtual-Assisted Self Interviewing (VASI), and a specific instrument, the Virtual Data Collection Interface (VDCI), has been developed (Bell, Castronova and Wagner, 2008). These new methods and tools were given their first test in the virtual world Second Life, and the results are reported here. They produced one of the largest surveys ever done in a virtual world, and perhaps the first to have a claim to genuine representativeness and full immersion in the space. After this introduction of basic issues, Section 2 of the paper considers some of the unique features of any survey in virtual worlds (as opposed to other, more mundane environments). Section 3 discusses our survey method, and Section 4 the specific sampling procedures. Section 5 discusses the process by which these methods were implemented within Second Life, and the specific challenges that came up. Section 6 provides some basic results. Section 7 narrows focus to one example – “gender-bending” behavior – to illustrate the research capabilities that the survey provides. Section 8 concludes. 2. Surveying the Virtual World At first glance, obviously, there are genuine differences between the real world and the virtual world. The real world is not mediated by a screen. The real world requires no computer interaction. The virtual world allows for fluid identity, fantastic traits and adventures that defy the biology and physics of the real world. However, the human interactions in virtual spaces are absolutely real. When someone sends the message of “I hate you,” as opposed to “I love you,” the human feelings being delivered are genuine even though the symbols used to send the message may vary and are in a sense epiphenomenal. Sometimes the symbols will be letters on paper; sometimes bytes rendered on a screen (as now), and sometimes the gestures of a computer avatar. The virtual world is not “real” but the people and their passion, and hence their society, certainly is (Castronova & Falk, 2008). This new form of computer mediated environment has raised research questions in several areas such as, social norms (Yee et al., 2007), online learning (Childress & Braswell 2006) and embodied 4 communication (Cassell, 2000). These studies, and many others, have begun to contribute to the understanding of the mechanics and complexity of virtual worlds. As with any new research space, old techniques need not be thrown out and replaced with new ones simply because of a change in technical possibilities. Lessons learned in other environments may be translatable to new technologies.