Response Week 12

I did a little research on the first question concerning Second Life retailers and found that there aren’t really any examples of this model working or being profitable yet. It seems like a lot of companies initially rushed to build virtual stores in the hopes that avatars would buy merchandise to be delivered in the real world. This idea probably sounded great only because of its novelty. It doesn’t make sense that someone would use an avatar to purchase items online that they could buy directly online. It makes more sense that a brand like GAP should create virtual clothing for the avatar to wear. People who are heavily involved and invested in their Second Life world already pay money to accessorize and customize their avatars. On a larger level, the opportunity to create a presence in a virtual world is another chance for retailers to brand themselves.

I still do not understand the learning aspects of MMOG games. You must learn about the virtual worlds and how to function in them. You must also learn how to adapt as these worlds change but most games like World of War Craft do not actually have classic academic learning processes involved in playing the game.

I didn’t find much when I tried to research my question concerning personalization and avatars. Personalization refers to the way that a gaming interface or company would be able to determine characteristics about a person through their choices in the virtual world and cater future content and messages to that player. It does not refer to the way that users voluntarily customize their avatars through cosmetic changes like wardrobe and accessories. Logically, I don’t think that most players would find it off putting to have virtual content personalized to their interests. The act of creating an avatar and building a world around that character suggests that you want the world to be more personalized in the first. I don’t think that there are currently virtual worlds that try to use player data to streamline content but I think it would be extremely interesting if that trend reached multiplayer online games.