The Experience of Embodied Space in Virtual Worlds An Ethnography of a Second Life Community

The article examines the mutually constituted relations among avatars, space, and artifacts represented in a Gorean community in Second Life. Combining virtual ethnography (i.e., participant observations and in-depth interviews) with the growingly important concept of experience design in human—comp...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inSpace and culture Vol. 11; no. 3; pp. 239 - 259
Main Authors Bardzell, Shaowen, Odom, William
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01.08.2008
SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC
Subjects
Body
Communities
Embodiment
Emotions
Ethnography
Games
Human-computer interaction
Internet
Place
Semiotics
Social Relations
Space
Symbolism
Virtual reality
interaction
Second Life
place
embodiment
body
experience
space
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Summary:The article examines the mutually constituted relations among avatars, space, and artifacts represented in a Gorean community in Second Life. Combining virtual ethnography (i.e., participant observations and in-depth interviews) with the growingly important concept of experience design in human—computer interaction, the authors explore and unpack the spatial experiences of participants in the community and, with them, the grammar and symbolism of power and submission, of private and public, and consider body as a place for social inscription. The spatial experiences of these participants shed light on the nature of this community (both social and computer-mediated interactions) and help explain why virtual simulation of Gorean fantasy is such a compelling form of play and source of intimacy and emotion for thousands of Second Life residents.
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ISSN:1206-3312
1552-8308
DOI:10.1177/1206331208319148