Call for Papers
Real Virtual Relationships
A special issue of the Journal of Virtual Worlds Research to be published 2017 Q2
Guest Editors:
Richard E. Ferdig (Kent State University, USA)
Kristine E. Pytash (Kent State University, USA)
Elyse Graham (SUNY Stony Brook, USA)
Glenn W. Muschert (Miami University, USA)
Deadline for abstracts: March 15, 2017
MOTIVATION AND SCOPE:
We live in an era of digitally-mediated relationships. From finding a spouse online to daily interactions facilitated through social media, it is difficult for many people to imagine building and sustaining both platonic and romantic relationships without technology. Virtual worlds are no strangers to these interactions. Virtual world inhabitants will often initially use the space to develop alternative self-portraits (e.g. Black, Ferdig, DiPietro, Liu, & Whalen, 2009). They then create and maintain relationships with those avatars and other human players out-of-world, with other human players in-world, and with non-player-characters in-world (Ferdig & Pytash, 2012).… read more. “Call for Papers: Real Virtual Relationships – Special issue of Journal of Virtual Worlds Research”