To fully understand this emerging paradigm in assistive technology, it’s important to recognize how people use virtual world gaming software. Users can fall into any ofthree categories: augmentation — ists, immersionists, or experimentalists (Duran — ske, 2008). All have applications of relevance to people with disabilities. Augmentationists view the virtual world as a means to enhance their real life existence. They view their virtual personae as extensions of their identities, and they are more willing to disclose their real life identities to others in-world. Many who conduct business online, such as attorneys who practice aspects of virtual law, feel comfortable representing themselves with an avatar that closely resembles their real life appearance (Duranske, 2008).
Another practical example of an augmentation — ist would be someone with a visible disability who chooses to represent him — or herself as authentically as possible. This user will go so far as to outfit his or her avatar with a wheelchair, dark glasses, a guide dog, or other visual attributes representing their disability.
First-time users tend to start off as pure aug — mentationists, but they do not remain that way for long (Duranske, 2008). Within a short time, it’s possible for a person to become proficient at making choices regarding her or his avatar’s appearance and functionality. Some users with disabilities will take advantage of this feature by making the experience easier to navigate. For example, a visually-impaired resident of Second Life may dress her avatar in light colors to help visually track her location on the screen.
It is at this stage that augmentationists become immersionists — people who view virtual worlds as an alternative parallel to their real life existence. These types of users generally keep their real life identities separate from that of their avatars, with the idea that the two streams will never cross paths (Duranske, 2008). An example of an immersion — ist might be someone with Aspergers syndrome who exploits the anonymity of virtual worlds to practice social interaction skills.
Some avatars employ radical means to differentiate their virtual experience from real life, choosing to discard any attributes common to disability. Rather than depict themselves as “broken” with wheelchairs and cane s, they make themselves available for such enjoyable activities as walking, running, surfing, dancing and riding horseback. For people with disabilities that prevent them from engaging in these real-life physical activities, virtual worlds offer a unique opportunity for users to simulate the experience at an immersive level. Interestingly, virtual reality applications have been used to augment rehabilitation therapy for patients struggling with the loss ofa limb. Research demonstrates that the brain’s perception to pain can be reduced when it is “tricked” into operating a replicative appendage (Ramachandran, 2006).
A third group of virtual world users are the experimentalists, who use virtual worlds as a controlled laboratory to conduct training or educational sessions. Experimentalists usually take the form of educators and trainers, or perhaps a counselor working with patients dealing with substance abuse. Another example of an experimentalist might be someone who seeks to gain empathy by undergoing a simulated experience. The Sacramento Mental Health Center in Second Life, for example, provides a virtual replica of their real-world facility, including an authentic representation of a schizophrenic episode. With visual hallucinations and subliminal voices providing an accurate depiction, the site provides visitors an opportunity to directly experience what someone with schizophrenia may go through (Deeley, 2008).
Given that so many different types of users exist in Second Life, our third research question seeks to understand whether or not people in Second Life (avatars), group together/associate with other similar “bodied” avatars. Therefore, our third research question asks:
RQ3 . Based on search term identifiers, do people appear to associate with others who identify with specific characteristics (i. e. disabilities) or genders when the cues that reinforce schemas are not apparent or observable?