Social interactions within virtual communities are often described solely as being online experiences. Such descriptions are limited, for they fail to reference life external to the screen. The terms virtual and real have a negative connotation for many people and can even be interpreted to mean that something is "false" or "inauthentic." Research on postmodern lifestyles has questioned the relation between different dimensions of experience. This article seeks to describe how, in an online role-playing games community, the two dimensions-the real and the virtual-are interrelated and contribute to the construction of a unique, integrated personal experience that exists in the tension between everyday life and the computer world.
Uniqueness of Experience and Virtual Playworlds: Playing Is Not Just for Fun / Talamo, Alessandra; Simone, Pozzi; Mellini, Barbara. - In: MIND, CULTURE, AND ACTIVITY. - ISSN 1074-9039. - STAMPA. - 17:1(2010), pp. 23-41. [10.1080/10749030903342220]
Uniqueness of Experience and Virtual Playworlds: Playing Is Not Just for Fun
TALAMO, Alessandra;MELLINI, BARBARA
2010
Abstract
Social interactions within virtual communities are often described solely as being online experiences. Such descriptions are limited, for they fail to reference life external to the screen. The terms virtual and real have a negative connotation for many people and can even be interpreted to mean that something is "false" or "inauthentic." Research on postmodern lifestyles has questioned the relation between different dimensions of experience. This article seeks to describe how, in an online role-playing games community, the two dimensions-the real and the virtual-are interrelated and contribute to the construction of a unique, integrated personal experience that exists in the tension between everyday life and the computer world.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
