Hello Everyone,

My name is Frank Waddell. I am currently a graduate student in the Department of Communication at Virginia Tech. Growing up most of my life with console-based and online games, I am very interested in investigating how MMOs are different from the experience of traditional video games. As part of my graduate research, I would like to invite you to participate in a study of MMO players and their use of avatars. Players of role-playing (e.g. WoW, DDO, etc.) and social MMOs (e.g. SL) are both invited to participate. You will be asked to e-mail a screenshot of your main character and to complete a 10-15 minute online survey. Your participation is highly appreciated and could assist in improving our understanding of game players and their use of virtual environments.

If you would like to participate in this study, please e-mail a detailed screenshot of your main avatar to mmostudy@gamerlab.org. Please take this screenshot with the inventory open, showing your character’s name, level, items, and other attributes. Please also adjust the camera angle to show your character from the front. Once you have submitted this screenshot, use the following link to complete the online survey: https://survey.vt.edu/survey/entry.jsp?id=1300237671851

For any questions regarding this study, feel free to contact Frank Waddell at waddellt@vt.edu. Thanks for your time!

Frank Waddell
Graduate Student and G.A.M.E.R. Lab Associate, Virginia Tech
http://www.gamerlab.org/