The aim of this project is to examine the use of voice communication technology in the online virtual world Second Life. Voice technology for player-to-player communication is becoming a popular choice in multiplayer games, and has recently been introduced into the online virtual world Second Life. However, while voice may be well-suited to coordination of fast-paced team games, it is not known whether voice is suitable for non-gamelike virtual worlds, where people meet mainly in order to communicate. This project will help us understand how voice is being used in Second Life, under what circumstances it is better or worse than communicating via typed text, and how it might be improved. To study the use of voice in Second Life we want to ask you about your experiences using voice to communicate in Second Life. The interview should take about an hour. It can take place in person or in-world, depending on which is most convenient to you.
The project does not involve any risks. The only anticipated inconvenience for you is the time taken by the observation sessions and interviews. The information you provide will be treated as confidential and used only for research purposes connected with this project. Confidentiality of the information will be protected, subject to any legal limitations such as subpoenas or FOI. Access to the information will be restricted to the investigators only. As required by the University, data will be held in locked cabinets in the Department of Information Systems, and destroyed using confidential waste disposal techniques after five years following last publication from the research. No individual person or organisation will be identifiable in the research report. However, due to the small number of participants in this research project, even though people will not be named, there is a possibility that people could be identified by contextual information. Your participation in the research project is voluntary, and you may discontinue participation at any time. You may also withdraw any unprocessed data previously provided.
If you have any questions about this research project please contact Greg Wadley on (613) 8344-1586 or greg.wadley (at) unimelb.edu.au, or Martin Gibbs on (613) 8344-1394 or martinrg (at) unimelb.edu.au .
If you have any concerns regarding to the conduct of the research please contact the Executive Officer, Human Research Ethics, The University of Melbourne 3010 ph: (613) 8344 7507 fax (613) 9347 6739.