Living digital: embodient in virtual worlds
The social life of avatars
"Alone together?": exploring the social dynamics of massively multiplayer online games
Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
Presence: Teleoperators and Virtual Environments - Special issue: Collaborative information visualization environments
Review: The Internet's impact on sexuality: A critical review of 15years of research
Computers in Human Behavior
The rogue in the lovely black dress: intimacy in world of warcraft
Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
Defining the lines between virtual and real world purchases: Second Life sells, but who's buying?
Computers in Human Behavior
Beauty or realism: The dimensions of skin from cognitive sciences to computer graphics
Computers in Human Behavior
Even in virtual environments women shop and men build: A social role perspective on Second Life
Computers in Human Behavior
Social organization in virtual settings depends on proximity to human visual aspect
Computers in Human Behavior
Realism, idealization, and potential negative impact of 3D virtual relationships
Computers in Human Behavior
Infinite Reality: Avatars, Eternal Life, New Worlds, and the Dawn of the Virtual Revolution
Infinite Reality: Avatars, Eternal Life, New Worlds, and the Dawn of the Virtual Revolution
Social evaluations of embodied agents and avatars
Computers in Human Behavior
My avatar and me - Gender and personality predictors of avatar-self discrepancy
Computers in Human Behavior
Spatial proximity to others determines how humans inhabit virtual worlds
Computers in Human Behavior
The immersive impact of meta-media in a virtual world
Computers in Human Behavior
International Journal of Information Management: The Journal for Information Professionals
Living in the Hutt Space: Immersive process in the Star Wars Role-Play community of Second Life
Computers in Human Behavior
Computers in Human Behavior
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Despite the potential for limitless creativity, many activities observed in the increasingly popular multi-user virtual worlds involve recreating real-life experiences. This is particularly evident in the social domain, as individuals reenact activities that reflect real human social needs, such as interpersonal intimacy. Surprisingly, one aspect of virtual experience tied to intimate relationships that has emerged in this context involves the reenactment of pregnancy, birth and maternity. The aim of this study was to examine how pregnancy, birth, and maternity are represented in a virtual world. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected over a 10month period in the popular virtual world of Second Life to investigate the individual, social, and environmental aspects of these activities. Four different themes related to pregnancy, birth, and maternity were identified, including medical clinic services, family activities, sexual activities, and retail, with participation varying between female and male avatars. Analysis of related online media external to the virtual world provided further insight into the way that virtual pregnancy, birth, and maternity were constructed and experienced by the participating individuals. These insights are particularly valuable for understanding how intimate aspects of social interactions can be represented in immersive virtual applications for health care and related domains.