The Dark Side of Virtual Worlds

The JVWR, Volume 13, No. 1

Published: March 31, 2020

Issue editors:

Angie Cox, Trident University International, Cypress, CA, USA, (Prime)

Felipe Becker Nunes, Antonio Meneghetti College, Santa Maria, RS – Brazil

Miao Feng, NORC at the University of Chicago, USA

Oskar Milik, Northwood University, Midland, MI, U.S.A

The Journal of Virtual World Research’s “The Dark Side” issue dives into some fascinating ideas about how evil is represented in the virtual worlds of digital games. This issue includes five articles elaborating on the motivations for evil acts and their outcomes, hostile competitiveness, classification of deviant leisure, how immoral acts are determined, and our ability to thwart these cruel activities in the virtual environments and games.

The name of this special issue, “The Dark Side” is purposeful. It takes a critical look at the things we consider evil within virtual worlds. These five manuscripts address the types of activities that constitute evil, the rationale and intentions for these actions, and the impacts of these malicious events.

When we started planning the “Dark Side of Virtual Worlds” issue last year, NO ONE IMAGINED that humanity would be in ONE OF ITS DARKEST times – the age of COVID-19. Consequently, and of special interest to our JVWR (Journal of Virtual Worlds Research) community, much of human activity, be it meeting your parents or kids, taking a course or learning a new skill, or hanging with friends or colleagues – is virtual.

Virtual technologies, theory and practice, are now core. Thus, our JVWR community is called upon to provide guidance, and we are required to collectively think and do.

Original call: Dark Side Special Issue