Deborah A. Fields
ABSTRACT
In this paper, we report on the study of a new virtual epidemic called the Dragon Swooping Cough, a newly designed virus unleashed on the youth virtual world of Whyville.net in two stages during December 2015 and April 2016. Our overall goal in this study was to design experiential learning of infectious disease in a safe but epidemiologically and educationally sound way. The virtual virus targeted personal, social, and economic aspects of online life in Whyville in order to mirror real-world viruses and to trigger player emotions. Our analysis of pre/post surveys and online behavior log files for survey (N = 747) and non-survey (N = 3348) participants revealed that the virtual epidemic promoted participation, primarily through engagement in prevention against the virtual virus, that increased in the second outbreak. Furthermore, emotional engagement played an intriguing role in both behavioral and information-seeking behaviors. In the discussion we address what we learned about opportunities and challenges in designing a virtual epidemic for educational engagement.
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Index Terms
- Plagues and people: engineering player participation and prevention in a virtual epidemic
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