Virtual world experimentation: An exploratory study

We explore the scientific potential of virtual worlds for experimental economists. In particular, we report the results of a series of virtual world experiments designed to examine the suitability of (a) users as subjects and (b) the computer interface as an experimental platform. Formal results and informal observations from the sessions are discussed in terms of the methodological opportunities and challenges of virtual experimentation generally.

[1]  R. Bloomfield,et al.  Worlds for Study: Invitation - Virtual Worlds for Studying Real-World Business (and Law, and Politics, and Sociology, and....) , 2007 .

[2]  T. Cason,et al.  Social Influence in the Sequential Dictator Game. , 1998, Journal of mathematical psychology.

[3]  Colin Camerer,et al.  Iterated Dominance and Iterated Best-Response in Experimental P-Beauty Contests , 1998 .

[4]  S. Gächter.  Behavioral Game Theory , 2008, Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science.

[5]  张谷.  实验经济学（Experimental Economics）研究思路及成果应用简述 , 1994 .

[6]  G. Harrison,et al.  Field Experiments in Economics , 2005 .

[7]  Colin Camerer,et al.  Aging and decision making: a comparison between neurologically healthy elderly and young individuals , 2005 .

[8]  A. Roth.  Introduction to Experimental Economics , 2004 .

[9]  J. Horowitz,et al.  Fairness in Simple Bargaining Experiments , 1994 .

[10]  Thomas Riechmann,et al.  Competition as a coordination device: Experimental evidence from a minimum effort coordination game , 2008 .

[11]  Robert Hoffmann,et al.  An Economic Anatomy of Culture: Attitudes and Behaviour in Inter- and Intra-National Ultimatum Game Experiments , 2009 .

[12]  Tim Guest,et al.  Second Lives , 2007 .

[13]  S. Solnick.  Gender differences in the ultimatum game , 2001 .

[14]  H. Oosterbeek,et al.  Cultural Differences in Ultimatum Game Experiments: Evidence from a Meta-Analysis , 2001 .

[15]  Maria Rosita Cagnina,et al.  How to Compete in the Metaverse: The Business Models in Second Life , 2008 .

[16]  A. Roth,et al.  Predicting How People Play Games: Reinforcement Learning in Experimental Games with Unique, Mixed Strategy Equilibria , 1998 .

[17]  William T. Harbaugh,et al.  Bargaining by Children , 2003 .

[18]  Rudolf Müller,et al.  Design and evaluation of an economic experiment via the Internet , 2001 .

[19]  V. Crawford.  Adaptive dynamics in coordination games , 1995 .

[20]  J. Andreoni.  Cooperation in Public-Goods Experiments: Kindness or Confusion? , 1995 .

[21]  S. Schwartz,et al.  Value Hierarchies Across Cultures , 2001 .

[22]  E. Fehr,et al.  Cooperation and Punishment in Public Goods Experiments , 1999, SSRN Electronic Journal.

[23]  Colin Camerer.  Progress in Behavioral Game Theory , 1997 .

[24]  Giovanna Devetag,et al.  Precedent transfer in coordination games: An experiment , 2005 .

[25]  R. Aumann,et al.  Unraveling in Guessing Games : An Experimental Study , 2007 .

[26]  Robert Hoffmann,et al.  Do Cultures Clash? Evidence from Cross-National Ultimatum Game Experiments , 2007 .

[27]  Paul Dourish,et al.  Introduction: The State of Play , 2004, Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW).

[28]  Paul J. Healy,et al.  Learning dynamics for mechanism design: An experimental comparison of public goods mechanisms , 2006, J. Econ. Theory.

[29]  W. Bainbridge.  The Scientific Research Potential of Virtual Worlds , 2007, Science.

[30]  Edward Castronova,et al.  On the Research Value of Large Games , 2005, Games Cult..

[31]  James Andreoni,et al.  Why free ride?: Strategies and learning in public goods experiments , 1988 .

[32]  Mordecai Kurz,et al.  Beauty Contests Under Private Information and Diverse Beliefs: How Different? , 2007 .

[33]  Colin F. Camerer,et al.  Creating Expectational Assets in the Laboratory: Coordination in 'Weakest- Link' Games , 1994 .

[34]  John Duffy,et al.  On the Robustness of Behaviour in Experimental ‘Beauty Contest’ Games , 1997 .

[35]  J. Carpenter,et al.  Comparing Students to Workers: The Effects of Social Framing on Behavior in Distribution Games , 2004, SSRN Electronic Journal.

[36]  V. Smith,et al.  Social distance and other-regarding behavior in dictator games , 2000 .

[37]  G. Harrison,et al.  Field experiments , 1924, The Journal of Agricultural Science.

[38]  V. Smith,et al.  Preferences, Property Rights, and Anonymity in Bargaining Games , 1994 .

[39]  S. Zamir,et al.  Bargaining and Market Behavior in Jerusalem, Ljubljana, Pittsburgh, and Tokyo: An Experimental Study , 1991 .

[40]  Robert Hoffmann,et al.  Adolescent-Adult Interactions and Culture in the Ultimatum Game , 2006 .

[41]  Andrew Schotter,et al.  Fairness and survival in ultimatum and dictatorship games , 1996 .

[42]  Colin Camerer.  Behavioral Game Theory , 1990 .

[43]  M. Rokeach.  The Nature Of Human Values , 1974 .

[44]  Nick Yee,et al.  The Demographics, Motivations, and Derived Experiences of Users of Massively Multi-User Online Graphical Environments , 2006, PRESENCE: Teleoperators and Virtual Environments.

[45]  Rosemarie Nagel,et al.  The Effect of Intergroup Competition on Group Coordination: An Experimental Study , 1999, Games Econ. Behav..

[46]  Colin Camerer,et al.  Foundations of Human Sociality - Economic Experiments and Ethnographic: Evidence From Fifteen Small-Scale Societies , 2004 .

[47]  Colin Camerer.  Do Biases in Probability Judgment Matter in Markets? Experimental Evidence , 1987 .

[48]  J. Huyck,et al.  Tacit Coordination Games, Strategic Uncertainty, and Coordination Failure , 1990 .

[49]  V. Smith,et al.  Social Distance and Other-Regarding Behavior in Dictator Games: Reply , 1999 .