Guidelines for conducting text based interviews in virtual worlds

Interviews are a staple data collection tool in social science research and in recent decades have been increasingly formalised and systematised. However, due to the specific affordances and constraints of virtual worlds, researchers cannot simply replicate traditional interview techniques in virtual worlds without careful consideration of the specific features of the technology. For example the prominent use of text as the medium for communication, role of the avatar, interview location and inworld objects have implications for all inworld research interviews. Building on the foundation of traditional interviews in educational research and the current literature on inworld interviews, this chapter focuses on the use of text communication tools in both one-to-one and group interviews inworld. Based on previous research by the authors the opportunities, implications, constraints and techniques for conducting text based interviews inworld are discussed. The chapter concludes with a set of guidelines for researchers considering the use of inworld text based interviews.