Connected Play in Virtual Worlds: Communication and Control Mechanisms in Virtual Worlds for Children and Adolescents

2021
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Multimodal Technol. Interact. 
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11 of 22 
(
a
) 
(
b
) 
Figure 4. 
(
a
) An in-game character at the information desk suggests in response with a message that reads, “Click on the 
Gallery to look at some art.” In response, a player (the first author) asks an open-ended question “Where is the Gallery” 
in 
Whyville
; (
b
) a system-generated response to the player’s question “Where is the gallery?” The chat bubble in the re-
stricted chat mode in 
Whyville
reads “That wasn’t found in our list of safe phrases”. 
In 
Whyville
, player communication is moderated by automated chat filtering (for in-
appropriate language and information including web links) through which users (primar-
ily parents) can add a “personal exclusionary list” to filter words and phrases, such as 
those that contain personal information. Besides the automatic filtering feature, 
Whyville
is also monitored by site administrators through a variety of tools (e.g., priority listing, 
automatic notification, pre-set buttons, and other special provisions). The site administra-
tors reinforce several types of penalties for violations: financial punishments (via virtual 
possessions), restrictions on communication, public censure, suspension of internal email 
privileges, alterations in physical appearances, and account banishment. 
In addition to moderation by adult guardians and/or site administrators, 
Whyville
also establishes organizational structures that encourage peer monitoring systems 
amongst the players themselves. For example, good 
Whyville
citizens are eligible to be-
come “official community helpers” and serve on the patrol team to report inappropriate 
behavior to site administrators. Reported offensive communication and behaviors can 
lead to several actions that impact the player experience: (1) silence from chatting, (2) va-
porization of the face (of the avatar), and (3) a 911 Report to alert city workers for further 
investigations, with consequences as severe as losing chat privileges for one week [76]. 
These three consequences to ensure community safety also influence the different visual 
and textual information available for communication. For example, being silenced from 
chatting restricts the freedom for text-based written communication via text, whereas va-
porization restricts the visual imagery of a user during gameplay. These in-game actions 
mimic real-life scenarios, actions such as calling 9-1-1 within 
Whyville
also enable trans-
ferring of similar actions outside 
Whyville
, allowing youth to connect their online play 
with offline safety training in daily interactions [27,77]. 
3.2.2. Autcraft 
Autcraft
is a parent-owned server of 
Minecraft
, a sandbox game in which players use 
different 3D blocks to create, destroy, rebuild, and explore structures in a user-generated 
open world. Since its release by Mojang Studios in 2011, 
Minecraft
has been played by over 
126 million users worldwide (as of 2020). Differing from the web-based virtual world plat-
form 
Whyville
, 
Minecraft
can be played via different software platforms (e.g., mobile and 
desktop) on various hardware equipment (e.g., computers, tablets, as well as game con-
soles—Nintendo Switch and Xbox). The generic 
Minecraft
account follows COPPA regu-
lations, in which parental consent is required (through payment charged via credit card