A recent article in Wall Street Journal talks about virtual relationships and their affect on real relationships. According to a recent study cited we can learn the following about the cognitive processes in players brains:
- On a neurological level, players may not distinguish between virtual and real-life relationships
- People socializing in virtual worlds remain sensitive to subtle cues like eye contact – in one study, participants moved their avatars back if another character stood too close, even though the space violation was just virtual
- Our brains are not specialized for 21st-century media – There is not switch that says “Process this different because it is on the screen”.
More discussion at the MIT Advertising Lab and Neuromarketing
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