This link has been bookmarked by 1 people . It was first bookmarked on 11 Jul 2008, by Tara McGowan.
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11 Jul 08
Tara McGowanGreat Missouri stories of how avatars are helping people through personal tragedies and crises
secondlife avatar psychosocial Missouri crisis support subculture
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“An avatar is your embodiment in virtual worlds and virtual game spaces,” explained Matthew Falk, an Indiana University researcher of what he and others call “synthetic worlds.”
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For Todd Schrivener, a superhero avatar named Shocking Blue helped zap away the worst despair of his life.
In June 2006, Schrivener’s wife, Becky, was diagnosed with breast cancer. A friend suggested Schrivener try the online game “City of Heroes” to fill his restless nights.
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People may develop profound feelings for their avatars, said Donna Russell, an instructor at the University of Missouri-Kansas City who won a grant from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation to develop Second Life as a teaching tool.
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You can watch a video clip of a virtual memorial service—attended by dozens of respectful avatars—for a player who died in the real world.
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Students at the University of Kansas School of Medicine learn how to prepare someone for surgery by logging onto Second Life and transporting to the hospital’s “island,” where an avatar patient awaits on a gurney.
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Librarians Bill and Diana Sowers—aka “Rocky Vallejo” and the vivacious “Cindy Elkhart”—built an island they named “Rachelville” that emphasizes children’s literature. The girl whose image and artwork adorn the site is their daughter, who died of leukemia seven years ago.
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