Socio-linguistic decisions and gender mapping across real and virtual world cultures

Abstract

This study examines a large corpus of online gaming chat and avatar names to explore gender differences in virtual world (VW) language use. In particular, we examine the relevance of socio-linguistic observations of gender in face-to-face conversation to the contemporary space of VW chat interactions in online gaming environments. In addition, we study the relationship between a player’s gender and naming decisions for online avatars in terms of linguistic observations based on sound symbolism. We conclude that the predictions of socio-linguists about gender-linked behaviors and decisions in RW conversational interactions largely transfer across subcultures to VW environments such as online gaming chat and avatar naming conventions.