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Social Inclusion through Virtual Worlds
Abstract
In this chapter, the theoretical foundation of the use of virtual worlds (3D environments) to strengthen the personal social network of people who are challenged in that area, especially the elderly, is described. The psychological (bordering on sociological and anthropological) aspects of “living” in a virtual “world,” such as Second Life, are described. Opportunities and threats of those aspects regarding the possibilities of strengthening the personal network and quality of life are indicated. The chapter is based on a 5-year research project. The concrete outcome of which is translated into real life projects under the name VayaV. VayaV is described in this chapter as a case study. The Dutch municipalities all agree that the main social problems facing their citizens are exclusion, feeling lonely, passivity, and lack of friends and an adequate personal social network. In the latest figures, more than a third of the people who were interviewed (a cross section of the whole Dutch population) said: I am often lonely and I am suffering because of it. With their consent, a virtual environment is developed based on the research project in Second Life, in such a way that people who do not like computers and know nothing about digital social networks can meet and have fun and form a community of friends and acquaintances. In this case, there is more to the VayaV approach than playing a game in which someone has set the rules and goals for you. It is more like everyday life where people set their own goals and rules, according to their own values and norms.
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