Presented at the Peace as Global Language Conference 2013 in Kobe, Japan.

2. HOW DISRUPTIVE CAN A STUDENT GET?

3. HOW DISRUPTIVE CAN ONE GET AT HANAMI?

4. HOW DISRUPTIVE CAN ONE BE ONLINE?

5. CYPRIS CHAT: AN SL-EFL COMMUNITY

6. Classes
Activities
Chat
Games
Music events
Field trips
Cultural events
Founded in 2008
Based in Japan
International
500+ members
Daily events
Focus “Voice”
Apolitical
A NOT-FOR-PROFIT ENGLISH “PARK”

7. Observation
Interviews
Field notes
Facebook logs
Volunteer work
MY ROLE AS RESIDENT RESEARCHER

8. WHAT IS GRIEFING?
“(I) ntentional harassment of other
players . . . Which utilizes aspects of the
game structure or physics in unintended
ways to cause distress for other players’
(Warner & Raiter,
2005, p. 47)

9. 1) Not physical
2) Not always
related to real
identity
3) Distinct from
“cyberbullying”
(Smith et al.,
2008)
WHAT IT ISN’T

10. 1) Block
2) Ban
3) Report
4) Log out
5) Log in with
new avatar
(Chesney, T., et al,
2009)
VICTIM OPTIONS

11. “THE BIG SIX” KINDS OF GRIEFING IN SL
1 Intolerance; this is defined as actions that marginalize, belittle or defame individuals or
groups.
2 Harassment; examples are communicating or behaving in a manner which is offensively
coarse, intimidating or threatening, making unwelcome sexual advances.
3 Assault; this is the equivalent of First Life physical abuse and in-world, it means to push a
resident.
4 Disclosure; this is perhaps seen as the most serious and refers to disclosing information
about a user (such as their First Life name or First Life location).
5 Indecency; this could be swearing, nudity or the depiction of sex or violence in a so-called
‘PG zone’.
6 Disturbing the peace; examples include repeated transmission of undesired advertising
content, the use of repetitive sounds, or other objects that intentionally slow server
performance. (http://secondlife.com/corporate/cs.php )

12. 1. Three
complaints
2. Warning
3. Ban
4. A new avatar
equals a fresh
start
GRIEFING RULES BEFORE JASON

13. JANUARY 2013: JASON AND DEMURE

14. MARCH 2013: JASON ATTACKS
Sexual harassment
Harassment based on nationality and religion
Confusing new or low proficiency learners with disinformation
Spamming people through IMs (instant messaging) during class
Light object attacks that crash member computers
Use of multiple ALTs

15. CYPRIS DEFENSE STRATEGIES
Negotiation
Avatar age limits set
Security HUDs distributed to staff
Creation of a head of dedicated “security chief”.
Shared intelligence with Virtlantis staff
Coordination through Facebook messaging
Discussion related to redesign of the sim and members only areas
New alt immediately banned on identification as Jason

16. DORI SWEET

17. MR. HAMMOND

18. JEFF HEMA

19. PROFESSOR MERRYMAN

20. 1) A determined griefer
can find a way.
2) Teach ‘virtual self-
defense’
3) Don’t take it too
seriously
4) Make lemonade
CONCLUSIONS

21. REFERENCES
Chesney, T., Coyne, I., Logan. B. & Madden, N. (2009). Griefing in virtual
worlds: causes, casualties and coping strategies. Information Systems
Journal, 19 (6), 525-548.
DuQuette, J. (2011). Buckling Down: Initiating an EFL reading circle in a
casual online group. The JALT CALL Journal, 7(1), 79-92.
Warner, D.E. & Raiter, M. (2005) Social context in Massively-Multiplayer
Online Games (MMOGs): ethical questions in shared space.
International Review of Information Ethics, 4, 46–52.