Designing for Massive Engagement in a Tween Community: Participation, Prevention, and Philanthropy in a Virtual Epidemic.

How can we design for more active participation and engagement in massive online virtual worlds? While many online communities, be they online games or virtual worlds, have been created or used ostensibly with learning goals in mind, relatively little has been studied about how to motivate members collectively (rather than individually or in small groups) in productive activities, especially with children and teens. To this end we describe the design and impact of a virtual epidemic in a massive online community called Whyville.net that engaged youth players in an infectious disease outbreak. Our analyses of click data captured in log files and observations reveal which factors impacted players' changes in participation, including searches for information, engagement in prevention, and donations to vaccine design. In the discussion, we address what we have learned about identity, agency and timing as levers in designing participation in massive community experiences.