A Research Live article reveals the results of a study about online virtual worlds used for research. The study was conducted by Gartner. In an interview, the author of the study gives some interesting points, here are some excerpts:

“If there is a community in a virtual world that is targeted, then fine,” he says. “Otherwise you probably have a very unrepresentative sample of customers out there. You also have to understand that in a virtual world you’re dealing not so much with the customer as with the persona they’ve created.”

“The report paints a sad picture of the hundreds of corporate attempts to get into virtual worlds, claiming that such projects almost always fail within the first 18 months.”

“He also warns that the users of virtual worlds are not always the ripe targets that marketers expect – with a “black hole” between the pre-teens and the gamers in their mid to late 20s”

About time someone discredits this ridiculous trend. We have been talking about it for quite some time now. Since this post, we saw at least three or four more presentations on “Second Life” during Market Research conferences. It is sad that market researchers and clients have been so badly misguided about the “wonders” of online virtual worlds.

The article is here:

Virtual Worlds Not Ready for Resarch [Research Live]