ON INTER-REALITY LITERACY: EMOTIONS AS PREDICTORS OF PERFORMANCE IN VIRTUAL WORLDS Research-in-Progress

Virtual worlds, set-up on the Internet, occur as a highly complex form of visual media. They foreshadow future developments, not only in leisure settings, but also in health care and business environments. The interaction between real-life and virtual worlds, i.e., inter-reality, has recently moved to the center of scientific interest (Bainbridge 2007). Particularly, the empirical assessment of the value of virtual embodiment and its outcomes is needed (Schultze 2010). Here, this paper aims to make a contribution. Reviewing prior media theories and corresponding conceptualizations such as presence, immersion, media literacy and emotions, we argue that in inter-reality, individual differences in perceiving and dealing with one’s own and other’s emotions influence an individual's performance. Providing construct operationalizations and model propositions, we suggest testing the theory in the context of competitive and socially interactive virtual worlds