Grieving in virtual worlds: emotional processes and generational differences in avatar-based memorials on VRChat

Area of Science:

• Digital Humanities
• Human-Computer Interaction
• Grief Studies

Background:

• Immersive technologies like virtual reality (VR) enable new forms of grieving.
• Research on grief in VR primarily addresses the loss of real-world individuals.
• The experience of losing virtual avatars, extensions of user identity, remains understudied.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine generational differences in interpreting and responding to virtual avatar loss.
• To explore user experiences during virtual reality (VR)-based memorial ceremonies for avatars.
• To address the gap in understanding grief related to virtual identity loss.

Main Methods:

• Conducted two avatar-based funerals in VRChat (virtual reality social platform).
• Employed qualitative research methods including participant observation.
• Collected data from sixteen semi-structured interviews with users aged 18-65, followed by thematic analysis.

Main Results:

• Identified two key themes: Generational Differences and Cultural Influence, and Emotional Experience During Digital Mourning.
• Younger participants exhibited humor, narrative play, and flexible identity experimentation in response to avatar loss.
• Older participants demonstrated greater solemnity, ritual structure, and symbolic continuity in memorial practices.

Conclusions:

• Proposed the Hybrid Grief Model of Virtual Mourning (HGM-VM), integrating grief theory and socio-technical perspectives.
• Virtual mourning authenticates emotions, reconfiguring them through immersive, participatory, and generationally influenced practices.
• Findings offer implications for designing emotionally resonant virtual memorial environments.