Comparing 3D content creation interfaces in two virtual worlds: World of Warcraft and Second Life

2010 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 239-258 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victoria McArthur ◽  
Robert J Teather ◽  
Wolfgang Stuerzlinger
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Second Life ◽  
World Of Warcraft ◽  
Content Creation ◽  
3D Content

Interoperability, Learning Designs and Virtual Worlds

2010 ◽  
pp. 193-206
Author(s):  
Helen Farley
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Second Life ◽  
Role Playing ◽  
World Of Warcraft ◽  
Role Playing Games ◽  
Collaborative Activities

Given the relatively high costs associated with designing and implementing learning designs in virtual worlds, a strategy for the re-use of designs becomes imperative. IMS LD has emerged as the standard for the description and expression of learning designs. This chapter explores some of the issues associated with using the IMS LD specification for learning designs in virtual worlds such as Second Life and multi-player online role playing games such as World of Warcraft. The main issues relate to the inadequate description of collaborative activities and the inability to alter the design ‘on-the-fly’ in response to learner inputs. Some possible solutions to these problems are considered.

User-Driven Content Creation in Second Life A Source of Innovation?

2011 ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Sisse Siggaard Jensen
Keyword(s):  
New Media ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Second Life ◽  
Open Innovation ◽  
Open Space ◽  
Meaning Making ◽  
Content Creation ◽  
Service Project ◽  
Symbolic World

In this chapter, Second Life is conceived as an open space and symbolic world of user-driven co-creation of content. The questions asked concern the ways in which the actors of three case studies design, mediate, and remediate their Second Life projects and how the choices they make contribute to user-driven content creation and possibly to innovative practices. To answer these questions, concepts of innovation, in particular closed and open innovation are introduced and motivations for engaging in co-creation are identified. It is suggested that we understand user-driven innovation in a world like Second Life in terms of symbolic reorganization of conceptual frameworks and meaning-making. Subsequently, the concept of remediation is suggested as a way to conceive of mediation in the cases studied. It is shown how difficult it is for actors to co-create, mediate, and remediate thus to generate user-driven innovative practices in two Danish business projects (Wonder DK and Times) and in one public service project (Literary). To conclude the analysis of the case studies, it is suggested that methods of creative co-creation and innovative practices can build on the concept of remediation borrowed from research on new media and redefined in virtual worlds.

Second Life

2012 ◽  
pp. 285-289 ◽  
Author(s):  
Galen Grimes ◽  
Michael Bartolacci
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Second Life ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Role Playing ◽  
World Of Warcraft ◽  
Online Behavior ◽  
Role Playing Games ◽  
Learning Platform ◽  
Security Training ◽  
Information Security Training

Virtual worlds have become increasingly popular with the growth of high speed Internet access worldwide and online gaming. The popularity of massively multiplayer online role playing games (MMORPG), such as World of Warcraft, and virtual worlds, such as Second Life, has created an opportunity for educators to build a learning platform that students can readily relate to. This paper explores some of the possibilities of utilizing one particular virtual world (Second Life) as a platform for network and information security training with a focus on the profiling of online behavior. In particular it describes the initial attempts of its use at one of the Pennsylvania State University’s campuses.

E-Collaboration and E-Commerce in Virtual Worlds

2009 ◽  
pp. 308-319 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ned Kock
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Environments ◽  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Real World ◽  
Second Life ◽  
World Of Warcraft ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Collaborative Task ◽  
The Impact

Virtual worlds can be defined as technology-created virtual environments that incorporate representations of real world elements such as human beings, landscapes and other objects. Recent years have seen the growing use of virtual worlds such as Second Life and World of Warcraft for entertainment and business purposes, and a rising interest from researchers in the impact that virtual worlds can have on patterns of e-collaboration behavior and collaborative task outcomes. This article looks into whether actual work can be accomplished in virtual worlds, whether virtual worlds can provide the basis for trade (B2C and C2C e-commerce), and whether they can serve as a platform for credible studies of ecollaboration behavior and related outcomes. The conclusion reached is that virtual worlds hold great potential in each of these three areas, even though there are certainly pitfalls ahead.

From CMC Technologies to Social Participation Technologies

2010 ◽  
pp. 627-641 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chaka Chaka
Keyword(s):  
Social Networking ◽  
Social Participation ◽  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Second Life ◽  
Social Networking Sites ◽  
Computer Mediated Communication ◽  
World Of Warcraft ◽  
Mediated Communication ◽  
Multiplayer Online Games ◽  
Computer Mediated

This chapter characterises the evolution of computer-mediated communication (CMC) technologies into social participation technologies (SPTs). With respect to the latter, it explores blogs, social networking sites (e.g., Facebook and MySpace), media sharing sites (e.g., Flickr and YouTube), virtual worlds (e.g., Second Life), massively multiplayer online games (e.g., Lineage and World of Warcraft), and mashups in varying degrees. It also contends that SPTs serve as instances of inscription and attention technologies in relation to users employing them. In addition, it delineates new genres, changing discourses, emerging literacies, online socialised learning and changing learners associated with SPTs. Against this background, the chapter provides, first, a short overview of the evolution of CMC technologies into SPTs. Second, it presents a case for new genres, changing discourses, emerging literacies, online socialised learning and changing learners in the context of SPTs. Last, it outlines some of the future trends likely to influence SPTs in relation to genres, discourses, literacies and online socialised learning.

scholarly journals Using Google Trends Data to Gauge Interest in Virtual Worlds

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony Crider ◽  
Jessica Torrez-Riley
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Second Life ◽  
World Of Warcraft ◽  
Google Trends ◽  
Gompertz Function ◽  
Search Volume ◽  
Technology Products ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Interest In Technology

Virtual worlds rose and fell in popularity a decade ago, and today's nascent commercially-available virtual reality could repeat this pattern. With sparse data available for gauging interest in technology products, such as virtual worlds or virtual reality, Google Trends search popularity has been used in prior studies as a proxy for global interest. We explore the problems with this approach using data from three virtual worlds: Second Life, Minecraft, and World of Warcraft. We find that Google Trends search volume does not correlate with user purchases or subscriptions, and the single shifted Gompertz function used in prior studies may not be sufficient to model both product user searches and searches driven by media attention.

Can Virtual Worlds Support E-Collaboration and E-Commerce? A Look at Second Life and World of Warcraft

2010 ◽  
pp. 300-311
Author(s):  
Ned Kock
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Second Life ◽  
World Of Warcraft ◽  
Collaborative Task ◽  
The Impact

Recent years have seen the growing use of virtual worlds such as Second Life and World of Warcraft for entertainment and business purposes, and a rising interest from researchers in the impact that virtual worlds can have on patterns of e-collaboration behavior and collaborative task outcomes. This chapter looks into whether actual work can be accomplished in virtual worlds, whether virtual worlds can provide the basis for trade (B2C and C2C e-commerce), and whether they can serve as a platform for credible studies of e-collaboration behavior and related outcomes. The conclusion reached at is that virtual worlds hold great potential in each of these three areas, even though there are certainly pitfalls ahead.

scholarly journals ‘I Create Therefore I Virtually Exist’: Digital Content Creation, Virtual Consumption, and Motivation in Second Life

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Nagy ◽  
Bernadett Koles
Keyword(s):  
Digital Media ◽  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Second Life ◽  
Personal Characteristics ◽  
Ease Of Use ◽  
Digital Content ◽  
Content Creation ◽  
3D Virtual Worlds ◽  
Self Actualization ◽  
Virtual Consumption

User-generated content (UGC) has been receiving increasing attention given its spread throughout digital media platforms and applications. Previous research focusing on Web 2.0 based platforms highlighted linkages with personal characteristics, user attitudes, and social as well as individual motivators. Interestingly, UGC has not been addressed on other platforms such as 3D virtual worlds, and the purpose of the current study is to fill this gap in the literature. More specifically, we explore virtual content creation within the particular 3D virtual world of Second Life, via comparing key demographic, usage and motivational attributes of creator versus non-creator residents. Results revealed differential patterns as a function of age, gender and usage. Digital content creators were also more likely to purchase goods reflecting stability, expand greater financial resources on the Second Life Marketplace, and while acknowledging greater difficulty in ease of use, reported higher esteem and self-actualization. Implications for scholars and practitioners are discussed.

scholarly journals Second Life as a research environment: avatar-based focus groups (AFG)

2016 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 101-114 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eman Gadalla ◽  
Ibrahim Abosag ◽  
Kathy Keeling
Keyword(s):  
Focus Groups ◽  
Data Quality ◽  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Second Life ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Marketing Research ◽  
Two Phase ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages

Purpose – This study aims to examine the nature and the potential use of avatar-based focus groups (AFGs) (i.e. focus groups conducted in three-dimensional [3D] virtual worlds [VWs]) as compared to face-to-face and online focus groups (OFGs), motivated by the ability of VWs to stimulate the realism of physical places. Over the past decade, there has been a rapid increase in using 3D VWs as a research tool. Design/methodology/approach – Using a two-phase reflective approach, data were collected first by using traditional face-to-face focus groups, followed by AFGs. In Phase 2, an online, semi-structured survey provided comparison data and experiences in AFGs, two-dimensional OFGs and traditional face-to-face focus groups. Findings – The findings identify the advantages and disadvantages of AFGs for marketing research. There is no evident difference in data quality between the results of AFGs and face-to-face focus groups. AFG compensates for some of the serious limitations associated with OFGs. Practical implications – The paper reflects on three issues, data quality, conduct of AFGs (including the moderator reflection) and participant experience, that together inform one’s understanding of the characteristics, advantages and limitations of AFG. Originality/value – This is the first paper to compare between AFGs, traditional face-to-face focus groups and OFGs. AFG holds many advantages over OFGs and even, sometimes, over face-to-face focus groups, providing a suitable environment for researchers to collect data.

scholarly journals Virtual Sense of Community in a World of Warcraft® Storytelling Open Forum Thread

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dean Anthony Fabi Gui
Keyword(s):  
Sense Of Community ◽  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Virtual Community ◽  
Role Playing ◽  
World Of Warcraft ◽  
Online Forums ◽  
New Members ◽  
Alternative Communities ◽  
Ethnographic Data ◽  
Role Playing Game

World of Warcraft® (WoW), a massive multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) extends to its members a virtual landscape of live gaming opportunities through such platforms as “dice” rolled character stats, open-ended story development, and interactive AI. These affordances are underpinned by a kind of virtual sense of community bringing players together in order to develop relationships and the self, adventure together, build up wealth, and overcome obstacles in order to complete quests. In addition to live game-play (or “in-world”) communities, WoW residents create alternative communities through rich online forums—here, new members are recruited into guilds, disputes are spawned and slayed, and seasoned warriors reminisce over worlds and lives that once- were. However, a third type of community is also evident through particular threads crafted within forums specifically for collaborative storytelling (or roleplaying). This paper examines sense of community—a sense of “belonging to, importance of, and identification with a community”—through one particular thread, “The Darkening Grove Tavern” under the forum World’s End Tavern using an adaptation of McMillan and Chavis’ theory and Boellstorff, Nardi, Pearce & Taylor’s ethnographic data collection methodology for qualitative analysis of virtual worlds . Findings from players’ story text (or “turns”) suggest that online storytelling forum threads exhibit a linguistically and semiotically branded sense of virtual community. 

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