MMOmuseums: A Proposal for the Creation of Experiential Memory Archives

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jon Saklofske
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Second Life ◽  
Role Playing ◽  
Virtual Spaces ◽  
Virtual Archaeology ◽  
Role Playing Games ◽  
Sense Of Presence ◽  
Ghost Towns ◽  
Player Experiences ◽  
Massively Multiplayer

The visibility and longevity of popular and well-known massively multiplayer online (MMO) communities (World of Warcraft, Second Life) eclipse a greater number of virtual worlds that have been abandoned. While hundreds of inactive and closed-down massively multiplayer online role playing games (MMORPGs) have been documented, most online virtual worlds are not included in archival and preservation initiatives due to issues relating to intellectual property and proprietary technologies, and most MMORPG ghost towns are not even accessible online. Their evaporated geographies live on only in the memories and stories posted by players to archived message forums. What if these worlds could be booted up once again, not to play in, but to explore as virtual archaeology sites, sites redesigned to host stories and memories from the players that once inhabited and originally populated these architectures with action, conflict, cooperation, and event? Such virtual archive spaces would feature player experiences and emergent narratives, represented as embedded narratives in a simulated recreation of the computer-generated geographies that they took place in, so that visitors to such sites experience a sense of presence as they receive a combination of both experience and story that preserves these spaces as lived worlds. Using the now-defunct City of Heroes MMO as an example, this paper discusses ways of directly involving diasporic communities of players in the memorialization of virtual spaces that they once inhabited.

scholarly journals An Exploration of Entrepreneurship in Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games: Second Life and Entropia Universe

2010 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Stéphane Kieger
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Second Life ◽  
Necessary Conditions ◽  
New Technology ◽  
Role Playing ◽  
Current Paper ◽  
Venture Creation ◽  
Role Playing Games ◽  
The Future ◽  
Massively Multiplayer

Virtual worlds represent a new market with a distinct economy andmany individuals are trying to exploit this very new technology in thesearch of profitable opportunities. The current paper proposes to studyentrepreneurship in the Massively Multiplayer Online Role-PlayingGames (MMORPG) Second Life® and Entropia Universe® in whichmonetary trades are possible. A survey was proposed to the community of players of both games, and from a sample of 244 players, nineteenentrepreneurs were contacted for a second survey. The traits of theentrepreneurs were compared to those of the players andentrepreneurship was observed in Second Life® and Entropia Universe®.  In fact, all the necessary conditions are present for entrepreneurship: a new technology giving new sources of revenues, an entrepreneur willing to invest money in order to increase his wealth, and a market with an economy well understood. The different entrepreneurs have developed successful ventures in several markets, and they had well defined the strategy they wanted to adopt. They have examined the different markets in which they have entered although they did not use all the tools known in the marketing fields. Further, some steps in the process of creation of the venture may not be important and some may be done relatively swiftly, thus the venture creation in MMORPG may be relatively easy. In conclusion, the venture creation may be relatively undemanding in virtual worlds, and this opens new possibilities for the future.

Painting Machinima in Second Life

2015 ◽  
pp. 23-53
Author(s):  
Phylis Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Second Life ◽  
Virtual World ◽  
Role Playing ◽  
Digital Society ◽  
Role Playing Games ◽  
Peter Greenaway ◽  
Cultural Implications ◽  
Virtual Platform ◽  
Massively Multiplayer

This chapter explores the technological and artistic revolution brought forth by machinima, particularly the rise among a community of filmmakers who would begin to express their stories and ideas through virtual worlds. Machinima has led to an emergence of scholarship on its aesthetics and cultural implications for digital society. The case of machinima as art is illustrated through a review of select works of virtual world filmmakers. This discussion also distinguishes the machinima concepts of game, virtual platform and more specifically virtual worlds to their varying degrees and relationships. It is here that one delineates the purpose of machinima within Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPG) to that of virtual worlds such as Second Life (SL). In doing so, the author follows the innovation of machinima through the evolution of gaming and its extension to stand-alone ready-to-wear software to potentialities called forth by British filmmaker Peter Greenaway regarding Second Life.

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.

Personality Impressions of World of Warcraft Players Based on Their Avatars and Usernames

2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 58-73 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriella M. Harari ◽  
Lindsay T. Graham ◽  
Samuel D. Gosling
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Role Playing ◽  
Model Analysis ◽  
World Of Warcraft ◽  
Accurate Information ◽  
Lens Model ◽  
Role Playing Games ◽  
The World ◽  
Massively Multiplayer

Every week an estimated 20 million people collectively spend hundreds of millions of hours playing massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs). Here the authors investigate whether avatars in one such game, the World of Warcraft (WoW), convey accurate information about their players' personalities. They assessed consensus and accuracy of avatar-based impressions for 299 WoW players. The authors examined impressions based on avatars alone, and images of avatars presented along with usernames. The personality impressions yielded moderate consensus (avatar-only mean ICC = .32; avatar plus username mean ICC = .66), but no accuracy (avatar only mean r = .03; avatar plus username mean r = .01). A lens-model analysis suggests that observers made use of avatar features when forming impressions, but the features had little validity. Discussion focuses on what factors might explain the pattern of consensus but no accuracy, and on why the results might differ from those based on other virtual domains and 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.

scholarly journals Introducing "Surveylady": A Case for the Use of Avatars as Part of Gaming Research

1969 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kelly M Bergstrom
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Environment ◽  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Role Playing ◽  
World Of Warcraft ◽  
Research Subject ◽  
Role Playing Games ◽  
The Rich ◽  
Massively Multiplayer

The popularity explosion of Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMOs) such as World of Warcraft provides researchers with a venue to reach a wider research subject base than ever before. But what is the best way to collect data about these virtual worlds? This paper illustrates the rich potential of using an avatar to interact with MMO participants while players are immersed in the game’s virtual environment. Rather than observing from the periphery, this paper makes the case for the researcher to ‘dive right in’ and interview gamers within their (virtual) environment. This paper will argue that this methodology acts as a means for collecting rich, nuanced data about the gaming community.

Why Virtual Worlds?

2010 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Angela Adrian
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Programming Languages ◽  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Computer Network ◽  
Role Playing ◽  
Role Playing Games ◽  
Graphical Environment ◽  
Massively Multiplayer

This book will examine the legal realities which are emerging from Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPGs). MMORPGs are any computer network-mediated games in which at least 1,000 players are role-playing simultaneously in a graphical environment. They are also known as virtual worlds. The term virtual reality was coined by Jaron Lanier in 1989. Lanier is one of the pioneers of the field, founding the company VPL Research (from Virtual Programming Languages) which built some of the first systems in the 1980s. The related term artificial reality has been in use since the 1970s and cyberspace dates to 1984.

Second Life

2010 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 60-64
Author(s):  
Galen Grimes ◽  
Michael Bartolacci
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Second Life ◽  
Virtual World ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Role Playing ◽  
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.

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