Enhancing Characters for Virtual Worlds and Interactive Environments through Human-Like Enhancements

2011 ◽  
pp. 19-33
Author(s):  
Stuart Slater ◽  
David Burden
Keyword(s):  
User Experience ◽  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Second Life ◽  
Interactive Environments ◽  
Pilot Experiment ◽  
Computer Controlled

The work discussed in this chapter involves a proposal to add human like attributes (emotions in this instance) to characters in games and virtual worlds to enhance user experience. The chapter begins by defining these computer controlled characters in the context of both games and virtual worlds, followed by a discussion on the human like aspects currently being integrated into these characters by developers. The chapter continues by focusing specifically on a particular case study where emotional attributes were added to a conversational character in Linden Labs’ Second Life, after which a pilot experiment was conducted to ascertain the user response. The results from the study show that there is some support to the notion that users do prefer interacting with emotionally responsive characters.

More than just Logging In

2013 ◽  
pp. 149-160
Author(s):  
Kae Novak ◽  
Chris Luchs ◽  
Beth Davies-Stofka
Keyword(s):  
Learning Environment ◽  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Second Life ◽  
Virtual World ◽  
Common Ground ◽  
Content Delivery ◽  
Immersive Learning ◽  
Delivery Vehicles

This case study chronicles co-curricular activities held in the virtual world Second Life. The event activities included standard content delivery vehicles and those involving movement and presence. Several international content experts were featured and allowed students to meet and discuss ideas on a common ground with these experts. When developing these events, the researchers wondered, could an immersive learning environment be provide a deeper level of engagement? Was it possible to have students do more than just logging in? During the events, the students discovered a whole new way of learning. Chief among their discoveries was the realization that in these virtual world educational events, students, scholars, and faculty can all be mentors as well as learners. In virtual worlds, the expert-on-a-dais model of teaching is rapidly replaced by a matrix of discussion, collaboration, and movement that quickly generates a pool of ideas and knowledge.

Participant-Observation as a Method for Analyzing Avatar Design in User-Generated Virtual Worlds

2011 ◽  
pp. 469-481
Author(s):  
Jeremy O. Turner ◽  
Janet McCracken ◽  
Jim Bizzocchi
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Second Life ◽  
Ethical Issues ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
User Generated Content ◽  
Close Analysis ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
Participant Observer

This chapter explores the epistemological, and ethical boundaries of the application of a participant-observer methodology for analyzing avatar design in user-generated virtual worlds. We describe why Second Life was selected as the preferred platform for studying the fundamental design properties of avatars in a situated manner. We will situate the specific case study within the broader context of ethnographic qualitative research methodologies, particularly focusing on what it means to live – and role-play - within the context that one is studying, or to facilitate prolonged engagement in order to have the research results accepted as trustworthy or credible (Lincoln & Guba, 1985). This chapter describes a case study where researchers can extract methods and techniques for studying “in-world” workshops and focus groups. Our speculations and research questions drawn from a close analysis of this case study will illuminate the possible limitations of applying similar hybrid iterations of participation-observation tactics and translations of disciplinary frameworks into the study of user-generated content for future virtual world communities. Finally, we will review the broader epistemological and ethical issues related to the role of the participant-observation researcher in the study of virtual worlds.

scholarly journals Virtual Worlds Come Of Age

2010 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Stuart Barnes
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Real World ◽  
Second Life ◽  
Virtual Communities ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Channel Activity ◽  
Brand Building ◽  
Successful Case ◽  
Media Hype

Virtual worlds have been purported to provide a fertile bed for marketing and brand-building for real-life companies. In Second Life, for example, there was a flurry of media hype and activity by companies in the period from 2007-2008. Several years on, however, the reality is that most of the big name brands have pulled out of Second Life. One of the reasons for this is the poor level of value generated for customers by the virtual brand experience, poor interactivity, a lack of brand and channel fit, and inadequate understanding of virtual communities. Recently, a new form of more targeted brand offerings has emerged. Branded virtual worlds, many of which are targeted at the youth segment, are growing rapidly. Many of these worlds attempt to bridge the gap between the real and virtual worlds, including advertising and real-world tie-ins, as well as subscriptions and digital micro-transactions. This paper examines one such virtual world, buildabearville.com, and its real-world counterpart, Build-a-Bear Workshop. This successful case study has become increasingly important in driving revenues and cross-channel activity for the company. The paper rounds off with conclusions and implications for practice in this very new area of investigation.

Seeing Numbers Differently

2016 ◽  
pp. 186-214
Author(s):  
Rebecca Lynne Patterson ◽  
D. Cooper Patterson ◽  
Anna-Marie Robertson
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Second Life ◽  
Physical World ◽  
Base Number ◽  
Educational Training ◽  
Number Recognition ◽  
Image Capturing ◽  
World Environment ◽  
Innate Ability

Numbers are the most powerful adjective in the human language, being that they are descriptive and quantifiable. Humans can harness that power with our eyes and our innate ability to see shape patterns. Virtual worlds afford us this opportunity without the physical world hindrances of materials, space, time, or gravity. Explore how language, decimal-centricity, and symbols with their processes have clouded the view of numbers, their shapes, and the discovery of metapatterns: visually recognizable algebraic expressions and equations. The experiences shared in the case study within reveal the need of a working virtual world environment for educational training, prototyping, and studio image capturing. Common Core Standards for Mathematics aspire to bring the student into the understanding of the “why”. In the virtual reality of Second Life, the metaphor of seeing the forest before the trees is realized with our example and number patterns: from the earliest subitizing, to multi-digit, multi-base number recognition, to metapatterns, to deriving polynomial equations through differences.

A Case Study of Designing Experiential Learning Activities in Virtual Worlds

2013 ◽  
pp. 227-242
Author(s):  
C. C. Chou ◽  
Rama Kaye Hart
Keyword(s):  
Experiential Learning ◽  
Student Perceptions ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Second Life ◽  
Learning Activities ◽  
Student Experiences ◽  
Learning Tasks ◽  
Student Reflections

This chapter aims at examining, through a case study, student perceptions of interactive learning activities based on the experiential learning model in Second Life (SL). Undergraduate students in an Honors Program reflected on their learning experiences in a blended learning course that took place both in person and in SL for four weeks. Student reflections on two main learning tasks: discussion about assigned readings and SL field trips which include simulating and gaming, were recorded in weekly journals. Sixty journal entries were the data source for coding. Student experiences of the learning tasks are predominately positive with some challenges. Positive views include: excitement, enhanced confidence, motivation for learning, and increased knowledge. Challenges were mostly due to technical issues. Instructor interventions, including ground rules for online conversation and tech support, were important in minimizing barriers to student learning in virtual worlds.

scholarly journals Born Virtuals and Avapreneurship: A case study of achieving successful outcomes in Peace Train – a Second Life organization

1970 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Robin Teigland
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Teams ◽  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Second Life ◽  
Organizational Outcomes ◽  
Fund Raising ◽  
Charitable Organizations ◽  
Geographically Dispersed ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
Collective Competence

Borrowing from the international entrepreneurship business literature that uses the term “Born Globals,” I label organizations that have been created to discover and exploit opportunities primarily within virtual worlds as “Born Virtuals.” While relatively easy to establish, the challenge for Born Virtuals and avapreneurs, or entrepreneurial avatars, is to accomplish the critical task of coordinating the actions of multiple actors to achieve important outcomes – a challenge that has beenrepeatedly documented in research on virtual teams and organizations with geographically dispersed members. As such, this paper’s intent is to investigate two research questions: RQ1) What are the challenges for avapreneurs to achieving successful organizational outcomes in Born Virtuals? and RQ2) How can collective competence be developed such that these challenges can be overcome? To answer these questions, this paper presents a study of Peace Train, one Born Virtual organization created in Second Life. Peace Train was founded by three socialavapreneurs interested in promoting peace in the world, and together with more than 100 volunteers, Peace Train organized during the course of eleven months PeaceFest 08, one of the largest fund-raising events to date in virtual worlds. This event attracted 8,000 to 10,000 unique avatars and raised 870,000 Linden dollars from approximately 3,000 individuals from across the globe, which were then donated to 10 real world charitable organizations.

scholarly journals A Pedagogical Model for Virtual World Residents: A Case Study of the Virtual Ability Second Life Island

2009 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marjorie A. Zielke ◽  
Thomas Roome ◽  
Alice B. Krueger
Keyword(s):  
Adult Learning ◽  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Second Life ◽  
Virtual World ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Community Support ◽  
Physical Activities ◽  
World Community ◽  
New Residents

Many benefits are available to people with disabilities who wish to participate in a virtual world. These include self-efficacy and the ability to share in virtual world community support. Further, many disabled residents of virtual worlds can vicariously experience physical activities through their avatar such as dancing, walking, and running – actions sometimes not possible in real life. However, learning the technology in a virtual world can be daunting for many new residents. Virtual Ability Island in Second Life® offers a platform for adults with disabilities to learn the functionality necessary to enter a virtual world. This article lays out a learning model based on the andragogy theory of Malcolm Knowles, often called the father of adult learning, and complemented by other recent research on e-empowerment and virtual designs for those with disabilities. A composite construct is then created as a framework to study the development of Virtual Ability Island as a destination where new residents to Second Life® with disabilities can learn basic functionality and enjoy social and physical e-empowerment.

Opening the Content Pipeline for OpenSim-Based Virtual Worlds

2011 ◽  
pp. 231-243
Author(s):  
Shenlei E. Winkler
Keyword(s):  
Intellectual Property ◽  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Second Life ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Content Delivery ◽  
Steering Committee ◽  
Legal Research ◽  
The Public ◽  
Pro Bono

Open-Simulator (Open-Sim) refers to a three dimensional application environment that can be used to develop virtual worlds similar to those that exist in Second Life®. Open-Sim is considered open source software, i.e., software that is developed by a community of volunteers and is available for use by the public free of charge (Open Simulator, 2009). Although participants in virtual worlds are generally considered by law to be the owner of any Intellectual Property (IP) they create, content creators and owners of OpenSim-based virtual worlds struggle with issues surrounding licensing, content delivery, and usage in these immersive spaces. The Fashion Research Institute (FRI) is specifically exploring these issues in a case study involving the licensing its Shengri La virtual world creations to external users. This case study is the basis of ongoing legal research by FRI’s legal steering committee of attorneys from the American Bar Association’s Virtual Worlds and Online Gaming committee who are working on a pro bono (volunteer) basis. This chapter presents the result of the ongoing case study. It offers a practitioner’s view of issues related to licensing and distribution of content in virtual worlds.

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