Using Google Trends Data  to Gauge Interest in Virtual Worlds

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.

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What’s In It for Me?

Advances in Library and Information Science - Advancing Library Education ◽

10.4018/978-1-4666-3688-0.ch006 ◽

2013 ◽

pp. 91-109 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Esther Grassian ◽

Rhonda Trueman

Keyword(s):

Professional Development ◽

Virtual Reality ◽

Information Sharing ◽

Virtual Worlds ◽

Second Life ◽

Low Cost ◽

Real Life ◽

Peer To Peer ◽

Knowledge Innovation ◽

3D Virtual World

Virtual worlds offer synchronous (simultaneous) real life participation through virtual reality, combining the two to provide convenient and low-cost options for librarians’ professional development. This chapter explores the use of virtual worlds for meetings, training, conferences, discussions, mentoring, networking, and peer-to-peer information sharing, with a focus on the 3D virtual world of Second Life. Definitions of “professional development” and “virtual worlds” precede discussion of the issues surrounding the use of this type of environment for a variety of training events and activities to support and encourage ongoing expansion of knowledge, innovation, and creativity among librarians. This chapter also includes information about planning and implementing professional development sessions in this arena, along with information on effective methods for publicizing these activities for parties interested in using virtual worlds for professional development. For those interested in attending professional development opportunities in virtual worlds, the chapter provides information on how to discover and choose useful activities and events in virtual worlds.

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Interoperability, Learning Designs and Virtual Worlds

Handbook of Research on E-Learning Standards and Interoperability ◽

10.4018/978-1-61692-789-9.ch009 ◽

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.

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Non-Verbal Communication Language in Virtual Worlds

Handbook of Research on Teaching With Virtual Environments and AI - Advances in Educational Technologies and Instructional Design ◽

10.4018/978-1-7998-7638-0.ch017 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 394-415

Author(s):

Ivonne Citarella

Keyword(s):

Virtual Reality ◽

Virtual Environment ◽

Virtual Worlds ◽

Second Life ◽

Verbal Communication ◽

Virtual Space ◽

Communication Process ◽

Conscious Choice

Over the years, the virtual space has been changing, and the skills acquired by users have been improved, and the avatars, as well as the settings, have graphically become more and more sophisticated. In virtual reality, the avatar without an appropriate animation would move in jerks in a disharmonious way similar to a robot, but endowing it with a particular postural animation, you make a conscious choice of what information you want to transfer with its appearance and its posture. In recent years, research has focused on the study of communication and its importance. The purpose of this contribution is to analyze the animations present in Second Life trying to trace a socio-psychological picture of the non-verbal communication process in a virtual environment.

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

Journal of Gaming & Virtual Worlds ◽

10.1386/jgvw.2.3.239_1 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 2 (3) ◽

pp. 239-258 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Victoria McArthur ◽

Robert J Teather ◽

Wolfgang Stuerzlinger

Keyword(s):

Virtual Worlds ◽

Second Life ◽

World Of Warcraft ◽

Content Creation ◽

3D Content

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Virtual Reality and the Enhancement of Creativity and Innovation: Under Recognized Potential Among Converging Technologies?

Journal of Cognitive Education and Psychology ◽

10.1891/1945-8959.15.1.102 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 15 (1) ◽

pp. 102-121 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

Branden Thornhill-Miller ◽

Jean-Marc Dupont

Keyword(s):

Virtual Reality ◽

Problem Solving ◽

Virtual Worlds ◽

Second Life ◽

Human Performance ◽

Cognitive Enhancement ◽

Effective Means ◽

Cost Effective ◽

Creativity Enhancement ◽

Creativity And Innovation

This article highlights virtual reality (VR) as perhaps the safest, most fully developed of the emerging technologies of cognitive enhancement and as an underused tool for the enhancement of creativity in particular. We argue that researchers, educators, trainers, designers, managers, and others concerned with innovation should be more informed about virtual reality technologies (VRTs) both because of their widespread and growing accessibility and because of the significant, synergistic contributions they can make to human performance and understanding. We present a brief consultative survey exploring the potential use of virtual worlds (VWs) such as Second Life among a group of professionals (N= 20) working in the area of creativity and innovation training. In addition to providing some useful perspectives and creativity strategies for implementation, results suggest that the possibilities represented by VRTs may not be fully appreciated by those who could make the most use of them. We argue that VRTs offer a cost-effective means of implementing and optimizing nearlyallconventional individual and collaborative creativity enhancement techniques while also offering potent new possibilities and combinations not available by other means. Thus, we outline five ways VR can be used to enhance creativity and problem solving: (a) by changing aspects of the self and self-perception; (b) by optimizing interactions and collaboration with others; (c) by optimizing environmental conditions and influences; (d) by facilitating guidance orgamificationof the problem-solving process; and (e) by offering an arena for the integration of other technologies of creativity enhancement such as pharmacological enhancement, brain stimulation, and neurofeedback. The article ends with a discussion of this technological convergence within the growing sciences of innovation and cognitive enhancement.

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Virtual Constructivism

Information Technology and Constructivism in Higher Education ◽

10.4018/978-1-60566-654-9.ch009 ◽

2009 ◽

pp. 130-145 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Laura M. Nicosia

Keyword(s):

Social Media ◽

Virtual Reality ◽

Web 2.0 ◽

21St Century ◽

Learning Process ◽

Second Life ◽

World Of Warcraft ◽

Life World ◽

Yield Learning ◽

Pedagogical Frameworks

Contemporary educators have been reassessing pedagogical frameworks and reevaluating accepted epistemologies and ontologies of learning. The age-old debate whether knowledge is gained or constructed seems drawn to a consensus in the 21st Century: those who seek knowledge are active participants in the learning process and they have uniquely 21st Century attributes. Web 2.0+ technologies, various social media (Facebook, MySpace, Blogger, YouTube) and online virtual reality environments (Second Life, World of Warcraft, Sims) have influenced today’s students in ways that constructivists should explore, embrace and exploit. This essay explores how Second Life (SL) effectively employs and distills the principles of educational constructivism. SL offers endless opportunities for immersion within user-constructed environments and activities. Educational use of SL may facilitate learner-led activities and yield learning that is prompted by desire and curiosity rather than learning for learning’s sake. By exploiting these qualities with constructivist pedagogies, educators create environments that challenge and enable students to engage in the deepest kinds of learning.

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Virtual Constructivism

Handbook of Research on Social Interaction Technologies and Collaboration Software ◽

10.4018/978-1-60566-368-5.ch053 ◽

2011 ◽

pp. 623-638 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Laura M. Nicosia

Keyword(s):

Social Media ◽

Virtual Reality ◽

Web 2.0 ◽

21St Century ◽

Learning Process ◽

Second Life ◽

World Of Warcraft ◽

Life World ◽

Yield Learning ◽

Pedagogical Frameworks

Contemporary educators have been reassessing pedagogical frameworks and reevaluating accepted epistemologies and ontologies of learning. The age-old debate whether knowledge is gained or constructed seems drawn to a consensus in the 21st Century: those who seek knowledge are active participants in the learning process and they have uniquely 21st Century attributes. Web 2.0+ technologies, various social media (Facebook, MySpace, Blogger, YouTube) and online virtual reality environments (Second Life, World of Warcraft, Sims) have influenced today’s students in ways that constructivists should explore, embrace and exploit. This essay explores how Second Life (SL) effectively employs and distills the principles of educational constructivism. SL offers endless opportunities for immersion within userconstructed environments and activities. Educational use of SL may facilitate learner-led activities and yield learning that is prompted by desire and curiosity rather than learning for learning’s sake. By exploiting these qualities with constructivist pedagogies, educators create environments that challenge and enable students to engage in the deepest kinds of learning.

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Second Life

Research, Practice, and Educational Advancements in Telecommunications and Networking ◽

10.4018/978-1-4666-0050-8.ch017 ◽

2012 ◽

pp. 285-289 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

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.

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It is Only a Game

Law and Order in Virtual Worlds - Advances in Human and Social Aspects of Technology ◽

10.4018/978-1-61520-795-4.ch002 ◽

2010 ◽

pp. 11-32

Author(s):

Angela Adrian

Keyword(s):

Virtual Reality ◽

Ubiquitous Computing ◽

Virtual Worlds ◽

Second Life ◽

Virtual World ◽

Social Worlds ◽

Star Wars ◽

The Social ◽

The One ◽

Blank Slate

In many ways, ubiquitous computing is viewed as the opposite of virtual reality. The earliest writings on ubiquitous computing recognized this fundamental difference. “Perhaps most diametrically opposed to our vision [of ubiquitous computing] is the notion of ‘virtual reality,’ which attempts to make a world inside the computer . . . . Virtual reality focuses an enormous apparatus on simulating the world rather than on invisibly enhancing the one that already exists. Indeed, the opposition between the notion of virtual reality and ubiquitous, invisible computing is so strong that some of us use the term ‘embodied virtuality’ to refer to the process of drawing computers out of their electronic shells.” (Weiser, 1991) Yet, the two share an important common trait: both are mediated by computing ability. The previous chapter introduced “MMORPGs” which are also sometimes referred to as game worlds or virtual worlds. Some of the most popular American MMORPGs are World of Warcraft, Everquest, Ultima Online, Dark Age of Camelot, Star Wars Galaxies, and City of Heroes. Legend of Mir, Final Fantasy XI, Lineage II, MU Online, Ragnarok Online, Lineage, and Kingdom of the Winds are some popular Asian MMORPGs. Dubit, Runescape, Playdo, and Habbo Hotel are popular in Europe. (Terra Nova, 2008) Another type of popular virtual world is the social virtual world, also sometimes referred to as “unstructured.” Some popular social virtual worlds are Second Life, Sims Online, Project Entropia, and There. (Virtual Worlds Review, 2008) Categorization as “social” does not fully comprehend these virtual worlds. Each world relies to an extent on user-created content. For example, Second Life started as a largely blank slate with most in-world objects being designed and created in-world by individual players. (Second Life, Create Anything, 2008) Social worlds can also have some game-like incentive aspects. The entire concept embodies far more than traditional video games.

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What's In It for Me?

Professional Development and Workplace Learning ◽

10.4018/978-1-4666-8632-8.ch108 ◽

2016 ◽

pp. 1974-1992

Author(s):

Esther Grassian ◽

Rhonda Trueman

Keyword(s):

Professional Development ◽

Virtual Reality ◽

Information Sharing ◽

Virtual Worlds ◽

Second Life ◽

Low Cost ◽

Real Life ◽

Peer To Peer ◽

Knowledge Innovation ◽

3D Virtual World

Virtual worlds offer synchronous (simultaneous) real life participation through virtual reality, combining the two to provide convenient and low-cost options for librarians' professional development. This chapter explores the use of virtual worlds for meetings, training, conferences, discussions, mentoring, networking, and peer-to-peer information sharing, with a focus on the 3D virtual world of Second Life. Definitions of “professional development” and “virtual worlds” precede discussion of the issues surrounding the use of this type of environment for a variety of training events and activities to support and encourage ongoing expansion of knowledge, innovation, and creativity among librarians. This chapter also includes information about planning and implementing professional development sessions in this arena, along with information on effective methods for publicizing these activities for parties interested in using virtual worlds for professional development. For those interested in attending professional development opportunities in virtual worlds, the chapter provides information on how to discover and choose useful activities and events in virtual worlds.

Download Full-text