This document discusses virtual worlds and their uses. It describes virtual worlds as computer-simulated environments where users interact through avatars. It outlines how virtual worlds can be used for social networking, education, training, marketing, and more. It also discusses the types of virtual worlds that exist, including commercial worlds like Second Life as well as open-source options. Potential future applications are explored, such as fully integrating virtual worlds into education and combining them with augmented reality.
2. It’s not a game…
A virtual world is a computer-based
simulated environment intended
for its users to inhabit and interact
via avatars.
It’s an effective social network tool
if you dare to try… Development of a virtual university by
DDINC in Second Life
Participating in a virtual world
takes both know-how and practice
(think of learning how to create an
avatar, manipulating it in the virtual
world and more).
3. A digital version of you…
It can be a person, robot,
superhero, cartoon character, a
furry, a box, anything!
What can your digital you do?
You can interact with other digital
people via voice chat, text chat,
animations, play games, dance,
laugh, sing, and anything you can
do in the real world (minus
smelling).
4.
5. Travel is Expensive
Reduce your carbon footprint by using VW’s
Reduce travel expenses
Able to quickly meet as if in a phone conference
Not just a 2D collaboration tool (such as GoToMeeting)
Purchasing complex training and distance education
equipment can be costly
Virtual worlds can cut down on training by creating
simulations in them
Scenario based training is becoming more popular as
technology evolves
Able to create live seminars quickly for users to learn the
subject material
6. Commercial Virtual Worlds…
More stable due to R&D
More features
Technical support and updates provided by vendor
More effective for the users
You become dependant upon the vendor to assist
Open Source Virtual Worlds…
Cost Effective
Easily updated by multiple developers
Large community for assistance
More control over the server side of the system
No dependency on a vendor
Sometimes not as stable as commercial virtual worlds
(you get what you pay for)
7. Application Based Virtual Worlds…
Large application download
Must open ports in your network to use all features
Must get application approved for your institution
Must update the application as the software evolves
Browser Based Virtual Worlds…
No application download (usually a small browser
plug-in)
Becoming more robust each and every year
Able to render high quality
Able to implement all interactions and simulations
Google is now supporting Unity3d in its next update
release of Chrome
8. Commercial Virtual Worlds…
Activeworlds, Amazing Worlds, Blue Mars, Club
Cooee, Empire of Sports, Football Superstars, Free
Realms, HiPiHi, IMVU, Just Leap In, Kaneva, Meet-
Me, Moondo, Moove, Novoking, OnVerse, PS3,
Protosphere, Prototerra, Red Light Center, Second
Life, There.com, Twinity, Vivaty, vSide, Worlds.com,
3DXplorer, Multiverse, OLIVE, Vastpark, Habbo,
web.alive, and many many more!
Open Source Virtual Worlds…
Project Wonderland / Chainsaw, Project Cobalt, Unity
Engine, OpenSim, Sirikata, Open Croquet, Smartfox
Server, Darkstar Engine, realXtend, Vastpark,
Syntensity, Unreal Engine, and many many more!
9.
10.
11.
12.
13. Training / corporate learning:
Used for serious game simulations
Virtual conferences / presentations / meetings
14. University / Educational Uses:
Used for serious game simulations
Virtual classrooms / classes
Can be used for any subject due to the flexibility
Virtual marketing / community awareness
Virtual promotion of the campus / school
15. Commercial / Marketing:
Rapid prototype development
Test drive a product before buying
Purchase a digital version of the product
Virtual promotion of a company
Virtual face-to-face meetings with employees and
clients within the virtual worlds
16. Government Agencies:
Rapid prototype development
Military scenario training (PTSD)
Research projects / community awareness
Conferences / private seminars
18. Currently full integration of Moodle into
Second Life with a module called Sloodle
Proton Media's Protosphere now integrates
with Sharepoint
BlackBoard awarded a $25,000 Greenhouse
Grant for Virtual Worlds to Ball State
University to develop a full integration of
Second Life into Blackboard.
Opensim uses MSSQL database and/or
MYSQL databases that can be imported or
exported into your LMS. See
http://www.mychinese360.com
Moodle integrates with ExitReality Virtual
World. http://www.moodle3d.org/
19. Second Life users have
had digital affairs that
lead to real life divorces.
World of Warcraft
gamers have died from
playing due to
dehydration.
Second Life users have
had funerals for people
that have died in real life.
Autistic people have
been able to
communicate
http://www.virtualworldsnews.com/ more effectively
through virtual worlds.
20. The number of people creating new avatars
doubles every year.
Avatars will be able to move from one VW to another
with the same avatar
Users will have their billing account setup with one
system
Users will be able to communicate between each
virtual world
Users will be able to create content that can be
implemented in all virtual worlds regardless of poly,
mesh, or primitive development
http://www.virtualworldsnews.com/2007/10/virtual-worlds-.html
21.
22. Currently, it’s difficult to obtain your ROI for virtual
worlds. This will become vastly improved through time
spent within these spaces.
Virtual Worlds will be adopted as we have adopted cell
phones. We will access them on our cell phones within
the very near future.
23. There will be consortium that will enforce cross platform
travel through these virtual worlds with one single
avatar.
24. Virtual worlds will replace our 2D web sites. We will
explore the items we want to buy on eBay instead of
viewing a 2D picture.
Our “web site” will become more of a portal for clients
and users to be provided instant feedback on services
and/or products as they do not with 2D chat. See this
URL
25. Virtual worlds will integrate augmented reality to allow
for a fully interactive experience between the
environment and user. Click here for URL
26. Schools will fully integrate
and allow students to
attend school from home
using these systems. We
can hire qualified teachers
to teach through this
virtual world.
This is ALREADY
Virtual campus and video create by Designing Digitally, Inc.
HAPPENING! So how
long until it’s the standard
in education? Time is
ticking!
27. Andrew Hughes
Instructor
University of Cincinnati
513-360-8042
hughesaw@uc.edu
OR
Andrew Hughes
President
Designing Digitally, Inc.
866-316-9126
andrew.hughes@designingdigitally.com
Notes de l'éditeur
FirewallMany of the virtual worlds use a port to connect to the server, just like your browser connects to port 80 to view web sites. However, having access thru a firewall to run Second Life is not the same thing as having access thru a firewall to run Second Life voice-chat. There must be multiple ports open depending on the features of the virtual world. BandwidthWith the need for 3D rendering in these worlds it becomes a heavy load and creates network latency and bandwidth issues. This is something that is only limited by the client side as most of the power is used on the client side of the virtual worlds to ensure server stability. Specifications / Computer PowerAt the current time the specifications for these virtual worlds demand for a high powered video card to handle the use of the 3d rendering of graphics and processing power. The minimum requirements can be found on the specifications page of any of the virtual worlds that are out there for use. I recommend reviewing these in detail and running system wide tests.
Move Avatar –one of the aspects of the movie that I noticed right away was that the characters were either completely their avatars or completely disconnected. They weren't sitting at a computer, controlling their avatars while drinking their morning coffee...they were in a full body chamber with their consciousness shifted into their avatar bodies. No, I don't think that's how we'll interact with virtual worlds...but it does represent one of the issues with virtual worlds going mainstream. How will we "connect" to the virtual world, and our avatars, psychologically? There will be a shift, a technological advance, and a change in perspective on how this happens. When we can as easily picture ourselves in the 3D world as we can walking into our real life offices, we will have reached a critical step in mainstream adoption. This will be a longer term goal for Virtual Worlds.
This will mean that logging into a virtual world will be as easy as logging onto a website, and your avatar will be consistent across different worlds. It will mean that virtual world content will be searchable, and will come up in Google search.It will mean that there will be standards and a common programming language, like html, but for 3D content. We will need a consortium to make this fully happen.