Online Worlds: Convergence of the Real and the Virtual

Online Worlds: Convergence of the Real and the Virtual
Author: William Sims Bainbridge
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 317
Release: 2009-12-08
Genre: Computers
ISBN: 184882825X

William Sims Bainbridge Virtual worlds are persistent online computer-generated environments where people can interact, whether for work or play, in a manner comparable to the real world. The most prominent current example is World of Warcraft (Corneliussen and Rettberg 2008), a massively multiplayer online game with 11 million s- scribers. Some other virtual worlds, notably Second Life (Rymaszewski et al. 2007), are not games at all, but Internet-based collaboration contexts in which people can create virtual objects, simulated architecture, and working groups. Although interest in virtual worlds has been growing for at least a dozen years, only today it is possible to bring together an international team of highly acc- plished authors to examine them with both care and excitement, employing a range of theories and methodologies to discover the principles that are making virtual worlds increasingly popular and may in future establish them as a major sector of human-centered computing.

Making Virtual Worlds

Making Virtual Worlds
Author: Thomas M. Malaby
Publisher:
Total Pages: 165
Release: 2009
Genre: Computers
ISBN: 9780801447464

Malaby shows how the workers of a very young but quickly growing company were themselves caught up in ideas about technology, games, and organizations, and struggled to manage not only their virtual world but also themselves in a nonhierarchical fashion.

Designing Virtual Worlds

Designing Virtual Worlds
Author: Richard A. Bartle
Publisher: New Riders
Total Pages: 768
Release: 2004
Genre: Computers
ISBN: 9780131018167

This text provides a comprehensive treatment of virtual world design from one of its pioneers. It covers everything from MUDs to MOOs to MMORPGs, from text-based to graphical VWs.

Learning Online with Games, Simulations, and Virtual Worlds

Learning Online with Games, Simulations, and Virtual Worlds
Author: Clark Aldrich
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 136
Release: 2009-09-22
Genre: Education
ISBN: 0470438347

Jossey-Bass Guides to Online Teaching and Learning Learning Online with Games, Simulations, and Virtual Worlds Strategies for Online Instruction Clark Aldrich Learning Online with Games, Simulations, and Virtual Worlds The infusion of games, simulations, and virtual worlds into online learning can be a transforming experience for both the instructor and the student. This practical guide, written by education game expert Clark Aldrich, shows faculty members and instructional designers how to identify opportunities for building games, simulations, and virtual environments into the curriculum; how to successfully incorporate these interactive environments to enhance student learning; and how to measure the learning outcomes. It also discusses how to build institutional support for using and financing more complex simulations. The book includes frameworks, tips, case studies and other real examples, and resources. Praise for Learning Online with Games, Simulations, and Virtual Worlds "Clark Aldrich provides powerful insights into the dynamic arena of games, simulations, and virtual worlds in a simultaneously entertaining and serious manner as only he can. If you are involved with educating anyone, from your own children to classrooms full of students, you need to devour this book." — Karl Kapp, assistant director, Institute for Interactive Technologies, Bloomsburg University "At a time when the technologies for e-learning are evolving faster than most people can follow, Aldrich successfully bridges the perceptual gap between virtual worlds, digital games, and educational simulations, and provides educators with all they really need to use this technology to enhance and enrich their e-learning experiences." — Katrin Becker, instructor, Department of Computer Science and Information Systems, Mount Royal College, and adjunct professor of education, University of Calgary "I consider this a must-read for anyone engaged in or contemplating using these tools in their classrooms or designing their own tools." — Rick Van Sant, professor of learning and technology, Ferris State University

Exodus to the Virtual World

Exodus to the Virtual World
Author: Edward Castronova
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Total Pages: 268
Release: 2007-11-27
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0230608612

Virtual worlds have exploded out of online game culture and now capture the attention of millions of ordinary people: husbands, wives, fathers, mothers, workers, retirees. Devoting dozens of hours each week to massively multiplayer virtual reality environments (like World of Warcraft and Second Life), these millions are the start of an exodus into the refuge of fantasy, where they experience life under a new social, political, and economic order built around fun. Given the choice between a fantasy world and the real world, how many of us would choose reality? Exodus to the Virtual World explains the growing migration into virtual reality, and how it will change the way we live--both in fantasy worlds and in the real one.

Social Interactions in Virtual Worlds

Social Interactions in Virtual Worlds
Author: Kiran Lakkaraju
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 433
Release: 2018-07-05
Genre: Computers
ISBN: 1108558984

Within the rapidly-growing arena of 'virtual worlds', such as Massively Multiplayer Online Games (MMOs), individuals behave in particular ways, influence one another, and develop complex relationships. This setting can be a useful tool for modeling complex social systems, cognitive factors, and interactions between groups and within organizations. To study these worlds effectively requires a cross-disciplinary approach that integrates social science theories with big data analytics. This broad-based book offers a comprehensive and holistic perspective on the field. It brings together research findings from an international team of experts in computer science (artificial intelligence, game design, and social computing), psychology, and the social sciences to help researchers and practitioners better understand the fundamental processes underpinning social behavior in virtual worlds such as World of Warcraft, Rift, Eve Online, and Travian.

Ethnography and Virtual Worlds

Ethnography and Virtual Worlds
Author: Tom Boellstorff
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Total Pages: 264
Release: 2024-08-06
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0691264864

A practical guide to the ethnographic study of online cultures, and beyond Ethnography and Virtual Worlds is the only book of its kind—a concise, comprehensive, and practical guide for students, teachers, designers, and scholars interested in using ethnographic methods to study online virtual worlds, including both game and nongame environments. Written by leading ethnographers of virtual worlds, and focusing on the key method of participant observation, the book provides invaluable advice, tips, guidelines, and principles to aid researchers through every stage of a project, from choosing an online fieldsite to writing and publishing the results. Provides practical and detailed techniques for ethnographic research customized to reflect the specific issues of online virtual worlds, both game and nongame Draws on research in a range of virtual worlds, including Everquest, Second Life, There.com, and World of Warcraft Provides suggestions for dealing with institutional review boards, human subjects protocols, and ethical issues Guides the reader through the full trajectory of ethnographic research, from research design to data collection, data analysis, and writing up and publishing research results Addresses myths and misunderstandings about ethnographic research, and argues for the scientific value of ethnography

The Invisible Hand in Virtual Worlds

The Invisible Hand in Virtual Worlds
Author: Matthew McCaffrey
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 263
Release: 2022-02-03
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1108839711

Studies the economic order that governs virtual worlds and ways individuals work together to govern social relations in the digital space.

Avatars!

Avatars!
Author: Bruce Damer
Publisher: Addison Wesley Longman
Total Pages: 604
Release: 1998
Genre: Computers
ISBN: 9780201688405

With "Avatars!", readers can grab their avatar (a digital representation of themselves) and run to the nearest virtual world where they can experience the Internet. "Avatars!" focuses on what people do inside virtual worlds, such as building three-dimensional structures, navigating through the worlds, and learning digital etiquette and social interaction skills. A CD-ROM provides readers with ready-to-run worlds that connect them with thousands of other people on the Internet, and which are referenced in a companion Web site.

The Proteus Paradox

The Proteus Paradox
Author: Nick Yee
Publisher: Yale University Press
Total Pages: 262
Release: 2014-01-07
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0300190999

A surprising assessment of the ways that virtual worlds are entangled with human psychology