Virtual word what is it

This article is about general concept of a virtual world. For the Virtual World virtual reality mech simulaton, see BattleTech Centers. For the MDPI journal, see Virtual Worlds (journal).

A virtual world (also called a virtual space) is a computer-simulated environment^[1] which may be populated by many users who can create a personal avatar,^[2] and simultaneously and independently explore the virtual world, participate in its activities and communicate with others.^[3][4] These avatars can be textual,^[5] graphical representations, or live video avatars with auditory and touch sensations.^[6][7] Virtual worlds are closely related to mirror worlds.^[8]

Users exploring the world with their avatars in Second Life.

In a virtual world, the user accesses a computer-simulated world which presents perceptual stimuli to the user, who in turn can manipulate elements of the modeled world and thus experience a degree of presence.^[9]
Such modeled worlds and their rules may draw from reality or fantasy worlds. Example rules are gravity, topography, locomotion, real-time actions, and communication. Communication between users can range from text, graphical icons, visual gesture, sound, and rarely, forms using touch, voice command, and balance senses.

Massively multiplayer online games depict a wide range of worlds, including those based on the real world, science fiction, super heroes, sports, horror, and historical milieus.^[10] Most MMORPGs have real-time actions and communication. Players create a character who travels between buildings, towns, and worlds to carry out business or leisure activities. Communication is usually textual, but real-time voice communication is also possible. The form of communication used can substantially affect the experience of players in the game.^[11] Media studies professor Edward Castronova used the term «synthetic worlds» to discuss individual virtual worlds, but this term has not been widely adopted.^[12]

Virtual worlds are not limited to games but, depending on the degree of immediacy presented, can encompass computer conferencing and text-based chatrooms.^[13]

HistoryEdit

The concept of virtual worlds significantly predates computers. The Roman naturalist, Pliny the Elder, expressed an interest in perceptual illusion.^[14][15] In the twentieth century, the cinematographer Morton Heilig explored the creation of the Sensorama, a theatre experience designed to stimulate the senses of the audience—vision, sound, balance, smell, even touch (via wind)—and so draw them more effectively into the productions.^[16]

Among the earliest virtual worlds implemented by computers were virtual reality simulators, such as the work of Ivan Sutherland. Such devices are characterized by bulky headsets and other types of sensory input simulation. Contemporary virtual worlds, in particular the multi-user online environments, emerged mostly independently of this research, fueled instead by the gaming industry but drawing on similar inspiration.^[17] While classic sensory-imitating virtual reality relies on tricking the perceptual system into experiencing an immersive environment, virtual worlds typically rely on mentally and emotionally engaging content which gives rise to an immersive experience.

Maze War was the first networked, 3D multi-user first person shooter game. Maze introduced the concept of online players in 1973–1974 as «eyeball ‘avatars’ chasing each other around in a maze.»^[18] It was played on ARPANET, or Advanced Research Projects Agency Network, a precursor to the Internet funded by the United States Department of Defense for use in university and research laboratories. The initial game could only be played on an Imlac, as it was specifically designed for this type of computer.

The first virtual worlds presented on the Internet were communities and chat rooms, some of which evolved into MUDs and MUSHes. The first MUD, known as MUD1, was released in 1978. The acronym originally stood for Multi-User Dungeon, but later also came to mean Multi-User Dimension and Multi-User Domain. A MUD is a virtual world with many players interacting in real time.^[19] The early versions were text-based, offering only limited graphical representation and often using a Command Line Interface. Users interact in role-playing or competitive games by typing commands and can read or view descriptions of the world and other players. Such early worlds began the MUD heritage that eventually led to massively multiplayer online role-playing games, more commonly known as MMORPGs, a genre of role-playing games in which a large number of players interact within a virtual world.

Some prototype virtual worlds were WorldsAway, a two-dimensional chat environment where users designed their own avatars; Dreamscape, an interactive community featuring a virtual world by CompuServe; Cityspace, an educational networking and 3D computer graphics project for children; and The Palace, a 2-dimensional community driven virtual world. However, credit for the first online virtual world usually goes to Habitat, developed in 1987 by LucasFilm Games for the Commodore 64 computer, and running on the Quantum Link service (the precursor to America Online).^[20]

In 1996, the city of Helsinki, Finland with Helsinki Telephone Company (since Elisa Group) launched what was called the first online virtual 3D depiction intended to map an entire city. The Virtual Helsinki project was eventually renamed Helsinki Arena 2000 project and parts of the city in modern and historical context were rendered in 3D.^[21]

In 1999, Whyville.net the first virtual world specifically for children^[22] was launched with a base in game-based learning and one of the earliest virtual currency-based economies.^[23] Shortly after, in 2000, Habbo launched and grew to become one of the most popular and longest running virtual worlds with millions of users around the world.^[24]

Virtual world conceptsEdit

Definitions for a «virtual world» include:

• «A virtual world is something with the following characteristics: It operates using an underlying automated rule set—its physics; Each player represents an individual «in» the virtual world-that player’s character; Interaction with the world takes place in real time—if you do something, it happens pretty much when you do it; The world is shared-other people can play in the same world at the same time as you; The world is persistent-it’s still there when you’re not; It’s not the real world», by Richard Bartle in 2015^[25]
• «A simulated environment where many agents can virtually interact with each other, act and react to things, phenomena and the environment; agents can be zero or many human(s), each represented by many entities called a virtual self (an avatar), or many software agents; all action/reaction/interaction must happen in a real-time shared spatiotemporal nonpausable virtual environment; the environment may consist of many data spaces, but the collection of data spaces should constitute a shared data space, one persistent shard», by Nevelsteen in 2018^[26]

There is no generally accepted definition of virtual world, but they do require that the world be persistent; in other words, the world must continue to exist even after a user exits the world, and user-made changes to the world should be preserved.^[27]
While the interaction with other participants is done in real-time, time consistency is not always maintained in online virtual worlds. For example, EverQuest time passes faster than real-time despite using the same calendar and time units to present game time.

As virtual world is a general term, the virtual environment supports varying degrees of play and gaming. Some uses of the term include

• Massively multiplayer online games (MMOGs) games in which a large number of players interact within a virtual world. The concept of MMO has spread to other game types such as sports, real-time strategy and others. The persistence criterion is the only criterion that separates virtual worlds from video games,^[28] meaning that some MMO versions of RTS and FPS games resemble virtual worlds; Destiny is a video game that is such a pseudo virtual world. Emerging concepts include basing the terrain of such games on real satellite photos, such as those available through the Google Maps API or through a simple virtual geocaching of «easter eggs» on WikiMapia or similar mash-ups, where permitted; these concepts are virtual worlds making use of mixed reality.
• Collaborative virtual environments (CVEs) designed for collaborative work in a virtual environment.
• Massively multiplayer online real-life games (MMORLGs), also called virtual social worlds,^[29] where the user can edit and alter their avatar at will, allowing them to play a more dynamic role, or multiple roles.

EconomyEdit

A virtual economy is the emergent property of the interaction between participants in a virtual world. While the designers have a great deal of control over the economy by the encoded mechanics of trade, it is nonetheless the actions of players that define the economic conditions of a virtual world. The economy arises as a result of the choices that players make under the scarcity of real and virtual resources such as time or currency.^{[4][17][clarification needed][30]} Participants have a limited time in the virtual world, as in the real world, which they must divide between task such as collecting resources, practicing trade skills, or engaging in less productive fun play. The choices they make in their interaction with the virtual world, along with the mechanics of trade and wealth acquisition, dictate the relative values of items in the economy. The economy in virtual worlds is typically driven by in-game needs such as equipment, food, or trade goods. Virtual economies like that of Second Life, however, are almost entirely player-produced with very little link to in-game needs. While the relevance of virtual world economics to physical world economics has been questioned, it has been shown the users of virtual worlds respond to economic stimuli (such as the law of supply and demand) in the same way that people do in the physical world.^[31] In fact, there are often very direct corollaries between physical world economic decisions and virtual world economic decisions, such as the decision by prisoners of war in World War II to adopt cigarettes as currency and the adoption of Stones of Jordan as currency in Diablo II.^[30]

The value of objects in a virtual economy is usually linked to their usefulness and the difficulty of obtaining them. The investment of real world resources (time, membership fees, etc.) in acquisition of wealth in a virtual economy may contribute to the real world value of virtual objects.^{[17][clarification needed]} This real world value is made obvious by the (mostly illegal) trade of virtual items on online market sites like eBay, PlayerUp, IGE for real world money.^[32][33][34] Recent legal disputes also acknowledge the value of virtual property, even overriding the mandatory EULA which many software companies use to establish that virtual property has no value and/or that users of the virtual world have no legal claim to property therein.^[35][36]

Some industry analysts^[who?] have moreover observed that there is a secondary industry growing behind the virtual worlds, made up by social networks, websites and other projects completely devoted to virtual worlds communities and gamers. Special websites such as GamerDNA, Koinup and others which serve as social networks for virtual worlds users are facing some crucial issues as the DataPortability of avatars across many virtual worlds and MMORPGs.^[37]

Virtual worlds offer advertisers the potential for virtual advertisements, such as the in-game advertising already found in a number of video games.

GeographyEdit

The geography of virtual worlds can vary widely because the role of geography and space is an important design component over which the developers of virtual worlds have control and may choose to alter.^[30] Virtual worlds are, at least superficially, digital instantiations of three-dimensional space. As a result, considerations of geography in virtual worlds (such as World of Warcraft) often revolve around “spatial narratives” in which players act out a nomadic hero’s journey along the lines of that present in The Odyssey.^[38] The creation of fantastic places is also a reoccurring theme in the geographic study of virtual worlds, although, perhaps counterintuitively, the heaviest users of virtual worlds often downgrade the sensory stimuli of the world’s fantastic places in order to make themselves more efficient at core tasks in the world, such as killing monsters.^[39] However, the geographic component of some worlds may only be a geographic veneer atop an otherwise nonspatial core structure.^[30] For instance, while imposing geographic constraints upon users when they quest for items, these constraints may be removed when they sell items in a geographically unconstrained auction house. In this way, virtual worlds may provide a glimpse into what the future economic geography of the physical world may be like as more and more goods become digital.^[30]

ResearchEdit

Virtual spaces can serve a variety of research and educational goals^[5] and may be useful for examining human behaviour.^[5] Offline- and virtual-world personalities differ from each other but are nevertheless significantly related which has a number of implications for self-verification, self-enhancement and other personality theories.^[40][41] Panic and agoraphobia have also been studied in a virtual world.^[42]

Given the large engagement, especially of young children in virtual worlds, there has been a steady growth in research studies involving the social, educational and even emotional impact of virtual worlds on children. The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation for example have funded research into virtual worlds including, for example, how preteens explore and share information about reproductive health.^[43] A larger set of studies on children’s social and political use of the virtual world Whyville.net has also been published in the book «Connected Play: Tweens in a Virtual World» Authored by Yasmin B. Kafai, Deborah A. Fields, and Mizuko Ito.^[44] Several other research publications now specifically address the use of virtual worlds for education.^[22]

Other research focused more on adults explores the reasons for indulging and the emotions of virtual world users. Many users seek an escape or a comfort zone in entering these virtual worlds, as well as a sense of acceptance and freedom. Virtual worlds allow users to freely explore many facets of their personalities in ways that are not easily available to them in real life.^[45] However, users may not be able to apply this new information outside of the virtual world. Thus, virtual worlds allow for users to flourish within the world and possibly become addicted to their new virtual life which may create a challenge as far as dealing with others and in emotionally surviving within their real lives. One reason for this freedom of exploration can be attributed to the anonymity that virtual worlds provide. It gives the individual the ability to be free from social norms, family pressures or expectations they may face in their personal real world lives.^[45] The avatar persona experiences an experience similar to an escape from reality like drug or alcohol usage for numbing pain or hiding behind it. The avatar no longer represents a simple tool or mechanism manipulated in cyberspace. Instead, it has become the individual’s bridge between the physical and virtual world, a conduit through which to express oneself among other social actors.^[46] The avatar becomes the person’s alter ego; the vehicle to which one utilizes to exist among others who are all seeking the same satisfaction.

While greatly facilitating ease of interaction across time and geographic boundaries, the virtual world presents an unreal environment with instant connection and gratification. Online encounters are employed as seemingly fulfilling alternatives to “live person” relationships (Toronto, 2009).^[47] When one is ashamed, insecure, lost or just looking for something different and stimulating to engage in, virtual worlds are the perfect environment for its users. A person has unlimited access to an infinite array of opportunities to fulfill every fantasy, grant every wish, or satisfy every desire. He or she can face any fear or conquer any enemy, all at the click of a mouse (Toronto, 2009).^[47] Ultimately, virtual worlds are the place to go when real life becomes overbearing or boring. While in real life individuals hesitate to communicate their true opinions, it is easier to do so online because they don’t ever have to meet the people they are talking with (Toronto, 2009).^[47] Thus, virtual worlds are basically a psychological escape.

Another area of research related to virtual worlds is the field of navigation. Specifically, this research investigates whether or not virtual environments are adequate learning tools in regards to real-world navigation. Psychologists at Saint Michael’s College found that video game experience corresponded with ability to navigate virtual environments and complete objectives; however, that experience did not correlate with an increased ability to navigate real, physical environments.^[48] An extensive study at the University of Washington conducted multiple experiments involving virtual navigation. One experiment had two groups of subjects, the first of which examined maps of a virtual environment, and the second of which navigated the virtual environment. The groups of subjects then completed an objective in the virtual environment. There was little difference between the two groups’ performances, and what difference there was, it was in favor of the map-users. The test subjects, though, were generally unfamiliar with the virtual world interface, likely leading to some impaired navigation, and thus bias in the yielded analysis of the experiments. The study concluded that the interface objects made natural navigation movements impossible, and perhaps less intrusive controls for the virtual environment would reduce the effect of the impairment.^[49]

HardwareEdit

Unlike most video games, which are usually navigated using various free-ranging human interface devices (HIDs), virtual worlds are usually navigated (as of 2009) using HIDs which are designed and oriented around flat, 2-dimensional graphical user interfaces; as most comparatively inexpensive computer mice are manufactured and distributed for 2-dimensional UI navigation, the lack of 3D-capable HID usage among most virtual world users is likely due to both the lack of penetration of 3D-capable devices into non-niche, non-gaming markets as well as the generally higher pricing of such devices compared to 2-dimensional HIDs. Even those users who do make use of HIDs which provide such features as six degrees of freedom often have to switch between separate 3D and 2D devices in order to navigate their respectively designed interfaces.

Like video gamers, some users of virtual world clients may also have a difficult experience with the necessity of proper graphics hardware (such as the more advanced graphics processing units distributed by Nvidia and AMD) for the sake of reducing the frequency of less-than-fluid graphics instances in the navigation of virtual worlds. However, in part for this reason, a growing number of virtual world engines, especially serving children, are entirely browser-based requiring no software down loads or specialized computer hardware. The first virtual world of this kind was Whyville.net, launched in 1999,^[22] built by Numedeon inc. which obtained an early patent for its browser-based implementation.^[50]

Application domainsEdit

Edit

Although the social interactions of participants in virtual worlds are often viewed in the context of 3D Games, other forms of interaction are common as well, including forums, blogs, wikis, chatrooms, instant messaging, and video-conferences. Communities are born in places which have their own rules, topics, jokes, and even language. Members of such communities can find like-minded people to interact with, whether this be through a shared passion, the wish to share information, or a desire to meet new people and experience new things. Users may develop personalities within the community adapted to the particular world they are interacting with, which can impact the way they think and act. Internet friendships and participation online communities tend to complement existing friendships and civic participation rather than replacing or diminishing such interactions.^[51][52]

MedicalEdit

Disabled or chronically invalided people of any age can benefit enormously from experiencing the mental and emotional freedom gained by temporarily leaving their disabilities behind and doing, through the medium of their avatars, things as simple and potentially accessible to able, healthy people as walking, running, dancing, sailing, fishing, swimming, surfing, flying, skiing, gardening, exploring and other physical activities which their illnesses or disabilities prevent them from doing in real life. They may also be able to socialize, form friendships and relationships much more easily and avoid the stigma and other obstacles which would normally be attached to their disabilities. This can be much more constructive, emotionally satisfying and mentally fulfilling than passive pastimes such as television watching, playing computer games, reading or more conventional types of internet use.^[53]

The Starlight Children’s Foundation helps hospitalized children (suffering from painful diseases or autism for example) to create a comfortable and safe environment which can expand their situation, experience interactions (when the involvement of a multiple cultures and players from around the world is factored in) they may not have been able to experience without a virtual world, healthy or sick. Virtual worlds also enable them to experience and act beyond the restrictions of their illness and help to relieve stress.^[54]

Virtual worlds can help players become more familiar and comfortable with actions they may in real-life feel reluctant or embarrassed. For example, in World of Warcraft, /dance is the emote for a dance move which a player in the virtual world can «emote» quite simply. And a familiarization with said or similar «emotes» or social skills (such as, encouragement, gratitude, problem-solving, and even kissing) in the virtual world via avatar can make the assimilation to similar forms of expression, socialization, interaction in real life smooth. Interaction with humans through avatars in the virtual world has potential to seriously expand the mechanics of one’s interaction with real-life interactions.^{[original research?]}

CommercialEdit

As businesses compete in the real world, they also compete in virtual worlds. As there has been an increase in the buying and selling of products online (e-commerce) this twinned with the rise in the popularity of the internet, has forced businesses to adjust to accommodate the new market.

Many companies and organizations now incorporate virtual worlds as a new form of advertising. There are many advantages to using these methods of commercialization. An example of this would be Apple creating an online store within Second Life. This allows the users to browse the latest and innovative products. Players cannot actually purchase a product but having these “virtual stores” is a way of accessing a different clientele and customer demographic. The use of advertising within «virtual worlds» is a relatively new idea. This is because Virtual Worlds is a relatively new technology. Before companies would use an advertising company to promote their products. With the introduction of the prospect of commercial success within a Virtual World, companies can reduce cost and time constraints by keeping this «in-house». An obvious advantage is that it will reduce any costs and restrictions that could come into play in the real world.

Using virtual worlds gives companies the opportunity to gauge customer reaction and receive feedback. Feedback can be crucial to the development of a project as it will inform the creators exactly what users want.^[55]

Using virtual worlds as a tool allows companies to test user reaction and give them feedback on products. This can be crucial as it will give the companies an insight as to what the market and customers want from new products, which can give them a competitive edge. Competitive edge is crucial in the ruthless world that is today’s business.

Another use of virtual worlds business is where players can create a gathering place. Many businesses can now be involved in business-to-business commercial activity and will create a specific area within a virtual world to carry out their business. Within this space all relevant information can be held. This can be useful for a variety of reasons. Players can conduct business with companies on the other side of the world, so there are no geographical limitations, it can increase company productivity. Knowing that there is an area where help is on hand can aid the employees. Sun Microsystems have created an island in Second Life dedicated for the sole use of their employees. This is a place where people can go and seek help, exchange new ideas or to advertise a new product.

According to trade media company Virtual Worlds Management,^[56] commercial investments in the «virtual worlds» sector were in excess of US$425 million in Q4 2007,^[57] and totaled US$184 million in Q1 2008.^[58] However, the selection process for defining a «virtual worlds» company in this context has been challenged by one industry blog.^[59]

E-commerce (legal)Edit

A number of virtual worlds have incorporated systems for sale of goods through virtual interfaces and using virtual currencies. Transfers of in-world credits typically are not bound by laws governing commerce. Such transactions may lack the oversight and protections associated with real-world commerce, and there is potential for fraudulent transactions. One example is that of Ginko Financial, a bank system featured in Second Life where avatars could deposit their real life currency after converted to Linden Dollars for a profit. In July 2007, residents of Second Life crowded around the ATM’s in an unsuccessful attempt to withdraw their money. After a few days the ATM’s along with the banks disappeared altogether. Around $700,000 in real world money was reported missing from residents in Second Life. An investigation was launched but nothing substantial ever came of finding and punishing the avatar known as Nicholas Portocarrero who was the head of Ginko Financial.^[60]

Civil and criminal laws exist in the real world and are put in place to govern people’s behavior. Virtual Worlds such as Eve Online and Second Life also have people and systems that govern them.^[61]

Providers of online virtual spaces have more than one approach to the governing of their environments. Second Life for instance was designed with the expectation being on the residents to establish their own community rules for appropriate behaviour. On the other hand, some virtual worlds such as Habbo enforce clear rules for behaviour,^[61] as seen in their terms and conditions.^[62]

In some instances virtual worlds don’t need established rules of conduct because actions such as ‘killing’ another avatar is impossible. However, if needed to, rule breakers can be punished with fines being payable through their virtual bank account, alternatively a players suspension may be put into effect.^[61]

Instances of real world theft from a virtual world do exist, Eve Online had an incident where a bank controller stole around 200bn credits and exchanged them for real world cash amounting to £3,115.^[63] The player in question has now been suspended as trading in-game cash for real money is against Eve Online’s terms and conditions.^[64]

EntertainmentEdit

There are many MMORPG virtual worlds out on many platforms. Most notable are IMVU for Windows, PlayStation Home for PlayStation 3, and Second Life for Windows.
Many Virtual worlds have shut down since launch however. Notable shutdowns are The Sims Online, The Sims Bustin Out Online Weekend Mode, PlayStation Home, and Club Penguin.

Single-player gamesEdit

Some single-player video games contain virtual worlds populated by non-player characters (NPC). Many of these allow players to save the current state of this world instance to allow stopping and restarting the virtual world at a later date. (This can be done with some multiplayer environments as well.)

The virtual worlds found in video games are often split into discrete levels.

Single-player games such as Minecraft have semi-infinite procedurally generated worlds that allow players to optionally create their own world without other players, and then combine skills from the game to work together with other players and create bigger and more intricate environments. These environments can then be accessed by other players, if the server is available to other players then they may be able to modify parts of it, such as the structure of the environment.

At one level, a more or less realistic rendered 3D space like the game world of Halo 3 or Grand Theft Auto V is just as much a big database as Microsoft’s Encarta encyclopedia.

Use in educationEdit

Virtual worlds represent a powerful new medium for instruction and education that presents many opportunities but also some challenges.^[65] Persistence allows for continuing and growing social interactions, which themselves can serve as a basis for collaborative education. The use of virtual worlds can give teachers the opportunity to have a greater level of student participation. It allows users to be able to carry out tasks that could be difficult in the real world due to constraints and restrictions, such as cost, scheduling or location. Virtual worlds have the capability to adapt and grow to different user needs, for example, classroom teachers are able to use virtual worlds in their classroom leveraging their interactive whiteboard with the open-source project Edusim. They can be a good source of user feedback, the typical paper-based resources have limitations that Virtual Worlds can overcome.^[66]

Multi-user virtual worlds with easy-to-use affordances for building are useful in project-based learning. For example, Active Worlds is used to support classroom teachers in Virginia Beach City Public Schools, the out-of-school NASA RealWorld-InWorld Engineering Design Challenge, and many after school and in school programs in EDUni-NY. Projects range from tightly scaffolded reflection spaces to open building based on student-centered designs. New York Museums AMNH and NYSci have used the medium to support STEM learning experiences for their program participants.

Virtual worlds can also be used with virtual learning environments, as in the case of what is done in the Sloodle project, which aims to merge Second Life with Moodle.^[66][67]

Virtual worlds allow users with specific needs and requirements to access and use the same learning materials from home as they would receive if they were physically present. Virtual worlds can help users stay up to date with relevant information and needs while also feeling as they are involved. Having the option to be able to attend a presentation via a virtual world from home or from their workplace, can help the user to be more at ease and comfortable. Although virtual worlds are used as an alternative method of communicating and interacting with students and teachers, a sense of isolation can occur such as losing certain body language cues and other more personal aspects that one would achieve if they were face to face.

Some virtual worlds also offer an environment where simulation-based activities and games allow users to experiment various phenomenon and learn the underlying physics and principles. An example is Whyville launched in 1999,^[23] which targets kids and teenagers, offering them many opportunities to experiment, understand and learn. Topics covered in Whyville vary from physics to nutrition to ecology. Whyville also has a strong entrepreneurial structure based on user created virtual content sold in the internal virtual economy.

Some multi-user virtual worlds have become used for educational purposes and are thus called Multi-User Virtual Learning Environments (MUVLEs). Examples have included the use of Second Life for teaching English as a foreign languages (EFL)^[68] Many specialist types of MUVLE have particular pedagogies associated with them. For instance, George Siemens, Stephen Downes continue to promote the use of a type of MUVLE Dave Cormier coined^[69] called a ‘MOOC’. Even though MOOCs were once seen as «next big thing» by universities and online education service providers such as Blackboard Inc, this was in fact what has been called a «stampede.»^[70] By early 2013, serious questions emerged about whether MOOCs were simply part of a hype cycle and indeed following that hype whether academia was thus «MOOC’d out.»^[71][72]

LanguageEdit

Language learning is the most widespread type of education in virtual worlds.^[73]

Tapped In was an Educational MUVE that started in 1997 with funding support through SRI. It incorporated a web interface that allowed teachers to create secure virtual classrooms for their students. Live Helpdesk support was regularly available. Jeff Cooper held weekly support sessions for teachers to create their own K-12 class, resource room(s) and collaborate with others. Unfortunately funding (and Tapped In) disappeared in 2013. Open Source, Jeff now endeavors to have the code updated with speech to text, text to speech and instant translation. If successful the long term goal is to allow all schools worldwide to install their own on their own servers. Here is Jeff’s page on Tapped In 2: Global Collaborative Learning Tapped In 2: Global Collaborative Learning

BusinessEdit

Online training overcomes constraints such as distance, infrastructure, accommodation costs and tight scheduling. Although video conferencing may be the most common tool, virtual worlds have been adopted by the business environment for training employees.^[74]
For example, Second Life has been used in business schools.^[75]

Virtual training content resembles traditional tutorials and testing of user knowledge. Despite the lack of face to face contact and impaired social linking, learning efficiency may not be adversely affected as adults need autonomy in learning and are more self-directed than younger students.^{[citation needed]}

Some companies and public places allow free virtual access to their facilities as an alternative to a video or picture.

Tapped In was an Educational MUVE that started in 1997 with funding support through SRI. It incorporated a web interface that allowed teachers to create secure virtual classrooms for their students. Live Helpdesk support was regularly available. Jeff Cooper held weekly support sessions for teachers to create their own K-12 class, resource room(s) and collaborate with others. Unfortunately funding (and Tapped In) disappeared in 2013. Open Source, Jeff now endeavors to have the code updated with speech to text, text to speech and instant translation. If successful the long term goal is to allow all schools worldwide to install their own on their own servers. Here is Jeff’s page on Tapped In 2: Global Collaborative Learning.

In fictionEdit

Virtual worlds, virtual reality, and cyberspace are popular fictional motifs. The first was probably John M. Ford’s 1980 novel Web of Angels, and a prominent early example is the work of William Gibson. Virtual worlds are integral to works such as Tron, Neuromancer, Ghost in the Shell, Snow Crash, The Lawnmower Man, Lawnmower Man 2, ReBoot, Digimon, The Matrix, MegaMan NT Warrior, Epic, Code Lyoko and Real Drive.

In A.K. Dewdney’s novel, the Planiverse (1984), college students create a virtual world called 2DWorld, leading to contact with Arde, a two-dimensional parallel universe.

The main focus of the Japanese cyberpunk, psychological, 13-episode anime titled Serial Experiments Lain (1998) is the Wired, a virtual reality world that governs the sum of all electronic communication and machines; outer receptors are used to mentally transport a person into the Wired itself as a uniquely different virtual avatar.

Yasutaka Tsutsui’s novel, Gaspard in the Morning (1992), is the story of an individual immersed in the virtual world of a massively multiplayer online game.^[76] The plots of isekai works such as Moon: Remix RPG Adventure (1997),^[77] Digimon Adventure (1999),^[78] .hack (2002), Sword Art Online (2002),^[79] Summer Wars (2009), Accel World (2009), Ready Player One (2011), Jumanji (2017), Space Jam: A New Legacy (2021) and Belle (2021) also involve the virtual worlds of video games.

The fourth series of the New Zealand TV series The Tribe features the birth of Reality Space and the Virtual World that was created by Ram, the computer genius-wizard leader of The Technos.

In 2009, BBC Radio 7 commissioned Planet B, set in a virtual world in which a man searches for his girlfriend, believed to be dead, but in fact still alive within the world called «Planet B». The series is the biggest-ever commission for an original drama series.^[80]

The plot of «San Junipero», series 3, episode 4 of the anthology TV series Black Mirror, revolves around a virtual world in which participants can choose time periods to visit. Living people may visit only 5 hours per week; while the dying can choose to permanently preserve their consciousness there.

An upcoming South Korean sci-fi fantasy film Wonderland, is about a virtual simulated place for people to reunite with a person they may not meet again, by using artificial intelligence.

FutureEdit

Virtual worlds may lead to a «mobility» of labor that may impact national and organizational competitiveness in a manner similar to the changes seen with the mobility of goods and then the mobility of labor.^[55]

Virtual worlds may increasingly function as centers of commerce, trade, and business.^[81] Virtual asset trade is massive and growing; e.g., Second Life revenue reached approximately 7 million US Dollars per month, in 2011.^[82] Real world firms, such as Coca-Cola, have used virtual worlds to advertise their brand.^{[83] [3]}

See alsoEdit

• Cyberspace
• Evans & Sutherland
• Extended reality
• Metaverse
• Mirror world
• Multisensory extended reality
• OpenLife Grid
• Simulated reality
• Simulated reality in fiction
• Transreality gaming
• Virtual community
• Virtual globe
• Virtual reality

CitationsEdit

ReferencesEdit

• Bartle, Richard (2003). Designing Virtual Worlds. New Riders. ISBN 978-0-13-101816-7.
• Begault, Durand R. (1994). 3-D Sound for Virtual Reality and Multimedia (PDF). San Diego, CA, USA: Academic Press Professional, Inc. hdl:2060/20010044352. ISBN 978-0-12-084735-8. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-05-12. Retrieved 2008-03-02.
• Biocca, Frank; Levy, Mark R. (1995). Communication in the Age of Virtual Reality. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. ISBN 978-0-8058-1550-4.
• Castronova, Edward (December 2001). «Virtual worlds: a first-hand account of market and society on the cyberian frontier». CESifo Working Paper No. 618. Munich: CESifo. SSRN 294828.
• Castronova, Edward (2005). Synthetic Worlds: The Business and Culture of Online Games. University of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-0-226-09626-1.
• Castronova, Edward (2007). Exodus to the Virtual World: How Online Fun is Changing Reality. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 978-1-4039-8412-8.
• Cherbakov, Luba, etc. (2009). «Virtual Spaces: Enabling Immersive Collaborative Enterprise, Part 1: Introduction to the opportunities and technologies». USA: developerWorks. Retrieved 2009-10-23.
• Combs, Nate (June 7, 2004). «A virtual world by any other name?». Retrieved 2013-11-12.
• Kaplan, Andreas M.; Haenlein, Michael (2009). «Consumer use and business potential of virtual worlds: The case of Second Life». International Journal on Media Management. 11 (3): 93–101. doi:10.1080/14241270903047008. S2CID 320257.
• Kaplan, Andreas M.; Haenlein, Michael (2009). «The fairyland of Second Life: About virtual social worlds and how to use them». Business Horizons. 52 (6): 563–572. doi:10.1016/j.bushor.2009.07.002.
• Lastowka, Greg (2010). Virtual Justice. Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-14120-7.
• Grau, Oliver (2003). Virtual Art. From Illusion to Immersion. MIT Press, Cambridge.
• Linden Lab (2009). «The Open University in Second Life: An Education Case Study» (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-07. Retrieved 2009-07-07.
• Mennecke, Brian E. (2008). «Second Life and other Virtual Worlds: A Roadmap for Research» (PDF). Communications of the AIS. 20 (20).
• Wasko, Molly; Teigland, Robin; Leidner, Dorothy; Jarvenpaa, Sirkka (2011). «Stepping into the Internet: New Ventures in Virtual Worlds» (PDF). MIS Quarterly. 35 (3): 645. doi:10.2307/23042801. JSTOR 23042801.
• Teixeira, Marcelo Mendonça; Ferreira, Tiago Alessandro Espinola (2014). The communication model of virtual universe. Munich: Grin Verlag.

External linksEdit

• Journal of Gaming & Virtual Worlds

What Does Virtual World Mean?

A virtual world is a computer-based online community environment that is designed and shared by individuals so that they can interact in a custom-built, simulated world. Users interact with each other in this simulated world using text-based, two-dimensional or three-dimensional graphical models called avatars. Avatars are graphically rendered using computer graphics imaging (CGI) or any other rendering technology. Individuals control their avatars using input devices like the keyboard, mouse and other specially designed command and simulation gadgets. Today’s virtual worlds are purpose-built for entertainment, social, educational, training and various other purposes.

All virtual worlds possess the qualities of persistence and interactivity. This enables the users to explore the inherent benefits of socialization and allows them to study human nature and users’ abilities.

A virtual world may also be called a digital world.

Techopedia Explains Virtual World

Initially, virtual worlds were limited to text and document sharing such as in chat rooms and through conferencing systems. With the advancement in two-dimensional and three-dimensional graphics rendering technologies, graphical models called avatars became the hallmark of virtual worlds. Today, virtual worlds depict a world very similar to reality, with real-world rules and real-time actions and communications. Avatars are real-world or fictionally adapted personalized characters that depict humans, pets or other imaginary characters that inhabit virtual worlds. Today’s avatars are three-dimensional, interactive icons that exist in realistic virtual worlds.

There are two types of virtual worlds:

• Entertainment-Based: The launch of multiplayer 3-D games in the 1990s gave birth to new advancements in interactive virtual worlds. In this category of virtual worlds, users play games through their avatars. These virtual worlds are strongly influenced by fantasy, science fiction, and anime genres of literature and film. Entertainment-based virtual worlds represents the majority of virtual worlds in existence today.
• Social Interaction-Based: Focuses on user interaction, education and training through simulated worlds. These worlds offer a more open-ended experience such as exploring landscapes, playing adventurous sports, socializing with communities, taking part in political debates or experiments, attending educational sessions, training in a simulated environment and countless other virtual possibilities. Although younger than gaming worlds, these social virtual worlds are quickly gaining popularity, particularly in educational, political, commercial and military organizations.

Virtual worlds are, in essence, meeting places. They aren’t video games, they aren’t chat rooms, and they aren’t social networks. They’ve been around for some time now, and chances are that you have stumbled upon one yourself. The premise of a virtual world is quite simple — users carry on social activities using their avatars in an open virtual environment. While not a video game, users may play games within the world.

Virtual worlds are, in essence, meeting places. They aren’t video games, they aren’t chat rooms, and they aren’t social networks. They’ve been around for some time now, and chances are that you have stumbled upon one yourself. The premise of a virtual world is quite simple — users carry on social activities using their avatars in an open virtual environment. While not a video game, users may play games within the world, and while also not a chat room or a social network, users are meant to conduct conversations.

Of course, this is a virtual world. Your environment isn’t going to just be full of white picket fences and suburban houses with pink vinyl siding — this ain’t your mama’s Matrix. In these worlds, you can do anything. You can fly through the clouds, build your home on a deserted island, and be anyone who you want to be. I would compare it to lucid dreaming except in a monitor.

What Are Virtual Worlds?

Human interaction is the goal of these worlds, and no, it isn’t so you can IM the girl down the street who you like-like but are totally afraid to talk to in real life because you think she doesn’t know you exist (except she does, and she’s had a crush on you since the first grade, so she’s only dating the class president to make you jealous).

None of that drama exists here.

These worlds are meant for virtual physical human interaction where it would be otherwise impossible. Arguably, it could be said that you could hold better meetings with communication apps like Google Hangouts. That may be true, but virtual worlds provide opportunities such as world creation, adventures, and the occasional game.

Why Would You Want To Use A Virtual World?

Oh, there are a variety of reasons you might want to use a virtual world. For instance, you could remotely discuss body-hiding plans, arrange for a secret tryst, or even plan for drug shipment routes. Of course, while these reasons are unarguably valid, you likely won’t be participating in such a simulation because of them. Yes, there are bad things (milder than what I described), but there are good things too.

Practically speaking, these worlds are fun. Although they are not social networks, they can be used socially to encounter unique people and experiences one could never see in real life. Some worlds are even programmed to resemble real-world locations, so much like a Google Street View or Photo Tour, you can walk around and explore. However, in this case, you can do so with other people. Virtual worlds also provide the occasional game (using whatever means available), allowing for a variety of recreational usages.

Who Else Uses Virtual Worlds?

Many companies actually use these virtual communities for conferences or remote meetings. Rather than paying for a plane trip and a hotel room, you can simply attend from your desktop. Again, it could be argued that video conferencing would be a better tool for a virtual event. There’s no denying that video is a great device for this, but at the same time, there’s something about the physical aspect of it all.

You can «walk» over to a group and join a conversation, or you could privately engage someone away from the crowd. With that in mind, the physical placement of avatars allows for context: a speaker would be at the front of the room, and listeners would remain in their seats. Virtual classes for universities and business meetings are handled in the same manner. (Parties tend to happen, too!)

Of course, I should mention that other companies see these virtual worlds as advertising opportunities. No, you can’t download a Coca-Cola to your PC (yet), but you definitely can see an ad. Thanks to corporate, you can experience advertising in a way that emulates Minority Report. Speaking of Coke, the soda company actually held a contest in April 2007 for users to design an in-game vending machine for Second Life. Crazy, isn’t it?

What Virtual Worlds Are Available?

MakeUseOf has already put out an article about virtual worlds such as Second Life, Kaneva, and There. In all honesty, Second Life is about as good as it’s going to get. This is by far the widest platform for virtual world exploration, and the others function in a similar manner. However, bear in mind that some of these environments – even though they promote themselves as being free – require the purchase of some paid options for anything wild and crazy. With that said, you can actually sell things in these worlds like character models or attire.

However, there’s other stuff out there, too. Here’s a list of other worlds that you can explore:

• Onverse
• Twinity
• SmallWorlds
• Active Worlds

Of course, these are just a few virtual worlds that exist online. There are loads more that you likely know about! Do us a favor and leave the URLs to some of your favorite virtual worlds.

What kinds of activities do you do in some of your favorite virtual worlds? Have you ever logged onto to a virtual world? Do you believe that there are any dangers to using a virtual world?

Image Credit: rafeejewell

A virtual world is an online community that takes the form of a computer-based simulated environment through which users can interact with one another and use and create objects.^[1] The term has become largely synonymous with interactive 3D virtual environments, where the users take the form of avatars visible to others.^[2] These avatars usually appear as textual, two-dimensional, or three-dimensional representations, although other forms are possible (auditory and touch sensations for example).^[3][4] In general, virtual worlds allow for multiple users.

The computer accesses a computer-simulated world and presents perceptual stimuli to the user, who in turn can manipulate elements of the modeled world and thus experience a degree of telepresence.^[5] Such modeled worlds and their rules may draw from the reality or fantasy worlds. Example rules are gravity, topography, locomotion, real-time actions, and communication. Communication between users can range from text, graphical icons, visual gesture, sound, and rarely, forms using touch, voice command, and balance senses.

Massively multiplayer online games depict a wide range of worlds, including those based on fantasy, science fiction, the real world, super heroes, sports, horror, and historical milieus. The most common form of such games are fantasy worlds, whereas those based on the real world are relatively rare.^[6] Many MMORPGs have real-time actions and communication. Players create a character who travels between buildings, towns, and worlds to carry out business or leisure activities. Communication is usually textual, but real-time voice communication is also possible. The form of communication used can substantially affect the experience of players in the game.^[7]

Virtual worlds are not limited to games but, depending on the degree of immediacy presented, can encompass computer conferencing and text based chatrooms. Sometimes, emoticons or ‘smilies’ are available, to show feeling or facial expression. Emoticons often have a keyboard shortcut.^[8] Edward Castronova is an economist who has argued that «synthetic worlds» is a better term for these cyberspaces, but this term has not been widely adopted.

History

The concept of virtual worlds predates computers. In fact, it can be traced to the Roman naturalist Gaius Plinuis, more commonly known as Pliny the Elder, who expressed one of the earliest recorded interests in perceptual illusion.^[9][10] In the twentieth century, the cinematographer Morton Heilig explored the creation of the Sensorama, a theatre experience designed to stimulate the senses of the audience—vision, sound, balance, smell, even touch (via wind)—and so draw them more effectively into the productions^[11]

Among the earliest virtual worlds implemented by computers were virtual reality simulators, such as the work of Ivan Sutherland. Such devices are characterized by bulky headsets and other types of sensory input simulation. Contemporary virtual worlds, in particular the multi-user online environments, emerged mostly independently of this research, fueled instead by the gaming industry but drawing on similar inspiration.^[12] While classic sensory-imitating virtual reality relies on tricking the perceptual system into experiencing an immersive environment, virtual worlds typically rely on mentally and emotionally engaging content which gives rise to an immersive experience.

Maze War (also known as The Maze Game, Maze Wars or simply Maze) was the first networked, 3D multi-user first person shooter game. Maze introduced the concept of online players in 1973-1974 as «eyeball ‘avatars’ chasing each other around in a maze.”^[13] It was played on ARPANET, or Advanced Research Projects Agency Network, a precursor to the Internet funded by the United States Department of Defense for use in university and research laboratories. The initial game could only be played on an Imlac, as it was specifically designed for this type of computer.

The first virtual worlds presented on the Internet were communities and chat rooms, some of which evolved into MUDs and MUSHes. The first MUD, known as MUD1, was released in 1978. The acronym originally stood for Multi-User Dungeon, but later also came to mean Multi-User Dimension and Multi-User Domain. A MUD is a virtual world with many players interacting in real time.^[14] The early versions were text-based, offering only limited graphical representation and often using a Command Line Interface. Users interact in role-playing or competitive games by typing commands and can read or view descriptions of the world and other players. Such early worlds began the MUD heritage that eventually led to massively multiplayer online role-playing games, more commonly known as MMORPGs, a genre of role-playing games in which a large number of players interact within a virtual world.

Some prototype virtual worlds were WorldsAway, a two-dimensional chat environment where users designed their own avatars; Dreamscape, an interactive community featuring a virtual world by CompuServe; Cityspace, an educational networking and 3D computer graphics project for children; and The Palace, a 2-dimensional community driven virtual world. However, credit for the first online virtual world usually goes to Habitat, developed in 1987 by LucasFilm Games for the Commodore 64 computer, and running on the Quantum Link service (the precursor to America Online).^[15]

In 1996, the city of Helsinki, Finland with Helsinki Telephone Company (since Elisa Group) launched what was called the first online virtual 3D depiction intended to map an entire city. The Virtual Helsinki project was eventually renamed Helsinki Arena 2000 project and parts of the city in modern and historical context were rendered in 3D.^[16]

Virtual world concepts

Most accepted definitions of virtual worlds require that it be persistent; in other words, the world must continue to exist even after a user exits the world, and user-made changes to the world should be preserved.^[17] As defined by Mark W. Bell at Indiana University, a virtual world is a «synchronous, persistent network of people, represented as avatars, facilitated by networked computers.»^[18] While the interaction with other participants is done in real-time, time consistency is not always maintained in online virtual worlds. For example, EverQuest time passes faster than real-time despite using the same calendar and time units to present game time.

As virtual world is a fairly vague and inclusive term, the above can generally be divided along a spectrum ranging from:^{[clarification needed]}

• massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs), also called virtual game worlds^[19], where the user playing a specific character is a main feature of the game (World Of Warcraft for example).
• massively multiplayer online real-life games (MMORLGs), also called virtual social worlds^[20], where the user can edit and alter their avatar at will, allowing them to play a more dynamic role, or multiple roles.

Some would argue that the MMO versions of RTS and FPS games are also virtual worlds if the world editors allow for open editing of the terrains if the «source file» for the terrain is shared. Emerging concepts include basing the terrain of such games on real satellite photos, such as those available through the Google Maps API or through a simple virtual geocaching of «easter eggs» on WikiMapia or similar mashups, where permitted.

Economy

A virtual economy is the emergent property of the interaction between participants in a virtual world. While the designers have a great deal of control over the economy by the encoded mechanics of trade, it is nonetheless the actions of players that define the economic conditions of a virtual world. The economy arises as a result of the choices that players make under the scarcity of real and virtual resources such as time or currency.^{[12][clarification needed]} Participants have a limited time in the virtual world, as in the real world, which they must divide between task such as collecting resources, practicing trade skills, or engaging in less productive fun play. The choices they make in their interaction with the virtual world, along with the mechanics of trade and wealth acquisition, dictate the relative values of items in the economy. The economy in virtual worlds is typically driven by in-game needs such as equipment, food, or trade goods. Virtual economies like that of Second Life, however, are almost entirely player-produced with very little link to in-game needs.

The value of objects in a virtual economy is usually linked to their usefulness and the difficulty of obtaining them. The investment of real world resources (time, membership fees, etc.) in acquisition of wealth in a virtual economy may contribute to the real world value of virtual objects.^{[12][clarification needed]} This real world value is made obvious by the trade of virtual items on online market sites like eBay. Recent legal disputes also acknowledge the value of virtual property, even overriding the mandatory EULA which many software companies use to establish that virtual property has no value and/or that users of the virtual world have no legal claim to property therein.^[21]

Some industry analysts have moreover observed that there is a secondary industry growing behind the virtual worlds, made up by social networks, websites and other projects completely devoted to virtual worlds communities and gamers. Special websites as GamerDNA, Koinup and others which serve as social networks for virtual worlds users are facing some crucial issue as the DataPortability of avatars across many virtual worlds and MMORPGs.^[22]

Furthermore, economical actors are interested by virtual world like 3D video games, instant messaging, search engines and blogs because these are places where they can display targeted advertising, adapted to the people who will see it. Projects about coming video games planned to include advertisements inside the 3D environment.

Research

The number of people using virtual worlds is increasing at a rate of 15% every month and this growth does not appear to be stopping or slowing down anytime soon. (Hof, 2006d; Gartner, 2007 cited by Bray and Konsynski 2007). This is the same with research being carried out in virtual worlds. It is an ever increasing way for business and governments to use the resources to gather and collate information for their use. Research for information systems purposes is being carried out in virtual worlds for the look in open sourcing, providing tools without the need for sponsorship of corporate businesses. It provides a look into the virtual world creation and how it is able to spread itself around the internet for different people from different countries to interact and provide information. It provides an insight how people find the information and how that information is being used by different people. Governments are also beginning to interact in virtual worlds and are a discussion point for some in terms of governance and law. Virtual world is neither public nor private owned. It is the people interacting in it that make the world. Governments research into the use of virtual worlds by people as some have virtual property, amounting to a second life online in another world. This is where governments have to look into if it is viable or even feasible for them to tax those with a second life to govern them with taxes and laws. State of Play is an annual conference sponsored by the Institute for Information Law & Policy at New York Law School; since 2003 the conference has investigated the intersection of virtual worlds, games and the law.

Research in psychology has also been proposed and conducted in virtual worlds with key focus of the use of the innovative platform. Bloomfield (2007)^[23] has suggested that virtual worlds may be useful for examining human behaviour and traditional internet-world constructs (alongside other fields). For example, Doodson (2009)^[24][25] reported that offline- and virtual-world personality are significantly differ from each other but are still significantly related which has a number of implications for Self-verification, Self-enhancement and other personality theories. Similarly, panic and agoraphobia have also been studied in a virtual world^[26]

Virtual worlds and real life

Some virtual worlds have off-line, real world components and applications. Handipoints, for example, is a children’s virtual world that tracks chores via customizable chore charts and lets children get involved in their household duties offline. They complete chores and use the website and virtual world to keep track of their progress and daily tasks.

Hardware

Unlike most video games, which are usually navigated using various free-ranging human interface devices, virtual worlds are usually navigated (as of 2009) using HIDs which are designed and oriented around flat, 2-dimensional graphical user interfaces; as most comparatively-inexpensive computer mice are manufactured and distributed for 2-dimensional UI navigation, the lack of 3D-capable HID usage among most virtual world users is likely due to both the lack of penetration of 3D-capable devices into non-niche, non-gaming markets as well as the generally-higher pricing of such devices compared to 2-dimensional HIDs. Even those users who do make use of HIDs which provide such features as six degrees of freedom often have to switch between separate 3D and 2D devices in order to navigate their respectively-designed interfaces.

Like video gamers, users of virtual world clients may also have a difficult experience with the necessity of proper graphics hardware (such as the more advanced graphics processing units distributed by Nvidia and AMD) for the sake of reducing the frequency of less-than-fluid graphics instances in the navigation of virtual worlds.

Application domains

Although the social interactions of participants in virtual worlds are often viewed in the context of 3D Games, other forms of interaction are common as well, including forums, blogs, wikis, chatrooms, instant messaging, and video-conferences. Communities are born in places which have their own rules, topics, jokes, and even language. Members of such communities can find like-minded people to interact with, whether this be through a shared passion, the wish to share information, or a desire to meet new people and experience new things. Users may develop personalities within the community adapted to the particular world they are interacting with, which can impact the way they think and act. Internet friendships and participation in online communities tend to complement existing friendships and civic participation rather than replacing or diminishing such interactions.^[27][28]

Systems that have been designed for a social application include:

• Active Worlds
• Twinity
• Kaneva
• Smallworlds
• Onverse

Medical

Virtual worlds can also be used, for instance by the Starlight Children’s Foundation, to help hospitalised children (suffering from painful diseases or autism for example) to create a comfortable and safe environment which can expand their situation, experience interactions (when you factor in the involvement of a multiple cultures and players from around the world) they may not have been able to experience without a virtual world, healthy or sick. Virtual worlds also enable them to experience and act beyond the restrictions of their illness and help to relieve stress.^[29] Disabled or chronically invalided people of any age can also benefit enormously from experiencing the mental and emotional freedom gained by temporarily leaving their disabilities behind and doing, through the medium of their avatars, things as simple and potentially accessible to able, healthy people as walking, running, dancing, sailing, fishing, swimming, surfing, flying, skiing, gardening, exploring and other physical activities which their illnesses or disabilities prevent them from doing in real life. They may also be able to socialise, form friendships and relationships much more easily and avoid the stigma and other obstacles which would normally be attached to their disabilities. This can be much more constructive, emotionally satisfying and mentally fulfilling than passive pastimes such as television watching, playing computer games, reading or more conventional types of internet use.

Psychologically virtual worlds can help players become more familiar and comfortable with actions they may in real-life feel reluctant or embarrassed. For example, in World of Warcraft, /dance is the emote for a dance move which a player in the virtual world can «emote» quite simply. And a familiarization with said or similar «emotes» or social skills (such as, encouragement, gratitude, problem-solving, and even kissing) in the virtual world via avatar can make the assimilation to similar forms of expression, socialization, interaction in real life smooth. Interaction with humans through avatars in the virtual world has potential to seriously expand the mechanics of one’s interaction with real-life interactions.

Commercial

As businesses compete in the real world, they also compete in virtual worlds. As there has been an increase in the buying and selling of products online (e-commerce) this twinned with the rise in the popularity of the internet, has forced businesses to adjust to accommodate the new market.

Many companies and organizations now incorporate virtual worlds as a new form of advertising. There are many advantages to using these methods of commercialization. An example of this would be Apple creating an online store within “Second Life”. This allows the users to browse the latest and innovative products. You cannot actually purchase a product but having these “virtual stores” is a way of accessing a different clientele and customer demographic. The use of advertising within «virtual worlds» is a relatively new idea. This is because Virtual Worlds is a relatively new technology. Before companies would use an advertising company to promote their products. With the introduction of the prospect of commercial success within a Virtual World, companies can reduce cost and time constraints by keeping this «in-house». An obvious advantage is that it will reduce any costs and restrictions that could come into play in the real world.

Using virtual worlds gives companies the opportunity to gauge customer reaction and receive feedback. Feedback can be crucial to the development of a project as it will inform the creators exactly what users want.^[30]

Using virtual worlds as a tool allows companies to test user reaction and give them feedback on products. This can be crucial as it will give the companies an insight as to what the market and customers want from new products, which can give them a competitive edge. Competitive edge is crucial in the ruthless world that is today’s business.

Another use of virtual worlds in business is where you can create a gathering place. Many businesses can now be involved in business-to-business commercial activity and will create a specific area within a virtual world to carry out their business. Within this space all relevant information can be held. This can be useful for a variety of reasons. You can conduct business with companies on the other side of the world, so there are no geographical limitations, it can increase company productivity. Knowing that there is an area where help is on hand can aid the employees. Sun Microsystems have created an island in second life dedicated for the sole use of their employees. This is a place where people can go and seek help, exchange new ideas or to advertise a new product.

According to trade media company Virtual Worlds Management,^[31] commercial investments in the «virtual worlds» sector were in excess of USD 425 million in Q4 2007,^[32] and totaled USD 184 million in Q1 2008.^[33] However, the selection process for defining a «virtual worlds» company in this context has been challenged by one industry blog.^[34]

E-commerce (legal)

The legal part of “virtual worlds” in business will be focused on “selling goods” by a virtual interface (on-line shopping, on the Internet) and consumer rights. Goods can be anything except money.

The customer will access (usually via Internet) the shop : this is called E-commerce. The website has an obligation to show the state of business, the postal address (proof of geographical location) and a way to contact them directly (phone or email address). The website does not have to show the price of sold product. If prices are shown, then they must be displayed clearly, The differences between the product price with taxes and delivery costs must also be clear.

The goods are usually displayed thanks to one/many pictures, in which the seller should specify “Caveat Emptor”, which signifies in Latin “Buyer Beware”. That means the buyer might not receive exactly the same product that is displayed on the picture. The sold goods must be presented with a minimum of extra information: full reference, maker (if different from the seller), technical information. The accepted payment modes should be displayed before the subscription/registration.

Concerning delivery, information cannot be sent by another way than the website itself. After the transaction is complete, it is the responsibility of the seller to achieve delivery correctly. The full details must be displayed: including extra charges for customer (in case off-country delivery, unusual weight). The delay must be precise (it cannot be exact, so give an idea, i.e. “one week”).

No modification about the delay, price or delivery mode can be made after concluding the contract. The contract is defined by the terms and conditions. The customer cannot buy the goods without accepting it; Unfortunately, it is often written in really small print and not really easy to read. These terms and conditions define the customer rights, for example these to cancel contract.

Canceling the contract: The customer has the right to cancel a contract concluded on-line by giving written-notice to the seller. The customer has seven days after the day when he receives goods. The customer can simply change his mind, so is allowed to cancel without justification.

As stated above, there are laws governing the purchasing and selling of products within a e-commerce environment. When it comes to virtual worlds, such as Second Life then there are no laws which you have to abide by. In some ways this can be seen as a positive thing, it gives users complete freedom to carry out their business or pleasure activities, with the knowledge that there are no repercussions. On the other hand there are downsides of course, people have moral, social and ethical responsibilities to other users. Whether this is keeping information up to date, or avoiding fraud. Even with these basic responsibilities to others, some people may take advantage of a situation such as this.

The lax rules surrounding taxation and e-commerce regulations on the popular game Second Life can be both a blessing and a curse. As seen in the example of Ginko Financial, a bank system featured in Second Life where avatars could deposit their real life currency after converted to Linden Dollars for a profit. When in July 2007 residents of Second Life crowded around the ATM’s in an unsuccessful attempt to withdraw their money. After a few days the ATM’s along with the banks disappeared altogether. Around $700,000 in real world money was reported missing from residents in Second Life. An investigation was launched but nothing substantial ever came of finding and punishing the avatar known as Nicholas Portacarrero who was the head of Ginko Financial.^[35]

Entertainment

see also: MMOG

Single-player games

Some single-player games contain virtual worlds populated by non-player characters (NPC). Many of these allow you to save the current state of this world instance to allow stopping and restarting the virtual world at a later date. (This can be done with some multiplayer environments as well.)

The virtual worlds found in video games are often split into discrete levels.

Education

Virtual worlds represent a powerful new media for instruction and education that presents many opportunities but also some challenges.^[36] Persistence allows for continuing and growing social interactions, which themselves can serve as a basis for collaborative education. The use of virtual worlds can give teachers the opportunity to have a greater level of student participation. It allows users to be able to carry out tasks that could be difficult in the real world due to constraints and restrictions, such as cost, scheduling or location. Virtual worlds have the capability to adapt and grow to different user needs, for example, classroom teachers are able to use virtual worlds in their classroom leveraging their interactive whiteboard with the open source project Edusim. They can be a good source of user feedback, the typical paper-based resources have limitations that Virtual Worlds can overcome.

Virtual world can also be used with virtual learning environments, as in the case of what is done in the Sloodle project, which aims to merge Second Life with Moodle.^[37]

Virtual worlds allow users with specific needs and requirements to be able to access and use the same learning materials from home, as they would be receiving if they were in the presentation. This can help users to keep up to date with the relevant information and needs while also feeling as though involved. Having the option to be able to attend a presentation via a virtual world from home or from their workplace, can help the user to be more at ease and comfortable. The flexibility of virtual worlds have greatly improved the options for student study and business collaboration. Although virtual worlds are a good way of communicating and interacting between students and teachers, this is not a substitute for actual face-to-face meetings. When using virtual worlds, there are the downsides in that you lose the body language and other more personal aspects.

Adoption of the use of virtual worlds for education

In April 1999, Numedeon Incorporated launched Whyville as the first virtual world explicitly designed to engage young students in a wide range of educational activities. With a player base of over 3 million.^[38] Whyville has been particularly successful in attracting young teens.^[39]

With respect to older students, a growing number of universities such as the open university and other educational institutions are exploring existing general purpose virtual world platforms as a means to extend and enhance their offerings to students. Typically, educators create an online presence where students can interact, using their avatars to learn about new assignments or create projects that are viewable within the virtual world. For example, students taking a computer manufacturing class can log into a virtual world in which they are the inhabitants of a burgeoning village that needs their expertise for the construction of houses, furniture, machines, and other goods. A number of educational institutions are now running virtual classrooms and discussion sections in worlds like Second Life.^[40] </ref>

Technologies can sometimes take up to 10 years to become fully incorporated within everyday life. For virtual worlds to be accepted, then it is vital that teachers and students alike adapt to new ideas and technologies and use them to their full potential and become a useful tool in education (Yukiko Inoue, Effects of virtual reality support compared to video support in a high-school world geography class). The best idea for a more complete and wider variety in learning techniques is to integrate both paper based and technology based methods. In 2005 Languagelab.com was established to teach languages solely though virtual worlds, and today reports more than 5000 students from 80 different countries making larger than most brick and mortar language schools.

Language education

Main article: Virtual World Language Learning

Language learning is the most widespread type of education in virtual worlds,^[41] with many universities, mainstream language institutes and private language schools using 3D virtual environments to support language learning.

Business education

Virtual worlds is used in today’s business environment for the training of employees for which it represents an excellent venue.^[42] In particular, virtual worlds environment (such as Second Life) have been used in business schools as an extension of the classroom.^[43] In some other cases virtual worlds have been used for creating business games^{[citation needed]}. Since the growth of the Internet, employees have been able to learn and to follow online trainings. This is a major breakthrough and helps to overcome problems such as distance, infrastructure or appointment. There are different methods in which this can be carried out: Video Conferencing is probably the most common tool. People can stay in their office to attend a live conference or a recorded meeting. This new way of training raises some questions: Is virtual training as effective as real trainings? Are people happy with virtual training and does this method encourage people to learn?

Using technologies can affect people’s behaviour in many ways. First of all they can seem more interested in using virtual modes as a study method and because of this their learning satisfactions can be higher when compared to traditional classroom techniques. Despite the fact that people are not in a face to face meeting and thus are not creating social links, the efficiency is not really affected. Actually, adults need this autonomy and need to learn by themselves with more self-direction than younger students.

Virtual training has a lot of advantages compared to the traditional classroom and meetings. Thanks to the rise of the Internet people can now interact with the information through a more user-friendly environment which allows them a greater level of involvement and creativity. A large number of websites offer tutorials and the possibility to test user knowledge with interactive online tests (using multiple choice questions). Virtual training is not so different from usual training in terms of content. Thus, it is not difficult to adapt the existing course to fit with virtual tools. This of course would not only save the company time but also money (no flight, accommodation costs etc.).

Virtual training is becoming a more widely accepted form of training and is being used more often. One example is made by the INSR-Institute competence in the area of occupational risk prevention: protecting workers’ health and safety and preventing occupational accidents or diseases. They have created a program to warn people about the chemical risk of products using interactive support. INSR used 3D environment show clearly a professional situation and involve people through this interactive support.

In addition to the use of virtual training, virtual reality can also provide useful tools. One of the widest uses of this technology is maybe the use of 3D environment to allows virtual visits. The concept is used by many companies and is usually divided into two purposes. The main use for a company is to provide a virtual preview of their tour. Moreover some public places allow free access to their facilities, thus allows people who cannot visit the location for real are due to personal constraints, are able to visit virtually. This allows an easy access to knowledge and it becomes a real alternative to video or picture.

Due to the ease of learning brought by the spread of virtual worlds, learning may become lifelong and the curriculum is in perpetual evolution (David Davies, The virtual university: a learning university), each employee being able to learn through virtual world, no matter where he lives or how old he is.

In fiction

The concept of a virtual world has become a popular fictional motif and setting in recent years, although science-fiction writers have been portraying similar ideas (for example, cyberspace) for decades. Among the most prominent virtual worlds in the literature are the ones written about by William Gibson. Virtual worlds were prominent in such movies and books as Tron, Neuromancer, The Lawnmower Man, The Lawnmower Man 2, Epic, Snow Crash, .Hack//Sign, Real Drive, Summer Wars, The Matrix and Ghost in the Shell. There are many other examples of the virtual world; for example Lyoko in the French animated television series Code Lyoko.

Series 4 of the smash hit New Zealand TV series, The Tribe featured the birth of Reality Space and the Virtual World that was created by Ram, the computer genius leader of The Techno’s.

In 2009, BBC Radio 7 commissioned Planet B, set in a virtual world in which a man searches for his girlfriend, believed to be dead, but in fact still alive within the world, called «Planet B». The series is the currently the biggest ever commission for an original drama series.^[44]

Future

According to K Zero, a virtual world consultancy service, there are over 1 billion (1,009,000,000) people worldwide registered in virtual worlds today.^[45]

Rita J. King, CEO of Dancing Ink Productions, a strategic creative content development and research company, believes virtual worlds will augment what she calls «the Digital Culture.»

«I envision virtual worlds evolving for business and cultural development as the medium becomes more ubiquitous.»

«Chatting in a two-dimensional platform can be fun, informative and valuable,» argued King. «But co-creating and inhabiting a three-dimensional space that can then be collaborated upon cannot be matched. This allows people to ‘be together’ despite geographical location, age, gender, ethnic or sociopolitical affiliation.»

«But interactions will only be as developed as the imaginations and motivations of the people involved.»

Ideally, King believes we will move to a position where people can augment their physical lives with virtual realities. This may ultimately affect our perceptions of physical ‘wants’.

«Things change and develop so fast,» Nergiz Kern, an English language educator inside Second Life, told IOL.^[46] «But I think virtual worlds will become as normal as the internet is now. Most people who are online will have an avatar and use VW [virtual worlds] for all kinds of activities from meeting and chatting with friends to learning and doing business.»

Wasko, Teigland, Leidner, & Jarvenpaa question how virtual worlds will affect our traditional economic and governance models and argue that firms, governments and leaders should pay attention to their development as they may lead to a «mobility» of labor that may impact national and organizational competitiveness in a way similar to the way that first the mobility of goods and then the mobility of labor impacted competitiveness.^[47]

See also

• Blaxxun
• Emerging Virtual Institutions
• Metaverse
• Simulated reality
• Virtual globe
• Virtual reality
• Web3D Consortium

Citations

References

• Bartle, Richard (2003). Designing Virtual Worlds. New Riders. ISBN 0-1310-1816-7.
• Begault, Durand R. (1994). 3-D Sound for Virtual Reality and Multimedia. San Diego, CA, USA: Academic Press Professional, Inc.. doi:10.1.1.20.8443. ISBN 0120847353. http://human-factors.arc.nasa.gov/publibrary/Begault_2000_3d_Sound_Multimedia.pdf. Retrieved 2008-03-02
• Biocca, Frank; Levy, Mark R. (1995). Communication in the Age of Virtual Reality. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. ISBN 0805815503. http://books.google.com/?id=XmoWjyZd6pMC.
• Castronova, Edward (December 2001). Virtual worlds: a first-hand account of market and society on the cyberian frontier. CESifo Working Paper No. 618. Munich: CESifo. http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=294828. Retrieved 2008-03-03
• Castronova, Edward (2005). Synthetic Worlds: The Business and Culture of Online Games. University of Chicago Press. ISBN 0-226-09626-2. http://books.google.com/?id=VKkV0_5QjQ0C.
• Castronova, Edward (2007). Exodus to the Virtual World: How Online Fun is Changing Reality. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 1-4039-8412-3. http://books.google.com/?id=mK_Qq-hsKNEC.
• Cherbakov, Luba, etc. (2009). Virtual Spaces: Enabling Immersive Collaborative Enterprise, Part 1: Introduction to the opportunities and technologies. USA: developerWorks.. http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/webservices/library/ws-virtualspaces/index.html?S_TACT=105AGX04&S_CMP=EDU#rate. Retrieved 2009-10-23
• Kaplan, Andreas M.; Haenlein, Michael (2009). «Consumer use and business potential of virtual worlds: The case of Second Life». International Journal on Media Management 11 (3).
• Kaplan, Andreas M.; Haenlein, Michael (2009). «The fairyland of Second Life: About virtual social worlds and how to use them». Business Horizons 52 (6).
• Lastowka, Greg (2010). Virtual Justice. Yale University Press. ISBN 9780300141207. http://www.chaihana.com/virtualjustice.pdf.
• Grau, Oliver (2003). Virtual Art. From Illusion to Immersion. MIT Press, Cambridge..
• Linden Lab (2009). «The Open University in Second Life: An Education Case Study». http://secondlifegrid.net.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/Second_Life_Case_OpenU_EN.pdf. Retrieved 2009-07-07
• Mennecke, Brian E. (2008). «Second Life and other Virtual Worlds: A Roadmap for Research». Communications of the AIS 20 (20). http://www.bus.iastate.edu/mennecke/CAIS-Vol22-Article20.pdf.
• Wasko, Molly; Teigland, Robin; Leidner, Dorothy; Jarvenpaa, Sirkka (2011). «Stepping into the Internet: New Ventures in Virtual Worlds». MIS Quarterly 35 (3). http://nordicworlds.net/PPublic/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/MISQ-SI-on-VWs_intro1.pdf.

External links

• Euroversity — Learning without Walls
• Journal of Virtual Worlds Research
• NVWN — Nordic Virtual Worlds Network

Каждый когда-нибудь задавался вопросом — наш мир реальный или виртуальный. Для одних виртуальная реальность — интересное развлечение, для других — пугающая перспектива. Но крупные инвесторы, такие как Михаил Прохоров и Марк Цукерберг видят в этом будущее.

Даже если наш мир реальный, то скоро это может измениться. Прочитав данную статью, вы будете знать к чему готовиться. В материале разбираемся, как устроены современные виртуальные миры и могут ли они стать неотъемлемой частью жизни.

Отличия реального мира от виртуального

Реальный мир для нас тот, который мы наблюдаем с помощью зрения, слуха и других органов чувств. Для философов реальный мир схож с понятием «бытие», а астрофизики чаще используют термин «вселенная». В статье под реальным миром мы будем понимать все то, что нельзя назвать виртуальным миром.

Виртуальный мир — это тот, который создан человеком. В широком смысле слова, виртуальный мир может быть даже не связан с технической реализацией. Как пример, любая альтернативная реальность из литературы или кино.

В литературе. Роман Нила Стивенсона «Лавина», вышедший в 1992 году, описывает мрачное, недалекое будущее, где страны управляются корпорациями и весь мир объединяет трехмерная виртуальная реальность. В книге впервые детально описывается виртуальная реальность в современном ее представлении. Например, термин «аватар», хотя и был впервые использован в 1986 году в компьютерной игре Habitat, стал популярным только после выхода «Лавины». 

В кино. В 1999 году вышла первая часть трилогии «Матрица». Основой сюжета послужила мысль о том, что мир — созданная машинами симуляция, которую наш мозг воспринимает как реальность. Фильм оказал влияние не только на киноиндустрию, но и на массовую культуру. 

Сюжеты «Лавины» и «Матрицы» уже сами по себе можно назвать виртуальными мирами, так как они были придуманы авторами. Они полагаются на привлекательное содержание, которое порождает опыт, похожий на физический. Нам становится неуютно, когда Н. Стивенсон описывает мрачный мир будущего и дискомфортно, когда улыбается Агент Смит из Матрицы.

Но внутри этих примеров описывается и другой тип виртуального мира  — созданный не повествовательно, а программно. Программные виртуальные миры полагаются не столько на эмоциональную передачу, сколько на обман органов чувств. Глаза по-прежнему наблюдают отражение света, а уши слышат звуковые колебания. Но источник этих сигналов уже не реальный мир, а техническое устройство.

Повествовательные виртуальные миры существовали с тех пор как появился язык. С ними знаком каждый, кто проникался рассказом, книгой, картиной или фильмом. Программные виртуальные миры — совершенно новое явление, основу для которых заложили современные технологии. Доступны виртуальные миры не только для развлечений, но и для образования, бизнеса и даже творчества. О них и пойдет разговор дальше.

Каким должен быть виртуальный мир

Общепринятого определения виртуального мира не существует. Тем не менее, все они обладают рядом общих признаков. К тому же, в употреблении есть множество схожих выражений: «виртуальный мир», «виртуальная реальность», «виртуальная вселенная». Поэтому следует разобраться в их происхождении.

Наиболее распространен термин «виртуальная реальность» или сокращенно VR. Он чаще употребляется в контексте технической реализации. Под VR подразумевают устройства, которые через зрение и слух передают ощущения от погружения в виртуальные миры. Такое значение заложили во многом сами производители шлемов, называя таким образом свое оборудование: Oculus VR и PlayStation VR. Буквы можно встретить и в названиях некоторых приложений: MeetinVR и Skyrim VR.

В философии также используется термин «виртуальная реальность», хотя и рассматривается шире, чем техническая реализация. Сама реальность понимается как мир, существующий объективно, то есть независимо от наблюдателя. Противоположность реальности — виртуальность, мир существующий субъективно, то есть зависимый от наблюдателя. 

Совмещение противоположных понятий кажется абсурдным, но имеет место быть. Виртуальная реальность существует независимо от наблюдателя — есть какое-то устройство, есть жесткий диск с кодом программы. При этом она виртуальна, так как для наблюдателя замещает реальный мир.

Разрешить этот дуализм возможно лишь выведя формальные критерии. Научным сообществом приняты 4 основных свойства виртуальной реальности: порожденность, актуальность интерактивность и автономность. Независимо от технической реализации, эти свойства можно выделить в любой виртуальной реальности.

Идеальный виртуальный мир должен удовлетворять всем четырем свойствам. Давайте разберем требования подробнее и рассмотрим какие технические возможности есть для их удовлетворения.

Порожденность и блокчейн

Свойство. Порожденность означает, что виртуальный мир должен быть создан внешней реальностью. 

История. Виртуальные миры возникали в основном под воздействием развития сферы видеоигр. Первым виртуальным миром можно назвать многопользовательскую игру Maze War, разработанную в 1974 году. В ней впервые были введены онлайн-игроки. Игра работала на предшественнике Интернета — сети ARPANET и стала родоначальником экшен-игр от первого лица.

Сложности. С развитием интернета стало появляться множество виртуальных миров. Наиболее известные из них представляют собой онлайн-игры: GTA Online, World of Warcraft, Fortnite. Но их реализация не позволяет создать идеальный виртуальный мир. Они созданы по централизованной модели: учетные записи и игровые предметы хранятся на сервере и полностью контролируются разработчиками игры. Игроки покупают не право собственности, а возможность пользования. Из этого вытекает ряд неизбежных следствий: технические сбои, несправедливые баны, манипулирование игровой экономикой. Разработчики могут даже отказаться от проекта и игра просто перестанет работать.

Современный подход. Технология, которая решает эти проблемы — блокчейн. Как пример, игра Axie Infinity. Это виртуальная вселенная домашних животных, вдохновленная покемонами. Игроки развивают своих персонажей и сражаются ими. За победу получают игровые предметы и внутреннюю валюту, которую можно обменять или продать другим игрокам. Все купленные и заработанные вещи в игре не могут исчезнуть и распоряжается ими только владелец.

Технология. Порожденный с помощью блокчейна виртуальный мир позволяет защищать любые виды цифровых данных, включая игровые. Все игровые предметы привязываются к NFT-токенам и пользователь может покупать, продавать и обменивать их за пределами самой игры. Кроме того, игроки могут продолжать играть, даже если разработчики оставят проект. Пока игрой пользуется хотя бы один человек, она будет работать. В некоторых случаях продолжить работу над игрой могут новые разработчики.

Будущее. Виртуальный мир, как и реальный, должен обладать неким нерушимым фундаментом. И лучшей технологической основой для этого на данный момент является блокчейн. Децентрализованные онлайн-игры не могут перестать существовать просто так.

Автономность и криптовалюты

Свойство. Автономность означает, что в виртуальном мире должны быть собственные законы. 

История. В 2000 году, была выпущена онлайн-игра Habbo, представляющая собой отель с возможностью покупать комнаты. Игра стала одним из первых виртуальных миров с виртуальной экономикой. Спустя 20 лет игра продолжает работать и привлекать миллионы пользователей по всему миру.

Сложности. Когда кто-то продает виртуальные товары, а кто-то покупает их, начинается реальная экономика со всеми вытекающими сложностями. Например, необходим контроль за выпуском виртуальной валюты, для того, чтобы она не обесценивалась из-за большого количества.

Современный подход. Обеспечивать автономную экономику позволяет технология криптовалют. «Гражданство» в виртуальной вселенной означает факт регистрации крипто-кошелька. За ним будут закреплены все внутренние активы, а также получаемые штрафы или льготы.

Технология. Выпуск в обращение собственной криптовалюты позволяет не только расплачиваться ею в виртуальном мире, но и решит ряд других задач:

• Монетизация авторов. Технология способна гарантировать, что производители контента получат вознаграждение за свою работу. Например, диджей будет заинтересован дать выступление в виртуальном мире, потому что зрители оплатят билет.
• Вознаграждение пользователей. Вместо виртуальных очков за получение достижений, можно награждать пользователей криптовалютой. Такие вознаграждения будут стимулировать полезное пользовательское поведение.
• Регулирование экономических отношений. Для предотвращения обесценивания денег у всех криптовалют есть свои алгоритмические инструменты.

Будущее. Равно как существование реального мира невозможно без экономического регулирования, так и для виртуальный мир нуждается в строгих законах и алгоритмах. В реальном мире криптовалюте сложно заменить традиционные деньги, в силу их огромного распространения. Но все преимущества криптовалюты можно реализовать при создании экономики с нуля в новом виртуальном мире.

Интерактивность и VR

Свойство. Интерактивность означает, что в виртуальном мире должна быть возможность влиять на ход событий и взаимодействовать со средой.

История. Попытки создать виртуальный мир предпринимались не только раньше появления интернета, но даже раньше изобретения современных компьютеров. В 1957 г. кинематографист Мортон Хейлиг изобрел Сенсораму — устройство, предназначенное для стимулирования чувств зрителей: зрения, слуха, равновесия, обоняния, и даже осязания. Таким образом предполагалось воссоздать эффект полного погружения в театральную постановку. Изобретение значительно опередило свое время и не сдвинулось со стадии опытного образца. Устройство стало прообразом современных VR-устройств.

Сложности. Быстрого интернета недостаточно, чтобы пользователь мог влиять на ход событий и взаимодействовать со средой. Проблема в том, что человек не может работать с информацией в том виде, в котором она передается. Последовательность нулей и единиц необходимо переводить в отражение света и звуковые колебания. Это осуществляется с помощью устройств вывода: экранов и динамиков. Такой подход не дает исключить внешние раздражители, существующие в реальном мире: посторонние шумы и объекты вне экрана в поле зрения. Мозгу человека необходимо проделать большую работу, чтобы не обращать на них внимание. 

Современный подход. Технология, которая позволяет добиться интерактивного взаимодействия с виртуальным миром — VR. Современные устройства для погружения в виртуальный мир представляют из себя очки и содержат дисплеи, на которые выводятся отдельные изображения для левого и правого глаза. В зависимости от производителя, очки могут требовать подключения к компьютеру и наличие дополнительных контроллеров. В будущем устройства будут становиться еще более автономнее и компактнее.

Технология. По сравнению с просмотром информации на экране или бумаге, VR позволяет сильнее абстрагироваться от внешнего мира. Таким образом, VR лучше обманывает системы восприятия человека для его ухода из реального мира в виртуальный. 

Будущее. Виртуальная реальность — следующая эволюционная ступень развития технологий получения информации. Погружение в виртуальные миры с помощью VR-гарнитур оказывается полезным во многих областях человеческой деятельности: проектировании, дизайне, военных технологиях, строительстве, тренажерах, маркетинге, рекламе, индустрии развлечений и т. д.

Актуальность и социальные сети

Свойство. Актуальность означает, что виртуальный мир должен существовать в момент наблюдения «здесь и сейчас».

История. Ранние виртуальные миры, представленные в Интернете, были похожи на чаты. Первым виртуальным миром признано считать игру MUD1, выпущенную 1978 году. Это командная строка, в которой множество игроков взаимодействовали в реальном времени: набирали команды, читали описания игровой реальности, обменивались сообщениями. Такие ранние миры послужили основой для целого жанра в игровой индустрии, известного как MMORPG.

Сложности. Асоциальность — серьезное препятствие на пути распространения виртуальных миров. Мир человека в виртуальной реальности должен быть прежде всего удобной средой для социального взаимодействия. Эмоции от погружения не будут полноценными, если их не с кем разделить.

Современный подход.  С появлением и развитием средств 3D-моделирования начал развиваться сектор виртуальных миров. Виртуальный мир уже нельзя назвать просто чатом. Это скорее синтез чата и трехмерной компьютерной игры. Придать аватару своего собеседника признаки реального человека или любого другого существа  — давняя мечта создателей средств интернетовского общения. Отсюда и интерес Марка Цукерберга в покупке VR-производителя Oculus. Основатель социальной сети понимает насколько важно стать первым на развивающемся рынке. В 2020 году был анонсирован виртуальный мир общения Horizon. В виртуальное пространство можно пригласить друзей из социальных сетей и общаться с ними при помощи VR-устройства.

Технология. Синтез социальных сетей и VR позволяет общаться с человеком, видя его трехмерное виртуальное воплощение. Можно не только разговаривать друг с другом, а даже пользоваться различными услугами в виртуальном мире и предлагать свои: путешествовать, ходить за покупками, смотреть телевидение, посещать концерты, и даже получать образование.

Будущее. Способы коммуникации людей постоянно развиваются. Даже социальные сети всего лишь более сложный вариант переписки на школьных партах. Что может помешать виртуальным мирам стать следующий этапом этого процесса, предположить пока сложно.

Примеры метавселенных

Уже создаются виртуальные миры, которые стремятся соответствовать этим свойствам. Для того, чтобы определять их отличие от прочих виртуальных миров, часто употребляют термин «метавселенная». Впервые он был использован в романе  Нила Стивенсона «Лавина». До появления идеальной метавселенной еще далеко, но, как показывают примеры, шаги для этого предпринимаются.

Sensorium Galaxy. Стартап российского происхождения на стыке виртуальной реальности и шоу-бизнеса. На платформе будут в реальном времени транслироваться выступления известных музыкантов и танцоров.

Cryptovoxels. В метавселенной Cryptovoxels можно купить участок земли и построить на нем музей. Именно так поступил один из первых российских исследователей метавселенных Иван Подмаско, с которым Maff записал интервью.

Decentraland. В метавселенной Decentraland доступен календарь событий: можно записаться на хеллоуинскую вечеринку, гонки или футбол. Разнообразие ограничено лишь техническими возможностями и фантазией организаторов.

The Sanbox. Это классическая игра-песочница, в которой пользователи могут создавать миры. Созданные объекты можно продать за SAND-токены, которые потом обмениваются на доллары на криптовалютной бирже.

Somnium Space. Игра вышла в 2020 году и сразу поддерживает как VR, так и 2D-режимы на компьютерах и мобильных устройствах. Мир Somnium будет формироваться исключительно пользователями. Они смогут покупать виртуальную землю и строить практически все, что они себе представляют.

Концепция метавселенной подразумевает наличие единого виртуального пространства. Это похоже на более широкую версию интернета. Как и в раннем интернете, все проекты пока развиваются параллельно, но в будущем, можно будет перемещаться между разными мирами.

Заключение

Мы разобрались в технологической основе и признаках современных виртуальных миров: блокчейн является ключом для входа, VR-очки стирают границу с реальным миром, а криптовалюты выступают регулятором отношений между пользователями.

Большинство виртуальных миров пока сфокусированы на индустрии развлечений. Однако, возможности на этом не заканчиваются: в будущем будут создаваться новые способы общения людей и инструменты для бизнеса.