Virtual Lives

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Virtual Lives

James D. Ivory Ph.D.
Virtual Lives Book PDF

Author : James D. Ivory Ph.D.
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing USA
Page : 286 pages
File Size : 50,9 Mb
Release : 2012-01-06
Category : Computers
ISBN : 9781598845860

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Virtual Lives by James D. Ivory Ph.D. Pdf

This book is the THE source for information on virtual worlds, covering every aspect of this intriguing and fast-changing social practice and the technologies upon which it rests. Virtual Lives: A Reference Handbook describes the history, development, and role of virtual worlds, also known as virtual environments and immersive virtual environments. It provides detailed background about virtual worlds and their societal impact, from early precursors and inspirations to the latest trends and developments. Specifics on user demographics are included, as are descriptions of virtual worlds' functions, discussion of societal concerns and opportunities, and information about relevant research data and key persons and organizations. Although virtual worlds in their current form are a relatively new phenomenon, other online social environments have served as precursors for decades and literary inspirations go back even further. This handbook therefore covers some early developments dating back to the mid-20th century. Its primary focus, however, is on developments since the mid-1990s and especially on the current state and social impact of virtual worlds, including their impact both in the United States and around the world.

Reality+: Virtual Worlds and the Problems of Philosophy

David J. Chalmers
Reality Virtual Worlds and the Problems of Philosophy Book PDF

Author : David J. Chalmers
Publisher : W. W. Norton & Company
Page : 544 pages
File Size : 49,5 Mb
Release : 2022-01-25
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9780393635812

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Reality+: Virtual Worlds and the Problems of Philosophy by David J. Chalmers Pdf

A leading philosopher takes a mind-bending journey through virtual worlds, illuminating the nature of reality and our place within it. Virtual reality is genuine reality; that’s the central thesis of Reality+. In a highly original work of “technophilosophy,” David J. Chalmers gives a compelling analysis of our technological future. He argues that virtual worlds are not second-class worlds, and that we can live a meaningful life in virtual reality. We may even be in a virtual world already. Along the way, Chalmers conducts a grand tour of big ideas in philosophy and science. He uses virtual reality technology to offer a new perspective on long-established philosophical questions. How do we know that there’s an external world? Is there a god? What is the nature of reality? What’s the relation between mind and body? How can we lead a good life? All of these questions are illuminated or transformed by Chalmers’ mind-bending analysis. Studded with illustrations that bring philosophical issues to life, Reality+ is a major statement that will shape discussion of philosophy, science, and technology for years to come.

Learning in Virtual Worlds

Sue Gregory,Mark J.W. Lee,Barney Dalgarno,Belinda Tynan
Learning in Virtual Worlds Book PDF

Author : Sue Gregory,Mark J.W. Lee,Barney Dalgarno,Belinda Tynan
Publisher : Athabasca University Press
Page : 347 pages
File Size : 46,8 Mb
Release : 2016-04-01
Category : Education
ISBN : 9781771991339

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Learning in Virtual Worlds by Sue Gregory,Mark J.W. Lee,Barney Dalgarno,Belinda Tynan Pdf

Three-dimensional (3D) immersive virtual worlds have been touted as being capable of facilitating highly interactive, engaging, multimodal learning experiences. Much of the evidence gathered to support these claims has been anecdotal but the potential that these environments hold to solve traditional problems in online and technology-mediated education—primarily learner isolation and student disengagement—has resulted in considerable investments in virtual world platforms like Second Life, OpenSimulator, and Open Wonderland by both professors and institutions. To justify this ongoing and sustained investment, institutions and proponents of simulated learning environments must assemble a robust body of evidence that illustrates the most effective use of this powerful learning tool. In this authoritative collection, a team of international experts outline the emerging trends and developments in the use of 3D virtual worlds for teaching and learning. They explore aspec ts of learner interaction with virtual worlds, such as user wayfinding in Second Life, communication modes and perceived presence, and accessibility issues for elderly or disabled learners. They also examine advanced technologies that hold potential for the enhancement of learner immersion and discuss best practices in the design and implementation of virtual world-based learning interventions and tasks. By evaluating and documenting different methods, approaches, and strategies, the contributors to Learning in Virtual Worlds offer important information and insight to both scholars and practitioners in the field.

Making Virtual Worlds

Thomas Malaby
Making Virtual Worlds Book PDF

Author : Thomas Malaby
Publisher : Cornell University Press
Page : 176 pages
File Size : 48,9 Mb
Release : 2011-01-15
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 9780801457753

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Making Virtual Worlds by Thomas Malaby Pdf

The past decade has seen phenomenal growth in the development and use of virtual worlds. In one of the most notable, Second Life, millions of people have created online avatars in order to play games, take classes, socialize, and conduct business transactions. Second Life offers a gathering point and the tools for people to create a new world online. Too often neglected in popular and scholarly accounts of such groundbreaking new environments is the simple truth that, of necessity, such virtual worlds emerge from physical workplaces marked by negotiation, creation, and constant change. Thomas Malaby spent a year at Linden Lab, the real-world home of Second Life, observing those who develop and profit from the sprawling, self-generating system they have created. Some of the challenges created by Second Life for its developers were of a very traditional nature, such as how to cope with a business that is growing more quickly than existing staff can handle. Others are seemingly new: How, for instance, does one regulate something that is supposed to run on its own? Is it possible simply to create a space for people to use and then not govern its use? Can one apply these same free-range/free-market principles to the office environment in which the game is produced? "Lindens"—as the Linden Lab employees call themselves—found that their efforts to prompt user behavior of one sort or another were fraught with complexities, as a number of ongoing processes collided with their own interventions. Malaby thoughtfully describes the world of Linden Lab and the challenges faced while he was conducting his in-depth ethnographic research there. He shows how the workers of a very young but quickly growing company were themselves caught up in ideas about technology, games, and organizations, and struggled to manage not only their virtual world but also themselves in a nonhierarchical fashion. In exploring the practices the Lindens employed, he questions what was at stake in their virtual world, what a game really is (and how people participate), and the role of the unexpected in a product like Second Life and an organization like Linden Lab.

Living and Dying in a Virtual World

Margaret Gibson,Clarissa Carden
Living and Dying in a Virtual World Book PDF

Author : Margaret Gibson,Clarissa Carden
Publisher : Springer
Page : 154 pages
File Size : 41,7 Mb
Release : 2018-08-13
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 9783319760995

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Living and Dying in a Virtual World by Margaret Gibson,Clarissa Carden Pdf

This book takes readers into stories of love, loss, grief and mourning and reveals the emotional attachments and digital kinships of the virtual 3D social world of Second Life. At fourteen years old, Second Life can no longer be perceived as the young, cutting-edge environment it once was, and yet it endures as a place of belonging, fun, role-play and social experimentation. In this volume, the authors argue that far from facing an impending death, Second Life has undergone a transition to maturity and holds a new type of significance. As people increasingly explore and co-create a sense of self and ways of belonging through avatars and computer screens, the question of where and how people live and die becomes increasingly more important to understand. This book shows how a virtual world can change lives and create forms of memory, nostalgia and mourning for both real and avatar based lives.

This Virtual Life

Andrew Evans
This Virtual Life Book PDF

Author : Andrew Evans
Publisher : Fusion Press
Page : 300 pages
File Size : 50,7 Mb
Release : 2001
Category : Computers
ISBN : STANFORD:36105110934069

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This Virtual Life by Andrew Evans Pdf

As the media becomes more sophisticated and lifelike, we spend more and moreime in front of television screens. Distinguished psychologist Andrew Evansxamines this warping of reality, and asks where such a path will lead us.;he 21st century presents serious challenges to us all. However, our childrenre growing up thinking the world can be saved by super-heroes, crashedlanes start again at the flick of a switch and people come back to life forhe next round. The author looks at the effects of this distortion of reality.aybe our need to escape the boredom and routine of every day life is beingxploited by the companies who make money by selling us fantasy andimulation. From humour and comedy, to science fiction and computer games,vans examines the variety of distractions available to take our minds offhe daily grind. But how does this new media affect today's children? Whatill be their future tomorrow? And have we become so reliant on escapistantasy that reality can no longer be faced?

Second Lives

Tim Guest
Second Lives Book PDF

Author : Tim Guest
Publisher : Random House
Page : 283 pages
File Size : 41,7 Mb
Release : 2010-07-31
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 9781407090443

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Second Lives by Tim Guest Pdf

We've always dreamed of perfect places: Eden, heaven, Oz - places over the rainbow, beyond death and loss. Now, through computer technology, we can inhabit those worlds together. Each week, between 35 and 50 million people worldwide abandon reality for virtual worlds. In Boston, Massachusetts, a group of nine disabled men and women inhabit one virtual body, which frees them from their lifelong struggle to be seen and heard. The Pentagon has begun to develop virtual worlds to help in real-world battles. In Korea, where one particular game has 8 million residents, virtual violence has spread into the real world. Fortunes have been made, and mafia gangs have emerged to muscle in on the profits. In these new computer-generated places, which at first glance seem free from trouble and sorrow, you can create a new self. With the click of a mouse you can select eye colour, face shape, height, even wings. You can build houses, make and sell works of art, earn real money, get married and divorced. On websites like eBay, people sell virtual clothes and rent virtual property for real cash - for a total of £400 million worth each year. Tim Guest takes us on a revelatory journey through the electronic looking-glass, as he investigates one of the most bizarre phenomena of the 21st century.

Our Virtual World: The Transformation of Work, Play and Life via Technology

Chidambaram, Laku,Zigurs, Ilze
Our Virtual World The Transformation of Work Play and Life via Technology Book PDF

Author : Chidambaram, Laku,Zigurs, Ilze
Publisher : IGI Global
Page : 260 pages
File Size : 46,5 Mb
Release : 2000-07-01
Category : Computers
ISBN : 9781930708921

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Our Virtual World: The Transformation of Work, Play and Life via Technology by Chidambaram, Laku,Zigurs, Ilze Pdf

Today's new technologies are dramatically changing the way we work, play and live. Our Virtual World: The Transformation of Work, Play and Life via Technology investigates the ubiquity of the virtual environment and our evolving interactions in this changed context.

Designing Virtual Worlds

Richard A. Bartle
Designing Virtual Worlds Book PDF

Author : Richard A. Bartle
Publisher : New Riders
Page : 768 pages
File Size : 50,7 Mb
Release : 2004
Category : Computers
ISBN : 0131018167

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Designing Virtual Worlds by Richard A. Bartle Pdf

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

The Virtual Self

Nora Young
The Virtual Self Book PDF

Author : Nora Young
Publisher : McClelland & Stewart
Page : 242 pages
File Size : 45,7 Mb
Release : 2013-08-13
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 9780771070662

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The Virtual Self by Nora Young Pdf

The new radically social habit of tracking our behaviours and preferences is booming. From Facebook timelines to Google Navigator to Twitter, we generate enormous amounts of online data about our activities: where we go, what we do, how we feel. In The Virtual Self, journalist Nora Young examines this growing phenomenon of self-tracking - why it's compulsive, its attractions and benefits, the dangers surrounding privacy and information control, and moreover, what it means for our sense of self. Fascinating and entertaining, and offering unique insights into our emerging technological culture, The Virtual Self takes the personal, psychological reality of everything from smart phones to social networking and teases out the increasing impact of the virtual information we all produce on the real world around us.

Exodus to the Virtual World

Edward Castronova
Exodus to the Virtual World Book PDF

Author : Edward Castronova
Publisher : St. Martin's Press
Page : 256 pages
File Size : 51,9 Mb
Release : 2007-11-27
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 0230608612

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Exodus to the Virtual World by Edward Castronova Pdf

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

Emerging Ethical Issues of Life in Virtual Worlds

Charles Wankel,Shaun Malleck
Emerging Ethical Issues of Life in Virtual Worlds Book PDF

Author : Charles Wankel,Shaun Malleck
Publisher : IAP
Page : 233 pages
File Size : 48,5 Mb
Release : 2010-01-01
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 9781607523796

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Emerging Ethical Issues of Life in Virtual Worlds by Charles Wankel,Shaun Malleck Pdf

Virtual Worlds are being increasingly used in business and education. With each day more people are venturing into computer generated online persistent worlds such as Second Life for increasingly diverse reasons such as commerce, education, research, and entertainment. This book explores the emerging ethical issues associated with these novel environments for human interaction and cutting-edge approaches to these new ethical problems. This volume’s goal is to put forward a number of these virtual world ethical issues of which research is only commencing. The developing literature specifically regarding virtual world ethics is a recent phenomenon. Research based on the phenomenon of virtual world life has only been developing in the past four years. This volume introduces pathbreaking work in a field which is only just beginning to take shape. It is ideal as both as a library reference and a supplementary text in upper-division courses focused on the issues of applied ethics and new media. It is unique in being one of the first volumes specifically addressed to ethical problems of the “metaverse”. This volume includes articles from authors from around the world exploring topics such as: employing rationalist and casuistic approaches to the controversial topic of “virtual rape” yield an increased understanding of how virtual worlds ought to be designed, the relationship between the ethical and legal dimensions of virtual world users’ participation in “paratexts”, utilitarian consideration of harm and freedom in the case of virtual pedophilia, norms of research ethics in virtual worlds, the ethical implications of employing virtual worlds as tools for medical education and experimenting with healthcare services, the ethics of the collective action of virtual world communities, consideration of the virtue and potential of cosmopolitanism in virtual worlds, Deleuzian ethical approaches to the experience of the disabled in virtual worlds, the ethics of virtual world design, and the ethical implications of the “illusion of reality” presented by virtual worlds.

Infinite Reality

Jim Blascovich,Jeremy Bailenson
Infinite Reality Book PDF

Author : Jim Blascovich,Jeremy Bailenson
Publisher : Harper Collins
Page : 378 pages
File Size : 52,6 Mb
Release : 2011-04-05
Category : Computers
ISBN : 9780062041692

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Infinite Reality by Jim Blascovich,Jeremy Bailenson Pdf

“Enough with speculation about our digital future. Infinite Reality is the straight dope on what is and isn’t happening to us right now, from two of the only scientists working on the boundaries between real life and its virtual extensions.” —Douglas Rushkoff, author of Program or Be Programmed Can our brains recognize where "reality" ends and "virtual" begins? Where will technology lead us in five, fifty, or five hundred years? An unrivaled guide to our digital future that has been cited by the Supreme Court, Infinite Reality is a mind-bending "journey through the virtual universe" (Wall Street Journal). Jim Blascovich and Jeremy Bailenson, two pioneering authorities, explore the profound potential of emerging technologies and reveal how our brains behave in digital worlds. Along the way, Bailenson and Blascovich examine the timeless philosophical questions of the self and "reality" that arise through the digital experience; explain how virtual reality's latest and future forms—including immersive video games and social-networking sites—will soon be seamlessly integrated into our lives; show the many surprising practical applications of virtual reality, from education and medicine to sex and warfare; and probe further-off possibilities like "total personality downloads" that would allow your great-great-grandchildren to have a conversation with "you" a century or more after your death. Equally fascinating, farsighted, and profound, Infinite Reality is an essential guide to our virtual future, where the experience of being human will be deeply transformed.

Transforming Virtual World Learning

Charles Wankel,Randy Hinrichs
Transforming Virtual World Learning Book PDF

Author : Charles Wankel,Randy Hinrichs
Publisher : Emerald Group Publishing
Page : 399 pages
File Size : 40,8 Mb
Release : 2011-09-28
Category : Education
ISBN : 9781780520520

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Transforming Virtual World Learning by Charles Wankel,Randy Hinrichs Pdf

A practical guide on how to transform your ideas from virtual world course ware to virtual world learning experiences. It argues that setting up learning in 3D virtual worlds requires a transformative approach.

Virtual Worlds

Liz Falconer,Mari Carmen Gil Ortega
Virtual Worlds Book PDF

Author : Liz Falconer,Mari Carmen Gil Ortega
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 41,8 Mb
Release : 2018
Category : Virtual reality in education
ISBN : 1536130990

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Virtual Worlds by Liz Falconer,Mari Carmen Gil Ortega Pdf

This book explores the rich and fascinating topic of virtual worlds by bringing together research findings and discussion pieces from an international group of leading practitioners in the field. There are many different definitions of virtual worlds, but they all share the characteristic of enabling real-time interaction between users who are present in these worlds in the form of avatars, i.e., digital projections of ourselves into virtual environments. A particular theme of the book is how our activities in virtual worlds continue to develop our understanding of the nature of virtual experience, and particularly what it means to be digitally human. These ideas are explored from a diverse and engaging range of perspectives that include archaeology, languages, teacher training, computing, meditation and well-being, forensic science, performance art and artificial intelligence. Each chapter provides an in-depth discussion and analysis, and practical examples of successful implementations of virtual world technologies are also included. The book will be invaluable to researchers and practitioners in the fields of virtual worlds, virtual reality, augmented reality and artificial intelligence. It presents evidence, discussion and advice on some of the underpinning concepts relating to virtuality, on the application of virtual technologies to our daily lives, and encourages us to ponder the possible futures of these types of technology.