Online Worlds: Convergence of the Real and the Virtual
Title | Online Worlds: Convergence of the Real and the Virtual PDF eBook |
Author | William Sims Bainbridge |
Publisher | Springer Science & Business Media |
Pages | 317 |
Release | 2009-12-08 |
Genre | Computers |
ISBN | 184882825X |
William Sims Bainbridge Virtual worlds are persistent online computer-generated environments where people can interact, whether for work or play, in a manner comparable to the real world. The most prominent current example is World of Warcraft (Corneliussen and Rettberg 2008), a massively multiplayer online game with 11 million s- scribers. Some other virtual worlds, notably Second Life (Rymaszewski et al. 2007), are not games at all, but Internet-based collaboration contexts in which people can create virtual objects, simulated architecture, and working groups. Although interest in virtual worlds has been growing for at least a dozen years, only today it is possible to bring together an international team of highly acc- plished authors to examine them with both care and excitement, employing a range of theories and methodologies to discover the principles that are making virtual worlds increasingly popular and may in future establish them as a major sector of human-centered computing.
Making Virtual Worlds
Title | Making Virtual Worlds PDF eBook |
Author | Thomas M. Malaby |
Publisher | |
Pages | 165 |
Release | 2009 |
Genre | Computers |
ISBN | 9780801447464 |
Malaby shows how the workers of a very young but quickly growing company were themselves caught up in ideas about technology, games, and organizations, and struggled to manage not only their virtual world but also themselves in a nonhierarchical fashion.
Designing Virtual Worlds
Title | Designing Virtual Worlds PDF eBook |
Author | Richard A. Bartle |
Publisher | New Riders |
Pages | 768 |
Release | 2004 |
Genre | Computers |
ISBN | 9780131018167 |
This text provides a comprehensive treatment of virtual world design from one of its pioneers. It covers everything from MUDs to MOOs to MMORPGs, from text-based to graphical VWs.
Learning Online with Games, Simulations, and Virtual Worlds
Title | Learning Online with Games, Simulations, and Virtual Worlds PDF eBook |
Author | Clark Aldrich |
Publisher | John Wiley & Sons |
Pages | 136 |
Release | 2009-09-22 |
Genre | Education |
ISBN | 0470438347 |
Jossey-Bass Guides to Online Teaching and Learning Learning Online with Games, Simulations, and Virtual Worlds Strategies for Online Instruction Clark Aldrich Learning Online with Games, Simulations, and Virtual Worlds The infusion of games, simulations, and virtual worlds into online learning can be a transforming experience for both the instructor and the student. This practical guide, written by education game expert Clark Aldrich, shows faculty members and instructional designers how to identify opportunities for building games, simulations, and virtual environments into the curriculum; how to successfully incorporate these interactive environments to enhance student learning; and how to measure the learning outcomes. It also discusses how to build institutional support for using and financing more complex simulations. The book includes frameworks, tips, case studies and other real examples, and resources. Praise for Learning Online with Games, Simulations, and Virtual Worlds "Clark Aldrich provides powerful insights into the dynamic arena of games, simulations, and virtual worlds in a simultaneously entertaining and serious manner as only he can. If you are involved with educating anyone, from your own children to classrooms full of students, you need to devour this book." — Karl Kapp, assistant director, Institute for Interactive Technologies, Bloomsburg University "At a time when the technologies for e-learning are evolving faster than most people can follow, Aldrich successfully bridges the perceptual gap between virtual worlds, digital games, and educational simulations, and provides educators with all they really need to use this technology to enhance and enrich their e-learning experiences." — Katrin Becker, instructor, Department of Computer Science and Information Systems, Mount Royal College, and adjunct professor of education, University of Calgary "I consider this a must-read for anyone engaged in or contemplating using these tools in their classrooms or designing their own tools." — Rick Van Sant, professor of learning and technology, Ferris State University
Exodus to the Virtual World
Title | Exodus to the Virtual World PDF eBook |
Author | Edward Castronova |
Publisher | St. Martin's Press |
Pages | 268 |
Release | 2007-11-27 |
Genre | Social Science |
ISBN | 0230608612 |
Virtual worlds have exploded out of online game culture and now capture the attention of millions of ordinary people: husbands, wives, fathers, mothers, workers, retirees. Devoting dozens of hours each week to massively multiplayer virtual reality environments (like World of Warcraft and Second Life), these millions are the start of an exodus into the refuge of fantasy, where they experience life under a new social, political, and economic order built around fun. Given the choice between a fantasy world and the real world, how many of us would choose reality? Exodus to the Virtual World explains the growing migration into virtual reality, and how it will change the way we live--both in fantasy worlds and in the real one.
Social Interactions in Virtual Worlds
Title | Social Interactions in Virtual Worlds PDF eBook |
Author | Kiran Lakkaraju |
Publisher | Cambridge University Press |
Pages | 433 |
Release | 2018-07-05 |
Genre | Computers |
ISBN | 1108558984 |
Within the rapidly-growing arena of 'virtual worlds', such as Massively Multiplayer Online Games (MMOs), individuals behave in particular ways, influence one another, and develop complex relationships. This setting can be a useful tool for modeling complex social systems, cognitive factors, and interactions between groups and within organizations. To study these worlds effectively requires a cross-disciplinary approach that integrates social science theories with big data analytics. This broad-based book offers a comprehensive and holistic perspective on the field. It brings together research findings from an international team of experts in computer science (artificial intelligence, game design, and social computing), psychology, and the social sciences to help researchers and practitioners better understand the fundamental processes underpinning social behavior in virtual worlds such as World of Warcraft, Rift, Eve Online, and Travian.
Ethnography and Virtual Worlds
Title | Ethnography and Virtual Worlds PDF eBook |
Author | Tom Boellstorff |
Publisher | Princeton University Press |
Pages | 264 |
Release | 2024-08-06 |
Genre | Social Science |
ISBN | 0691264864 |
A practical guide to the ethnographic study of online cultures, and beyond Ethnography and Virtual Worlds is the only book of its kind—a concise, comprehensive, and practical guide for students, teachers, designers, and scholars interested in using ethnographic methods to study online virtual worlds, including both game and nongame environments. Written by leading ethnographers of virtual worlds, and focusing on the key method of participant observation, the book provides invaluable advice, tips, guidelines, and principles to aid researchers through every stage of a project, from choosing an online fieldsite to writing and publishing the results. Provides practical and detailed techniques for ethnographic research customized to reflect the specific issues of online virtual worlds, both game and nongame Draws on research in a range of virtual worlds, including Everquest, Second Life, There.com, and World of Warcraft Provides suggestions for dealing with institutional review boards, human subjects protocols, and ethical issues Guides the reader through the full trajectory of ethnographic research, from research design to data collection, data analysis, and writing up and publishing research results Addresses myths and misunderstandings about ethnographic research, and argues for the scientific value of ethnography