Journal For Virtual Worlds Research (Texas Digital Library - TDL E-Journals)
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366 research outputs found
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Virtual World Television Products and Practices: Comparing Television Production in Second Life to Traditional Television Production
No full textThe virtual world Second Life provides for user-generated content creation as a necessary condition for its construction and sustenance
Architecting Scalable Academic Virtual World Grids: A Case Utilizing OpenSimulator
No full textTo better understand the technological requirements of academic institutions looking to implement an OpenSimulator virtual world grid, an observational study was performed to better understand the solution requirements. The purpose of this presentation is to provide an analysis of the parameters and considerations utilized to architect a scalable, open-source virtual world grid for use in various academic delivery scenarios. This specific case focuses on the detail leading up to deployment of the solution, and includes a discussion regarding solution selection and incorporation of various virtualization technologies to maximize institutional hardware resources based on established functional need. The computing resources utilized for this case were allocated via a virtualized infrastructure. Discussion and results include presentation of a proposed layered model outlining the solution elements and their relationships as well as various approaches to structuring and organizing in-world content and activity
Art Medium Too: Avatar, Art, and Assemblages
No full textThis article looks at the connections between avatars and art and proposes avatars as an art medium and the assembling or creating of avatars as an art-making process. The term assembling is used to indicate that avatars are assemblages in that they are combinations of representations (images), and the process of constructing an avatar involves putting together body parts (and clothes).Framed by Deleuze and Guattar
Authorship in Virtual Worlds: Author\u27s Death to Rights Revival?
No full textIn Massively Multiplayer Online games (MMOs) and virtual worlds, the idea of authors seems to hav
vManagement: Initial Exploration of Management Practice
No full textFor several years, the authors have maintained a simulation (sim) in Second LifeTM, with management responsibility for allocating sim resources across research and instructional projects, some of which involved working with residents. Although not originally anticipated to be a research site in management theory and practice, the project presented an unexpected pattern of difficulty and an unexpectedly rich case study to examine why and how the virtual environment generated norms of power and empowerment for which traditional management practice was not effective. We conducted a theoretical thematic analysis on a body of conversation transcripts, meeting agendas and minutes, email messages and other administrative documents, applying concepts from the literature on presence, copresence, embodiment and social capital, seeking to identify the sociocultural context and structural conditions that shaped meanings and experiences of participants in this project. This exploratory analysis suggests a need for development of management theory and practice based on norms of empowerment shaped by designer-user role hybridizatio
Virtual Worlds as a Tool to Facilitate Weight Management for Young People
No full textChildhood obesity is a serious problem in the UK, with around 20% of children aged 10-11 being overweight or obese. Lifestyle interventions can be effective, but there is limited evidence of their effectiveness in delivering sustained weight loss. The present research explored potential of web-based, 3-dimensional virtual worlds (VWs) for facilitation of weight-management, well-being and patient and public involvement (PPI) for young people. Attendees of a weight management camp took part in induction sessions for use of the VW of Second Life. All participants successfully learned how to interact with one another and navigate the virtual environment. Participant appraisals of Second Life were varied. Some found it complicated and difficult to use, and some found it fun and the majority stated that they would choose to use VWs again. There is considerable potential for use of VWs to promote weight management, and Second Life or a similar VW could be used to deliver this. Potential barriers include members of the target sample having limited access to computers with necessary system requirements for running VWs, and that some may find VW-based educational experiences unappealing or challenging to navigate. For some however, VWs may provide a useful mode for provision of education, PPI and support relating to weight management
Blazing Trails: A New Way Forward for Virtual Currencies and Money Laundering
No full textVirtual currencies grew up in virtual worlds. They were a central element in the game experience. They remain so and now represent a widespread form of value exchange on the Internet. They are an increasingly effective way to monetize games. Because of their versatility within games as part of game play and as a monetization method, they are a central tool of innovation for game developers. In tandem with their rise in use and complexity come anti-money laundering concerns. Their use for illegal acts is predicted to grow. Because of their still nascent state there is a window of opportunity to get regulation right and balance the cost of constraining innovation and online trade with the benefits of addressing anti-money laundering concerns. There is now some urgency because of recent regulatory guidance issued by the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, a bureau of the United States Treasury Department.This paper presents a new approach. First, a data retention policy that includes identity authentication requirements. Second, restrictions on the use of payment systems at a high risk for abuse. Third, a safe harbor granting criminal and civil immunity for good faith efforts by game companies to help reduce the cost of compliance. Absent from this proposal are suspicious activity reports, which are expensive and place a burden that is handled better, and already done, by payment systems that connect to game companies, such as PayPal, and traditional services such as bank accounts or credit cards. Virtual currencies are an important tool for game developers that in turn provide real economic development and creativity that require unique treatment in the law. Regulation will occu
Museum Discovery Institute: Girls Designing in Cyberspace
No full textIn 2007, Cornell University piloted the Museum Discovery Institute (MDI), adding a new dimension to its commitment to educational outreach. The pilot program was aligned with the Girl Scout
The Iron Law
No full textStar Wars: The Old Republic and Fallen Earth are two of the many recent online gameworlds that depict disintegrating and conflict-ridden societies, in which the very legitimacy of the law is in doubt. Thus they become vehicles for critique of real modern society, and intentionally or unintentionally reflect social-scientific theories of social disorganization, institutional functionality, and the origins of law. This essay examines these examples in terms of the Iron Law of Oligarchy proposed a century ago by Robert Michels, and related classical theories that either contradict or extend it