The Evolution of the Internet: Using "Virtual Worlds" to Enhance Teaching, Learning, and Scholarly Research (movies removed)

The Evolution of the Internet: Using “Virtual Worlds” to Enhance Teaching, Learning, and Scholarly Research SUNY COCID April 3, 2009

Bret Ingerman Vice President for Computing and Information Services Vassar College [email_address]

Agenda

What?

Why?

Examples

Future

Concerns

Challenges

Closing Comments

Q&A

What?

Is a Virtual World?

What? World : an environment that its inhabitants regard as being self-contained.

Is a Virtual World ?

What? World : an environment that its inhabitants regard as being self-contained. Virtual : Real: That which is. Imaginary: That which isn’t. Virtual : That which isn't, having the form or effect of that which is.

Is a Virtual World ?

Virtual worlds are places where the imaginary meets the real. Richard Bartle PeachPit Press http://www.peachpit.com/articles/article.asp?p=99703&rl=1 excerpted from Designing Virtual Worlds by Richard A. Bartle (New Riders Publishing, 2003)

Virtual worlds provide a fundamentally social experience in what has traditionally been a solitary medium. Bret Ingerman

Goal oriented

Limited set of actions / controls

Limited ability to modify environment

Paying for the environment

No specific goals

User defined actions and controls

User ability to modify the environment

Paying for the platform

Why?

Evolutionary…

Web 1.0 2.0 3.0

Why?

Revolutionary

Convergence…

Why?

Exciting

Inspiring

They are in our future …

…but they are in the present of our kids

Why not the others?

Windows only

Limited / no development abilities

Uploads limited, if at all

Acceptable materials defined by others (PG-13)

Limited market share

Second Life: Users

Over 12.2 million accounts in SL (Jan. ‘08)

Probably 1/2 to 2/3 are unique

Demographics (Jan. 2008)

Age: 35% are 25-34

Sex: 65% male, 35% female

Location: 35% in USA

No recent demographics

Possibly due to change in Linden leadership?

Best guess: no increase in growth, or small decrease

Second Life: Currency

While SL is free…

… need $ for many ‘essential’ needs

Linden Dollars (L $)

USD $1 = L $266 (8/08)

LindeX

$8,941,800,000 Linden exchanged in 8/08

Over $9,500,000 USD exchanged in 8/08

24,757 L$  USD$

300,455 USD$  L$

Second Life: Building & Scripting

All objects and scripts created by residents

All objects and scripts created by residents

(the following movies were removed from presentation)

Avatars

Moving Around

The Amphitheater on Vassar Island

Castle Vassar

The Virtual Reality Room on Vassar Island

Virtual Art Gallery

The Ghent Altarpiece

The Sistine Chapel on Vassar Island

Taylor and Main Hall

Ferry House

Teaching and Learning

Media Studies 2007

Media Studies 2009

Women’s Studies

Avatar’s in the Curriculum

WMST 375 Senior Seminar in Women’s Studies

“ Thinking Women’s Bodies”

Avatars

Examples

(movie removed) Sculpture: Doubleday Hall on Vassar Island

(movie removed) Cognitive Science

Research

Cognitive Science Research

(movie removed) Chemistry: Rhodopsin Molecule

Future Directions

Voice

Open source

Browser now

Server ???

Realism

Images

Physics

More natural navigation

Concerns

Privacy

Concern: Commercial

Web / Internet also commercial

Has driven innovation in SL

Just like in RL

Dell Computer Sears NBA Pontiac Sundance Channel Coldwell Banker

Educational vs. Commercial

X X X

Concern: Adult Oriented

So is the internet

So is email

Spam

Can avoid it just as on Internet

Or in RL

Education and awareness

BTW…

Frequently first to make money with new tech.

Islands vs. Parcels (know your neighbors)

Concern: Social Issues

2 types

RL social issues

SL social issues

Concern: RL Social Issues

“… Internet users in all countries spent more time per week socializing with friends than non-users.”

From World Internet Project, a project of the UCLA International Institute, February 9, 2004

Virtual worlds no diff. than other technologies

Concern: RL Social Issues

Augment or enhance

Not replace

Concern: SL Social Issues

Need a code of conduct

Angry email

Anonymous blog posts

Media Studies

Concern: Cost

Compared to?

Island: less than USD $2,700 / year

Why single out this technology?

LMS: $7,500 - $50,000 / year

Concern: Why bother?

Don’t get hung up on the nomenclature:

Island / “sim”ulator avatar inventory Linden Labs buildings, cars, etc.

“ It’s not real ”

Neither is your web site

At least try it before you rule it out

server objects account file storage hosting company

Concern: Why bother?

The genre will likely stay

Remember Habbo Hotel?

92 million registered users

8.6 million unique visitors each month (36 minutes / session)

90% of users between 13 - 18 years old

- http://www. sulake .com/habbo

USD $30 million in revenue in 2005

From Nielsen Netratings, June 2006 as reported by www.techcrunch.com, July 10, 2006

Remember Club Penguin?

Founded in October, 2005 (1.5 million)

700,000 paid subscribers at $5.95 / month

4 million unique visitors in January, 2007

From “Your Igloo or Mine,” Newsweek, February 23, 2007

Disney purchased in August ‘07 for reported $700 million

Challenges

Evolving technology

Learning curve

Can be steep

Changing UI

Software

Frequent upgrades

Hardware

Graphics intensive

Challenges

Tech support

Anonymity

No local backup

Must use SL development tools

But this is changing (sculpted prims)

Comments

Fix what worked yesterday

Find what is needed today

Also …

Explore & Evaluate new technology

See what sticks

Comments

Help plan the future

Inform

Inspire

Not just react

What fun is that?

Questions?

Thank you!

The Evolution of the Internet: Using "Virtual Worlds" to Enhance Teaching, Learning, and Scholarly Research (movies removed)

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