The Real Opportunities of Virtual Worlds Jane M c Gonigal,PhD Researcher ~ Game Designer

Goals Getting real about the opportunities in virtual worlds – why become immersed? A “ long zoom ” on virtual worlds – how do we define them now, and how might we define them differently in the future? The larger landscape – alternate approaches to virtual worldness Future learning - innovation skills and abilities emerging from virtual worlds Discussion; Q & A

Getting real about the opportunities in virtual worlds – why become immersed?

A “ long zoom ” on virtual worlds – how do we define them now, and how might we define them differently in the future?

The larger landscape – alternate approaches to virtual worldness

Future learning - innovation skills and abilities emerging from virtual worlds

Discussion; Q & A

Part I Getting real about opportunities in virtual worlds – why become immersed?

Getting real about opportunities in virtual worlds – why become immersed?

Choosing to become immersed in a specific virtual world is a major investment: it means buying in to someone else’s framework. New rules of engagement Non-negotiable interactive limits A particular visual style and content Social conventions and other players Why accept a new, external framework? Why would an individual, or group, or organization choose to become immersed in the new limitations of a virtual world? Why Virtual Worlds?

Choosing to become immersed in a specific virtual world is a major investment: it means buying in to someone else’s framework.

New rules of engagement

Non-negotiable interactive limits

A particular visual style and content

Social conventions and other players

Why accept a new, external framework? Why would an individual, or group, or organization choose to become immersed in the new limitations of a virtual world?

Early explorers and recent observers often focus on the “irrational” appeal of virtual worlds. We share vague notions about: the power of immersion “ fun” “ novelty” and “cutting-edge” “ community”, and so on. But virtual worlds are now engrained enough in global culture to start talking about their rational appeal and specific powers. Why Virtual Worlds?

Early explorers and recent observers often focus on the “irrational” appeal of virtual worlds. We share vague notions about:

the power of immersion

“ fun”

“ novelty” and “cutting-edge”

“ community”, and so on.

But virtual worlds are now engrained enough in global culture to start talking about their rational appeal and specific powers.

Why Virtual Worlds? How do we explain the mass migration to second lives, simulated environments, and alternate realities? As we move beyond novelty vague hopes, we can adopt a more utilitarian way of thinking about virtual worlds. Given a specific context, goal, user, or community, what can we hope to do better in a virtual world?

How do we explain the mass migration to second lives, simulated environments, and alternate realities?

As we move beyond novelty vague hopes, we can adopt a more utilitarian way of thinking about virtual worlds.

Given a specific context, goal, user, or community, what can we hope to do better in a virtual world?

Why Virtual Worlds? Better Sociability – communications, sense of social connection, and community are improved

Better Sociability – communications, sense of social connection, and community are improved

Why Virtual Worlds? Better Visualization – new opportunities for navigation, sense making, visual expression

Better Visualization – new opportunities for navigation, sense making, visual expression

Why Virtual Worlds? Better Dynamics – more easily and vividly observed impact, better coordination, more engagement, more clearly understood opportunities, more power, more pleasure

Better Dynamics – more easily and vividly observed impact, better coordination, more engagement, more clearly understood opportunities, more power, more pleasure

Why Virtual Worlds? Better Sociability – communications, sense of social connection and community are improved Better Navigation – new opportunities for sense making, discovering and exposing meaning Better Dynamics – more easily and vividly observed impact, better coordination, more engagement, more clearly understood opportunities, more power, more pleasure The decision to move any part of traditional business or team building to virtual worlds should be oriented toward maximizing one or more of these benefits.

Better Sociability – communications, sense of social connection and community are improved

Better Navigation – new opportunities for sense making, discovering and exposing meaning

Better Dynamics – more easily and vividly observed impact, better coordination, more engagement, more clearly understood opportunities, more power, more pleasure

The decision to move any part of traditional business or team building to virtual worlds should be oriented toward maximizing one or more of these benefits.

Part II A “ long zoom ” on virtual worlds – how do we define them now, and how might we define them differently in the future?

A “ long zoom ” on virtual worlds – how do we define them now, and how might we define them differently in the future?

Goals Virtual worlds are persistent, immersive environments that are inhabited, explored, and acted in by their users.

Virtual worlds are persistent, immersive environments that are inhabited, explored, and acted in by their users.

Cory Ondrejka suggests: A virtual world is a place that allow many simultaneous users to experience consistency, persistence, complex player interactions and many forms of player expression. - Consistency allows players to predict the consequences of their actions - Persistence means that players’ actions have meaning over longer time periods than their individual sessions - Complex interactions include communication, combat, and trade - Players expression includes avatar and environmental customization, their behavior in-game (including griefing), role playing

A virtual world is a place that allow many simultaneous users to experience consistency, persistence, complex player interactions and many forms of player expression.

- Consistency allows players to predict the consequences of their actions - Persistence means that players’ actions have meaning over longer time periods than their individual sessions - Complex interactions include communication, combat, and trade - Players expression includes avatar and environmental customization, their behavior in-game (including griefing), role playing

What is the “ long zoom” trajectory of virtual experience? Virtual Reality (1990s) … Virtual Worlds (2000s) … Alternate Realities (2010s) …

Virtual Reality (1990s) …

Virtual Worlds (2000s) …

Alternate Realities (2010s) …

What is the “ long zoom” trajectory of virtual experience? Virtual Reality sensory immersion Virtual Worlds social, algorithmic immersion Alternate Realities data, network immersion

Virtual Reality sensory immersion

Virtual Worlds social, algorithmic immersion

Alternate Realities data, network immersion

7 Dimensions of Virtual Worlds In the next decade, we will witness explosive variation and diversification in the purpose, platform, and experiential aspects of virtual worlds. 1. What is the purpose? 2. What kind of interface? 3. How do users interact with each other? 4. Who produces the content? 5. Is it fiction or non-fiction? 6. Does it reference real space, or not? 7. Is the experience in or out of place?

7 Dimensions of Virtual Worlds

In the next decade, we will witness explosive variation and diversification in the purpose, platform, and experiential aspects of virtual worlds.

1. What is the purpose?

2. What kind of interface?

3. How do users interact with each other?

4. Who produces the content?

5. Is it fiction or non-fiction?

6. Does it reference real space, or not?

7. Is the experience in or out of place?

7 Dimensions of Virtual Worlds In the next decade, we will witness explosive variation and diversification in the purpose, platform, and experiential aspects of virtual worlds. Social, Communications  Gaming, Productivity 3D Graphical Environment  Everyday Information Environment Synchronous Experience  Asynchronous Experience Content Consumption  Content Creation “ Accurate” data (informative)  “Fantastic” (mythological) Geo-referential (real world)  Sui generis geography Out of place (context-blind)   In place (context aware)

7 Dimensions of Virtual Worlds

In the next decade, we will witness explosive variation and diversification in the purpose, platform, and experiential aspects of virtual worlds.

Social, Communications  Gaming, Productivity

3D Graphical Environment  Everyday Information Environment

Synchronous Experience  Asynchronous Experience

Content Consumption  Content Creation

“ Accurate” data (informative)  “Fantastic” (mythological)

Geo-referential (real world)  Sui generis geography

Out of place (context-blind)   In place (context aware)

Part III The larger landscape – alternate approaches to virtual worldness

The larger landscape – alternate approaches to virtual worldness

Security Challenges

“ Cognitive Load”

Alternate Approaches Asynchronous virtual worlds example: CyWorld Virtual economies without the mythology example: Seriosity’s Attent Non-graphical virtual worlds example: World Without Oil

Asynchronous virtual worlds

example: CyWorld

Virtual economies without the mythology

example: Seriosity’s Attent

Non-graphical virtual worlds

example: World Without Oil

Alternate Reality Fiction “ Alternate reality fiction is a hybrid of Urban Fantasy and Alternate History... A genre that not only alters this world's history, but also its dynamics .” - OED for Science Fiction

“ Alternate reality fiction is a hybrid of Urban Fantasy and Alternate History... A genre that not only alters this world's history, but also its dynamics .”

- OED for Science Fiction

“ An a lternate reality is another — equally valid but not always attainable — way of experiencing existence.” - G. S. ELRICK Sci. Fiction Handbk . 30, 1978 Alternate Reality Fiction

“ An a lternate reality is another — equally valid but not always attainable — way of experiencing existence.”

- G. S. ELRICK Sci. Fiction Handbk . 30, 1978

“ If we're not bound by the same limitations , we can become aware of alternate realities.” - L. TUTTLE Lost Futures 95, 1992 Alternate Reality Fiction

“ If we're not bound by the same limitations , we can become aware of alternate realities.”

- L. TUTTLE Lost Futures 95, 1992

“ When they returned, they discovered that … their excursion had created a new alternate reality .” - G. A. EFFINGER in Isaac Asimov's Sci. Fiction Mag. Feb. 120, 1989 Alternate Reality Fiction

“ When they returned, they discovered that … their excursion had created a new alternate reality .”

- G. A. EFFINGER in Isaac Asimov's Sci. Fiction Mag. Feb. 120, 1989

Part IV Future learning - innovation skills and abilities emerging from virtual worlds

Future learning - innovation skills and abilities emerging from virtual worlds

Invitation Graphic Goes Here

Supersized – working at a new scale Superimposed – managing a hybrid scenario with both real and virtual elements Supercomputing – massively parallel efforts Superheroic – pursuing goals defined by the good the evolution of everyday superheroes:

Virtual World Powers for Real-World Innovation Mobability Open Authorship Influency Emergensight Ping Quotient Longbroading Multi-Capitalism Signal/Noise Management Protovation Cooperation Radar

Mobability Open Authorship

Influency Emergensight

Ping Quotient Longbroading

Multi-Capitalism Signal/Noise Management

Protovation

Cooperation Radar

Mobability the ability to perform real-time work in large groups a talent for organizing and collaborating with many people simultaneously

the ability to perform real-time work in large groups

a talent for organizing and collaborating with many people simultaneously

Influency the ability to be persuasive in multiple social contexts and media spaces an understanding that each context and space requires a different persuasive strategy and technique

the ability to be persuasive in multiple social contexts and media spaces

an understanding that each context and space requires a different persuasive strategy and technique

Ping Quotient measures your responsiveness to other people’s requests for engagement your propensity and ability to reach out to others in a network

measures your responsiveness to other people’s requests for engagement

your propensity and ability to reach out to others in a network

Multi-Capitalism fluency in working with different capitals natural, intellectual, social, financial, human, e.g.

fluency in working with different capitals

natural, intellectual, social, financial, human, e.g.

Protovation fearless innovation in rapid, iterative cycles an understanding that the cost of short-term failure has been lowered

fearless innovation in rapid, iterative cycles

an understanding that the cost of short-term failure has been lowered

Open Authorship ease and savvy in creating content for public, or open, consumption – through peer 2 peer citation, circulation, and modification

ease and savvy in creating content for public, or open, consumption – through peer 2 peer citation, circulation, and modification

Emergensight ability to prepare for and handle surprising results and complexity

ability to prepare for and handle surprising results and complexity

Longbroading thinking in terms of higher level systems, massively multiple cycles, and a much bigger picture

thinking in terms of higher level systems, massively multiple cycles, and a much bigger picture

Signal/Noise Management filtering meaningful info, patterns, and commonalities from the massively-multiple streams of data

filtering meaningful info, patterns, and commonalities from the massively-multiple streams of data

Cooperation Radar the ability to sense, almost intuitively, who would make the best collaborators on a particular task

the ability to sense, almost intuitively, who would make the best collaborators on a particular task

Virtual World Powers for Real-World Innovation Mobability Open Authorship Influency Emergensight Ping Quotient Longbroading Multi-Capitalism Signal/Noise Management Protovation Cooperation Radar

Mobability Open Authorship

Influency Emergensight

Ping Quotient Longbroading

Multi-Capitalism Signal/Noise Management

Protovation

Cooperation Radar

Part V Open Discussion, Q & A

Open Discussion,

Q & A