Virtual Environments
This web guide features useful information and resources for virtual environments (also known as virtual worlds, CVEs, MUVEs, or MMOGs). This rapidly growing area has been of recent interest to educators, researchers, corporate trainers, businessmen, and many others. Don't forget to bookmark this page and enjoy!
Quick links:
- A Useful Virtual Environments Comparison Chart
- An Overview of Virtual Environments
- Virtual Environments by Category
- Education and Research Using Virtual Environments
An Early Look at Google’s Lively
Google recently announced Lively, a customizable 3D virtual space that is straightforward to embed in personal websites and blogs. Google’s blog announced that the project was complete. Some have touted Lively and similar offerings like Metaplace as future Second Life-killers. Some have noted the limitations of Second Life - as a insular world that doesn’t really play nice with the outside world. Lively has been described by some as “Second Life contained within a web browser.”
Google’s Niniane Wang said that entering a customized Lively room can give users an immediate “sense of the room creator’s interests, just by looking at the furniture and environment they chose.” To us, Lively feels more like a chat room with 3-D camera controls, but hey, it’s still early, so we are somewhat excited at the possibility of portable virtual environments for the masses, by the masses.
Visiting Lively rooms requires Windows XP or Vista, Internet Explorer or Firefox, and downloading the Lively browser plug-in. Mac support is not available, and may not be an option for same time.
User-created Livelry rooms can be embedded in any Web site. Visitors can chat within the various rooms and also add/move furniture and other objects. The appearance of avatars can be modified in some basic ways. Lively rooms can also display YouTube videos on virtual TVs and display photos (via Picasa) in virtual picture frames.
How does Lively compare to Second Life? It’s certainly easier to use, but for now, it lacks the latter’s programmability (Second Life has an object oriented scripting language called Linden Scripting Language, or LSL for short. We’ll keep you updated on how Lively progresses over time.
The Convergence of Virtual Worlds and Social Networking Sites
TerraNova has an interesting article written by game designer Bob Moore. He discusses some of the latest trends regarding virtual worlds and social networking sites like Facebook and Myspace — especially related to the convergence of the two. Moore writes: “We’re starting to see a convergence of virtual worlds and social networking sites in the new wave of virtual “social” worlds (e.g., Kaneva, vSide, Virtual MTV) and new 3D Facebook applications (ActiveWorlds, Gaia Online). This might be dismissed as fad. After all, everyone is either trying to replicate or piggyback on the success of America’s #3 (MySpace) and #9 (Facebook) top-visited websites…However, I think there is more to a convergence than mere hype. I see some interesting similarities and possible synergies between virtual worlds and social networking sites but also some important differences that could make integration tricky.”
Moore makes three basic points: (1) Virtual worlds ARE already social networking sites, to some degree; (2) Social networking sites provide profiles and buddy lists for your WHOLE life, not just your virtual one; and (3) On social networking sites you play yourself, while in virtual worlds, you play someone else. He then explores whether it’s a good idea to combine virtual worlds and social networking sites.
Read the article on Terra Nova.