Web 2.0 Wednesday #7: Virtual Worlds

Virtual worlds are an emerging technology that has received a decent amount of coverage in mainstream press over the last year. Popularized by Second Life, virtual worlds are three dimensional spaces in which people can communicate, explore environments, and construct their own virtual objects and spaces. Research into the possible applications of virtual worlds frequently refers to them as MUVEs, Multi-User Virtual Environments. Second Life has popularized virtual worlds by providing free access to expansive worlds, populated with objects and environments created by the users. Though Second Life is the most well known, there are a variety of other tools for creating virtual worlds, including tools such as Active Worlds for building closed virtual spaces that only a select group of individuals would participate in.

How Does it Work?

When you connect to a service like Second Life you are entering a 3D virtual world where you are represented by an avatar, a customized 3D representation of yourself. You control your avatar and move around the virtual world, interacting with objects or chatting with other participants who are connected to the world. Many people compare the look and feel of these worlds to a video game, though unlike a traditional game there is usually no way to “win;” the experience is focused on interacting with other participants and the exploring the environments and spaces other users create.

How are people using this?

Virtual worlds are growing in popularity for a wide range of activities. Specialized closed virtual worlds are used in classroom settings to have students explore an environment, or problem solve a scenario. Researchers at Harvard have been using a virtual world called River City to have student explore health issues in simulated 19th century town. Some groups use virtual worlds for training and simulation work. Other people see these as just another way to meet and communicate with people in your field of study.

Second Life is by far the largest and most popular virtual world with 13 million subscribers (as of March 2008), though some people joke that a large percentage of the subscribers are researchers and journalists studying and observing Second Life, and hence studying and observing each other. Because Second Life has such a large number of users, the content and places you can go run a huge spectrum. There are entertainment areas focused on games and socialization, place to see concerts of speeches by notable “real world” individuals, area that are built to replicate significant historical locations or era, as well as a wealth of general informational areas about a range of topics. A number of major companies have set up shops in Second Life hoping to cash in on the potential popularity. Additionally, over 60 institutions of higher education have set up homes in Second Life, including UMass Dartmouth. In short these virtual worlds are being used in a lot of different ways, and Second Life in particular has a huge range of offerings.

Is this going anywhere?

Logging in and exploring a tool like Second Life can be a bit intimidating at first; you are asked to complete an orientation before you can move on to the rest of the world. Once you find your bearings though you should be able to start locating resources that might be of interest to you and your students. Some instructors use virtual worlds as simply a more robust chat tool for communication with students online, others have students seek out and explore the many education resources available in places like Second Life, still others have students build and construct their own spaces to share with each other or with the world.

Though there is a lot of potential use for Second Life, there are many important criticisms of these tools that are worth considering. Learning how to navigate and explore Second Life is relatively easy, but the time and skills needed to construct your own objects and environments is unfortunately a barrier for many people looking to explore the instructional applications of these tools. Hopefully over time the tools will become easier to work with so that instructors who need to construct and modify a virtual world to fit their specific teaching goals will be able to without trouble. Other critics of virtual worlds point out that these tools require a substantially more modern computer than other web based communication tools, and there is the potential to leave students behind who don’t have access to an up-to-date computer. Another criticism is that the content one finds in Second Life is slanted toward advertisement and entertainment rather that information. Even though many schools have set up spaces in Second Life the trend seems to be for these to be promotional areas aimed at attracting potential students rather than places for current students and instructors to interact.

Overall, there are some useful and interesting things happening in Second Life and other virtual worlds, but these tools are still very much emerging. There is clearly a dedicated group of individuals who are exploring the applications of virtual worlds, and we will hopefully benefit from the lessons they learn as the tools become more prominent.