Virtual world

This article is about the general concept. For the novel by Chris Westwood, see Virtual World (novel). For the commercial product, see BattleTech Centers. For the academic journal, see Virtual Worlds (journal).
Users exploring the world with their avatars in Second Life

A virtual world (also called a virtual space or spaces) is a computer-simulated environment[1] which may be populated by many simultaneous users who can create a personal avatar[2] and independently explore the virtual world, participate in its activities, and communicate with others.[3][4] These avatars can be textual,[5] graphical representations, or live video avatars with auditory and touch sensations.[6][7] Virtual worlds are closely related to mirror worlds.[8]

In a virtual world, the user accesses a computer-simulated world which presents perceptual stimuli to the user, who in turn can manipulate elements of the modeled world and thus experience a degree of presence.[9] Such modeled worlds and their rules may draw from reality or fantasy worlds. Example rules are gravity, topography, locomotion, real-time actions, and communication. Communication between users can range from text, graphical icons, visual gesture, sound, and rarely, forms using touch, voice command, and balance senses.

Massively multiplayer online games depict a wide range of worlds, including those based on the real world, science fiction, super heroes, sports, horror, and historical milieus.[10] Most MMORPGs have real-time actions and communication. Players create a character who travels between buildings, towns, and worlds to carry out business or leisure activities. Communication is usually textual, but real-time voice communication is also possible. The form of communication used can substantially affect the experience of players in the game.[11] Media studies professor Edward Castronova used the term "synthetic worlds" to discuss individual virtual worlds, but this term has not been widely adopted.[12]

Virtual worlds are not limited to games but, depending on the degree of immediacy presented, can encompass computer conferencing and text-based chatrooms.[13]

  1. ^ Bartle, Richard (2003). Designing Virtual Worlds. New Riders. ISBN 978-0-13-101816-7.
  2. ^ Chen, Brian X. (January 18, 2022). "What's All the Hype About the Metaverse?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on January 18, 2022. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
  3. ^ Kaplan Andreas M.; Haenlein Michael (2010). "The fairyland of Second Life: About virtual social worlds and how to use them". Business Horizons. 52 (6). doi:10.1016/j.bushor.2009.07.002. S2CID 45087818. Archived from the original on January 19, 2022. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
  4. ^ Aichner, T.; Jacob, F. (March 2015). "Measuring the Degree of Corporate Social Media Use". International Journal of Market Research. 57 (2): 257–275. doi:10.2501/IJMR-2015-018. S2CID 166531788.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Bloomfield2007 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Biocca & Levy 1995, pp. 40–44
  7. ^ Begault 1994
  8. ^ Mirror Worlds: or the Day Software Puts the Universe in a Shoebox...How It Will Happen and What It Will Mean. Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press. January 28, 1993. ISBN 978-0-19-507906-7. Archived from the original on June 28, 2022. Retrieved April 12, 2022.
  9. ^ Singhal, Sandeep; Zyda, Michael (1999). Networked Virtual Environments: Design and Implementation. ACM Press/Addison-Wesley Publishing Co.
  10. ^ "List of known MMORPGs". Mmorpg.com. Archived from the original on February 18, 2022. Retrieved July 29, 2012.
  11. ^ Clive Thompson (December 31, 2004). "Voice Chat Can Really Kill the Mood on WoW". Wired.com. Archived from the original on July 17, 2012. Retrieved July 29, 2012.
  12. ^ Castronova 2005.
  13. ^ Biocca & Levy 1995, p. 47