11,097 research outputs found

    Exploring the Use of Virtual Worlds as a Scientific Research Platform: The Meta-Institute for Computational Astrophysics (MICA)

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    We describe the Meta-Institute for Computational Astrophysics (MICA), the first professional scientific organization based exclusively in virtual worlds (VWs). The goals of MICA are to explore the utility of the emerging VR and VWs technologies for scientific and scholarly work in general, and to facilitate and accelerate their adoption by the scientific research community. MICA itself is an experiment in academic and scientific practices enabled by the immersive VR technologies. We describe the current and planned activities and research directions of MICA, and offer some thoughts as to what the future developments in this arena may be.Comment: 15 pages, to appear in the refereed proceedings of "Facets of Virtual Environments" (FaVE 2009), eds. F. Lehmann-Grube, J. Sablating, et al., ICST Lecture Notes Ser., Berlin: Springer Verlag (2009); version with full resolution color figures is available at http://www.mica-vw.org/wiki/index.php/Publication

    Virtual reality in biology : could we become virtual naturalists?

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    Acknowledgements We would like to thank editors and anonymous reviewers for insightful comments that improved readability of our manuscript. In particular, we would like to thank Reviewer #1 whose comments made the entire peer-review a stimulating and productive process. We would like to acknowledge Lucy C. Kerr for kindly proof-reading the final version of this manuscript.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

    EvoTanks: co-evolutionary development of game-playing agents

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    This paper describes the EvoTanks research project, a continuing attempt to develop strong AI players for a primitive 'Combat' style video game using evolutionary computational methods with artificial neural networks. A small but challenging feat due to the necessity for agent's actions to rely heavily on opponent behaviour. Previous investigation has shown the agents are capable of developing high performance behaviours by evolving against scripted opponents; however these are local to the trained opponent. The focus of this paper shows results from the use of co-evolution on the same population. Results show agents no longer succumb to trappings of local maxima within the search space and are capable of converging on high fitness behaviours local to their population without the use of scripted opponents

    Synthetic worlds, synthetic strategies: attaining creativity in the metaverse

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    This text will attempt to delineate the underlying theoretical premises and the definition of the output of an immersive learning approach pertaining to the visual arts to be implemented in online, three dimensional synthetic worlds. Deviating from the prevalent practice of the replication of physical art studio teaching strategies within a virtual environment, the author proposes instead to apply the fundamental tenets of Roy Ascott’s “Groundcourse”, in combination with recent educational approaches such as “Transformative Learning” and “Constructionism”. In an amalgamation of these educational approaches with findings drawn from the fields of Metanomics, Ludology, Cyberpsychology and Presence Studies, as well as an examination of creative practices manifest in the metaverse today, the formulation of a learning strategy for creative enablement unique to online, three dimensional synthetic worlds; one which will focus upon “Play” as well as Role Play, virtual Assemblage and the visual identity of the avatar within the pursuits, is being proposed in this chapter

    Serious Financial Games for Youth: An Evolutionary Action Design Science Approach

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    Supporting lifelong financial education through games for youth requires intricate design consideration of immersion, persuasion, personalization, and evolution. This is important as it ensures the knowledge and skills learnt from the games can be applied in the long term. Furthermore, it serves as a foundation to enable learning, and to learn how to learn. Studying this phenomenon may require calibrated design science methodologies to appropriately address those challenges. Traditionally, a design science approach focuses on creating research artefacts limited to specific timeframes and socio-technological interactions. However, when a design study targets on the orientation of lifelong learning, extant research on design methodologies seem incompatible. This paper proposes methodological contributions that are philosophically oriented in design and are also compatible with lifelong learning
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