Another Time, Another Space: Virtual Worlds, Myths and Imagination.

In her article “Another Time, Another Space: Virtual Worlds, Myths and Imagination” Beatrice Bittarello performs a reappraisal of the issue of Virtual Worlds using an interdisciplinary approach. She argues that Virtual Worlds existed before the introduction of the Internet. To back up her argument she outlines a history of literary and visual pre-Internet Virtual Worlds, all of which represent an alternative, mythical, and (often) religious space. She goes on to argue that finding a way of “reaching” Virtual Worlds is the key to the re-conception of (online) Virtual Worlds today. Many elements of literary Virtual Worlds can thus also be linked to contemporary examples of Virtual Worlds on the Internet. She stresses the importance of visual aspects, even though the imagination and the mythopoeic activity of the players play a key (and integral) role in Virtual Worlds on the Internet

Visual communication in urban planning and urban design

This report documents the current status of visual communication in urban design and planning. Visual communication is examined through discussion of standalone and network media, specifically concentrating on visualisation on the World Wide Web(WWW).Firstly, we examine the use of Solid and Geometric Modelling for visualising urban planning and urban design. This report documents and compares examples of the use of Virtual Reality Modelling Language (VRML) and proprietary WWW based Virtual Reality modelling software. Examples include the modelling of Bath and Glasgow using both VRML 1.0 and 2.0. A review is carried out on the use of Virtual Worldsand their role in visualising urban form within multi-user environments. The use of Virtual Worlds is developed into a case study of the possibilities and limitations of Virtual Internet Design Arenas (ViDAs), an initiative undertaken at the Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis, University College London. The use of Virtual Worlds and their development towards ViDAs is seen as one of the most important developments in visual communication for urban planning and urban design since the development plan.Secondly, photorealistic media in the process of communicating plans is examined.The process of creating photorealistic media is documented, examples of the Virtual Streetscape and Wired Whitehall Virtual Urban Interface System are provided. The conclusion is drawn that although the use of photo-realistic media on the WWW provides a way to visually communicate planning information, its use is limited. The merging of photorealistic media and solid geometric modelling is reviewed in the creation of Augmented Reality. Augmented Reality is seen to provide an important step forward in the ability to quickly and easily visualise urban planning and urban design information.Thirdly, the role of visual communication of planning data through GIS is examined interms of desktop, three dimensional and Internet based GIS systems. The evolution to Internet GIS is seen as a critical component in the development of virtual cities which will allow urban planners and urban designers to visualise and model the complexity of the built environment in networked virtual reality.Finally a viewpoint is put forward of the Virtual City, linking Internet GIS with photorealistic multi-user Virtual Worlds. At present there are constraints on how far virtual cities can be developed, but a view is provided on how these networked virtual worlds are developing to aid visual communication in urban planning and urban design

Theory of the Avatar

The internet has given birth to an expanding number of shared virtual reality spaces, with a collective population well into the millions. These virtual worlds exhibit most of the traits we associate with the Earth world: economic transactions, interpersonal relationships, organic political institutions, and so on. A human being experiences these worlds through an avatar, which is the representation of the self in a given physical medium. Most worlds allow an agent to choose what kind of avatar she or he will inhabit, allowing a person with any kind of Earth body to inhabit a completely different body in the virtual world. The emergence of avatar-mediated living raises both positive and normative questions. This paper explores several choice models involving avatars. Analysis of these models suggests that the emergence of avatar-mediated life may increase aggregate human well-being, while decreasing its cross-sectional variance. These efficiency and equity effects are contingent on the maintenance and protection of certain rights, however, including the right of agents to free movement, unbiased information, and political participation.information and internet services, computer software, equity, justice, inequality, synthetic worlds

Trademarks in Virtual Worlds: Law, Outlaws or New In-Laws?

Internet service providers are on the agenda, when considering their involvement in and responsibility for infringement of trademark rights. The keyword advertising by search engines and the activity of internet auction sites constitute the top of the iceberg, while the use of trademarks on social network sites and particularly in virtual worlds are up and coming issues. While the first two are entering trademark law through the door of criminally sanctioned trademark counterfeiting, there is no trade in physical goods in virtual worlds. The issue of trademark infringement might be raised, when virtual goods replicating physical goods are sold in-world under someone else's trademark. Similarly, the use of service marks for competing services seems like free-riding. But who owns rights in trademarks in virtual worlds? This article explores the channelling of real world trademark law into virtual worlds and highlights some aspects that merit consideration

ESRB Warning: Use of Virtual Worlds by Children May Result in Addiction and Blurring of Borders – The Advisable Regulations in Light of Foreseeable Damages

This article analyzes the possible models for regulating the use of Internet-based virtual worlds by minors. While virtual worlds introduce a unique experience to their users, there is a strong indication that such use, if left unregulated, may cause harm, especially to minors. This article explains that the dangers associated with virtual worlds are different from those created by other types of media. The various phenomena which may be caused due to the use of virtual worlds and the damages likely to be caused by such phenomena, rest on two assumptions: that minors are especially prone to suffer from such dangers, since the exposure of minors to the experiences offered by virtual worlds is not mitigated by factors such as a more developed sense of reality and responsibility, and, that in the use of virtual worlds there is a greater potential to induce such harms when compared to the use of video games or other Internet applications. The methodology underlying this article is based on a comparativecritical review of the existing literature in the fields relevant to this interdisciplinary realm: technology, psychology, philosophy and law. This article concludes that non-legal regulation is insufficient and puts forth several suggestions for legal regulation. The proposed regulation is based on four principles: Awareness – forcing virtual worlds companies to issue a warning of the possible damages similar to the warnings printed on cigarettes packs; Prevention – operating technological measures to identify minor users and tracking their use length; Help – establishing help centers and posting distress buttons in the virtual world; and Liability – imposing tort liability on virtual worlds companies that fail to implement the proposed changes

Modelling virtual urban environments

In this paper, we explore the way in which virtual reality (VR) systems are being broadened to encompass a wide array of virtual worlds, many of which have immediate applicability to understanding urban issues through geocomputation. Wesketch distinctions between immersive, semi-immersive and remote environments in which single and multiple users interact in a variety of ways. We show how suchenvironments might be modelled in terms of ways of navigating within, processes of decision-making which link users to one another, analytic functions that users have to make sense of the environment, and functions through which users can manipulate, change, or design their world. We illustrate these ideas using four exemplars that we have under construction: a multi-user internet GIS for Londonwith extensive links to 3-d, video, text and related media, an exploration of optimal retail location using a semi-immersive visualisation in which experts can explore such problems, a virtual urban world in which remote users as avatars can manipulate urban designs, and an approach to simulating such virtual worlds through morphological modelling based on the digital record of the entire decision-making process through which such worlds are built

The Law of One Price and Virtual Worlds

Price convergence and purchasing power parity are two important foundations to international trade theory. Yet there is still no consensus on their existence, despite numerous studies. While the debate over price convergence and purchasing power parity continues, the last several years have seen a substantial rise in the use of virtual worlds. Virtual worlds are interactive digital environments where individuals with an internet connection can come together to communicate, cooperate and trade. Virtual worlds create smaller copies of the real world. These copies lack many of the complexities found in the real world. This feature makes virtual worlds a unique setting for studying price convergence and other economic phenomena. This dissertation begins by surveying the extant research on virtual worlds throughout the social sciences to illustrate the usefulness of virtual worlds in economics research. In the second chapter price convergence is tested in one of these virtual worlds. Insight gained from the second chapter is used in the final chapter to alter an existing purchasing power parity model. This altered model is used to estimate the effect transportation costs on purchasing power parity equilibrium

Towards an online ethnography of children\u27s virtual worlds: A review of current literature and research methods

The research around children’s use of the Internet has focused on some of the benefits and risks of online play, as well as the digital skills children require to use the Internet safely, particularly virtual worlds. These benefits, risks and digital skills have been examined in European studies, but minimal research attention has been given to young Australian children’s use of virtual worlds. Virtual worlds are simulated environments embedded with social network functions, which allow young children to explore and experiment with identity formation, interactive play and social networking. These Web sites for young children have become increasingly popular. Young children’s use of popular Internet sites, including social networking sites (Facebook) and young children’s online games (Club Penguin) have been researched using a diverse range of research methods. Some of these methods have been limited to offline observation of game play, surveys, and interviews. Whilst many of these methods have brought new insight into children’s use of the Internet, they have not examined children’s game play in real-time in order to identify how children use their digital skills (or lack thereof) to negotiate online risks, as well as how they maximise the benefits afforded by various online games, as they are playing. Thus, these methods limit the depth of understanding researchers can gain about young children’s online play. This paper reviews the literature on the known risks and benefits to young children playing within online worlds. It also identifies the digital skills that are known to help protect children against online risk. The article suggests that more research is needed to understand the risks and benefits to young Australian children and the digital skills they require when using virtual worlds. It also recommends that current research methods need to include more observation and participation techniques, which capture in real time, children’s use of virtual worlds

3D Virtual Worlds: Business and Learning Opportunities

Virtual worlds (VWs) are rampant and easily accessible to common internet users nowadays. Millions of users are already living their virtual lives in these worlds. Moreover, the number of users is increasing continuously. The purpose of this paper is to review all the business opportunities on these virtual worlds along with the learning opportunities for the real world companies and business students. This paper clearly and precisely defines the virtual worlds in the context of social networking sites and also aims at discussing the past, present and future of VWs. All the possible business opportunities for the real world companies including advertisement & communication, retailing opportunities, application for human resource management, marketing research and organizations' internal process management through virtual worlds are critically reviewed here. In addition to the discussion current learning and training opportunities for the real world companies and business students are also reviewed. The paper aims at proving that the VWs are full of business and marketing applications and they could be widely used by the real world companies for effective and efficient business operations

Can you ever regulate the virtual world against virtual economic crime

The question of whether you can ever regulate the virtual world against economic crime is one which cannot be answered easily in practice or in theory. This paper examines this question as part of a much larger study into virtual economic crime. Economic crime and money laundering are occurring in many virtual worlds and to prevent them would have a positive impact on the negation of terrorist financing. However in order to prevent economic crime, the legal jurisdiction of virtual worlds must first be established. The paper examines the academic debate thriving between Internet separatist and inclusionist, outlining the philosophical approach of the paper in turn in order to discuss whether you can ever regulate against economic crime in virtual worlds