Virtual Worlds to go Mobile?
January 25th, 2010
If we look at mobile devices as the future of the Internet- should virtual worlds migrate this way as well? While we have a hard enough time getting virtual worlds to play nice in a browser is mobile playability of virtual worlds a viable goal? Obviously the biggest hurdle here is the memory-hogging graphics that are directly related to the challenges of running virtual worlds in a browser. Thus most virtual worlds have a hefty size download of a specific application and then more time to load the virtual world itself with chunky graphics and the like. For the most part PC-oriented virtual worlds are widely accepted by users, with Second Life being the more publicized virtual world.
iPhones and iPhone wannabes are hot! With just about every application imaginable available for download. While I will admit I used to be a Blackberry addict when they were first introduced I have since become an anti-cell phone kind of gal (yes, it really is possible). Sure they are nice to have for convenience but I have found them as not being a necessary fixture in my broadband-enabled daily routine. But that’s just me.
Mobile social gaming is getting lots of visiblity these days. Some deployment considerations are UI (user interface) and overall user experience, dedicated application or browser (although browser based virtual worlds are not fully baked just yet). A few virtual worlds have attempted to go mobile, however for the most part these worlds offer low fidelity graphics (big surprise!) and are more of a social type of game than an actual serious virtual world application. Last year Sulake launched the Bobba Bar mobile virtual world while the app. was primarily built for the iPhone it offers the user a chance to interact and receive free ‘virtual’ drinks. Perhaps the bigger lure here of mobile virtual worlds is offering the anytime, anyplace availability…we are mobile society, at least most of you are!
Speaking of Virtual Worlds… (Week of January 18-22)
January 22nd, 2010
A weekly wrap-up on what’s going on within the Virtual World sphere and beyond! Click on any of the below titles to read the full story.
2009 End of Year Second Life Economy Wrap up (including Q4 Economy in Detail)
That’s not the Second Life economy!
The benefits of a virtual world
Research: $1.38 Billion Invested in 87 Virtual Goods-Related Companies Worldwide in 2009
Virtual Worlds & Training…Do They Mix with Social Media?
January 21st, 2010
Social media seems to be all the rage right now. Is it really possible to infuse social media into a virtual world space? Would it be beneficial or detrimental? I guess it would all depend upon the context- many virtual worlds already encompass social media aspects, whereas serious virtual worlds may not be the ideal training ground to implement social media into the mix. Can virtual worlds really compliment social media? Well that is still up for debate. I believe it all boils down to context. Majority of companies would loathe for their employees to login to a virtual world for training and then rather than training up, pass the time away by updating their Facebook status. “Supposed to be training but thought I would update everyone on my life’s happenings instead. Chris is doing well and the children are growing up sooo fast…” Communication and collaboration are all nice things to have within a virtual world space, but they certainly are not a necessary piece of the puzzle when utilizing a virtual world for training/ learning….or, are they?
Sure a handful of social ‘virtual’ worlds exist currently, such as Vivaty and Habbo Hotel as just a few examples. Rumor has it that the former is still searching for a viable business plan…if it were easy, everyone would be doing it, right?! Incorporating social media into training has been talked about for some time- but would it actually be useful or seen as disruptive to the learner/ trainee. Is there a misconception about virtual worlds, that they are already a social networking opportunity? Although collaboration is brought up quite often in virtual worlds, bringing your live Twitter or Facebook stream into the virtual world training environment could lead to more distraction than anything else. While many companies are enacting social media policies across the board for employees, some are encouraging their employees to utilize social media outlets while on the clock (hey, free marketing, well almost). Sure the real-time experience is cool, but is it really worth the inherent risk of a company’s reputation being tainted without having big brother watching what is coming through the social media channels?
I believe the potential is there, it just has thus far been untapped. 3D virtual social networks may be on the horizon, but only time will tell as to their success. Sure, real time interaction is cool and all but it can also be seen as a distraction when applied to specific training/ learning environments. So let’s keep social virtual worlds in a different category for now…
Has Everything Gone Social?
January 19th, 2010
So here is your social media primer, short and sweet. It seems like everything has gone social! From social media and networking to social learning, the entire world has become more social! I run across write-ups and advice daily on how to become more immersed in social media (i.e. tweet more, gain more followers, sign up for more social networking sites, etc.). But can this all be worth it, or is it all just a passing fad? Fad I think not, my belief is that social media is here to stay. However I do see changes within the social media sphere, currently it seems like there is every possible Twitter application out there- most will fade and the bigger players (i.e. Tweetdeck, Seesmic) will remain.
This addictive social and immersive media offers a little something for everyone. Everything from national brand names to small Mom and Pop businesses are jumping on the social media bandwagon. For the most part, social media channels such as Facebook and Twitter are growing in user base and daily use. Yet you also see some conflicting stats (especially for Twitter) that show some never log back in once signing up for the service. Sure social media can be foreseen as an over-hyped topic, but it is here to stay!
Look for Part 2 of this post: Virtual Worlds…Do They Mix with Social Media?
Speaking of Virtual Worlds… (Week of January 11-15)
January 16th, 2010
A weekly wrap-up on what’s going on within the Virtual World sphere and beyond! Click on any of the below titles to read the full story.
Farmers Market Moves from Second Life to Open Web
Visual Purple’s Top 10 Blog Posts from 2009
January 13th, 2010
Almost as exciting as David Letterman’s Top 10 list- here is a list of the top 10 blog posts of 2009 from Visual Purple’s Virtual Speak blog.
Navigation in Virtual Worlds: From Simple to Complex
Chat Bots 101: Artificial Intelligence Optional
Promise and Perils of Virtual Worlds 1
Promise and Perils of Virtual Worlds 2
Emulating Human Voiceovers With TTS Voices
Virtual World Cost Analysis- Diving In
Virtual Worlds: The Emperor has no Clothes!
Virtual Worlds for Enterprise and Corporate Use
Is Integration Really Important in a Virtual World?
January 11th, 2010
Is integration really important in an enterprise virtual world application? Are additional applications really warranted when a virtual world is able to provide a full gamut of user experiences? Sure extra bells and whistles are cool but it all depends what the main purpose of the virtual world is – if too much is added to an environment it can quickly become overwhelming for the user. Kind of like purchasing a new car and going for the full “extra” package with leather seats (heated no less), the GPS, satellite radio, fake wood accents and all of the other upgrades offered. Sure it is nice but is it really necessary? Experience tells us that more than likely half of the added accessories will probably never even be used!
Dusan Writer recently put together a little poll of readers for what they’d like to see in Second Life Enterprise (SLE): Data visualization was at the top of the list, followed by: Sharepoint integration, calendar Integration, PowerPoint posting, blog widgets, Yammer integration, integration with JIVE, and in-world company profiles linked to email. Although these are all ‘nice to haves’ are any of these applications really necessary? Or will they just lead to further user distraction?
Speaking of Virtual Worlds…(Week of January 4-8)
January 8th, 2010
A weekly wrap-up on what’s going on within the Virtual World sphere and beyond! Click on any of the below titles to read the full story.
Second Life 2009 Recap: Numbers, Money, Policy, and Company Announcement Highlights
Companies turn to virtual trade shows to save money
Second Life to Allow First Life Identities in 2010 (Thus Revising a Fundamental Premise of Second Life Itself)
Are Virtual Worlds Too Immersive?
January 6th, 2010
So what exactly does make a virtual world immersive? Well aside from the real-world representation that they offer, many VW’s are 3-D. Does it have to be 3-D to be immersive, not necessarily but 3-D is always better in my book. I virtually attended a Metanomics event featuring Chris Abraham- he stated that the problem with Second Life is that it may be “too immersive.” Hmmm, could SL really be seen as too immersive? I wouldn’t exactly call it that, although it can be an overwhelming experience for a newbie to the world, I would not define it as being too immersive by any means. The learning curve can be immense to someone with little computer (and do I dare say gaming) knowledge.
Although a variety of different types of immersion exist, from sensory to tactile. Immersive environments are unique in that they offer a high level of realism to what is found in the real world. Some of the enticing factors of virtual worlds are the ability to explore, create and interact all of which bring in multiple layers of immersion. By engrossing the player in the environment virtual world environments are gaining prominence as immersive training spaces for all types of learners and organizations. These ‘immersive environments’ are especially helpful when replicating dangerous real life situations such as combat zones and medical training.
Virtual World Trends for 2010 (with a look back at 2009)
January 4th, 2010
At the beginning of 2009 I wrote a blog article “Top 10 trends for Virtual Worlds in the public and private spaces as I see it for 2009…” Rather than re-invent the wheel lets expand on 2009 predictions and see where we are now coming in at the end of the year, then maybe make a few speculations for what 2010 has in store.
1. Learning in a Virtual World will become in vogue
We’ve already seen a large migration towards this with more to come in the future I believe.
2. Double-digit adoption across a broad demographic
Registered virtual world accounts continue to increase across the board, although the largest growing sector is the 10 to 15 year old age bracket according to KZero. Gartner Research estimates that 80% of online users will have a presence in metaverses by the end of 2011.
3. More and more social networks migrating to the Virtual World space
This could be good, this could be bad. The past year has seen an explosion in social networking sites, namely Twitter and Facebook. Apparently not so much on the virtual world front: A few examples for social networking/ interaction are Kaneva and version 1.0 Vivaty. Don’t hold out much hope in the near term on this front…
4. More institutions turning to Virtual Worlds (Universities and Colleges building Virtual Campuses & Classrooms/ Virtual Teaching Environments being established)
Throughout 2009 we have seen multiple colleges and universities adapting to virtual worlds for learning. From U.C. Irvine’s announcement of offering a 4-year degree for virtual worlds to medical students training in virtual worlds without all the inherent risks found in the real-world.
5. Artificial Intelligence-like behaviors – more buzz around this
And yes there has been buzz around AI in virtual worlds throughout 2009. I have no doubt that in the next 3-5 years some form of artificial intelligence or behavioral intelligence, or BI, will come “baked in” to virtual worlds.
6. Backlash against traditional CBT coupled with lower development costs will encourage corporations to pilot Virtual Worlds for training and collaboration
Although I have seen numerous companies turning towards the first stages of implementing virtual worlds, many just don’t have a budget for training, period. Perhaps the more anticipated announcement of enterprise virtual worlds this year has been Second Life Enterprise (SLE) otherwise known as codename Nebraska, although the launch came out with a big bang most got fearful when seeing the hefty price tag.
7. Virtual Goods – Hot for ‘09
This trend projection turned out to be right on. Mediapost reports that a new study shows that the virtual goods market will double in 2009, reaching $1 billion in revenue. Other forecasts show as much as $3 billion! No doubt the virtual goods market will continue to grow in 2010 and beyond.
8. Government entities adopting Virtual Worlds as pilot programs (many agencies won’t want to be left out)
Yet another prediction that has come true, sort of… Military and Government organizations seemed to drive the demand in 2009 for virtual world proposals and development. Many RFP’s were issued this year from government entities looking to adopt virtual world programs, and I am sure 2010 has much more in store with regard to the government space adopting virtual worlds for training purposes.
9. Beginning to see traction for standards, especially in the enterprise space
Although standards haven’t been covered too heavily in ’09 they have been mentioned. 2010 will see more companies turning to virtual worlds for training and thus standards should ensue.
10. Cross-platform Avatar standardization will continue
Although the cross-platform avatar standardization has not happened yet, I feel we have made progress in making avatars look more realistic to the human replica that they imitate. Such examples of this include: Blue Mars and Evolver which is currently in Beta.
Some early predictions for 2010…
• Mobile learning will be HOT. With the amount of mobile devices used today it is only a natural progression for learning to be addressed on mobile devices.
• Growing demand for Browser-based virtual worlds.
• Corporate training dollars will free up marginally but not for virtual worlds; in hard economic times, most decision makers become allergic to trying new ideas.