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Virtual Reality and the Built Environment
by Jennifer Whyte Dragana NikolićLike the first edition, the central question this book addresses is how virtual reality can be used in the design, production and management of the built environment. The book aims to consider three key questions. What are the business drivers for the use of virtual reality? What are its limitations? How can virtual reality be implemented within organizations? Using international case studies it answers these questions whilst addressing the growth in the recent use of building information modelling (BIM) and the renewed interest in virtual reality to visualize and understand data to make decisions. With the aim of inspiring and informing future use, the authors take a fresh look at current applications in the construction sector, situating them within a broader trajectory of innovation. The new edition expands the scope to consider both immersive virtual reality as a way of bringing professionals inside a building information model, and augmented reality as a way of taking this model and related asset information out to the job-site. The updated edition also considers these technologies in the context of other developments that were in their infancy when the first edition was written – such as laser scanning, mobile technologies and big data. Virtual Reality in the Built Environment is essential reading for professionals in architecture, construction, design, surveying and engineering and students on related courses who need an understanding of BIM, CAD and virtual reality in the sector. Please follow the book's Twitter account: @vrandbe http://buildingvr.blogspot.co.uk/
Virtual Reality and Virtual Environments: A Tool for Improving Occupational Safety and Health (Occupational Safety, Health, and Ergonomics)
by Andrzej GrabowskiVirtual reality (VR) techniques are becoming increasingly popular. The use of computer modeling and visualization is no longer uncommon in the area of ergonomics and occupational health and safety. This book explains how studies conducted in a simulated virtual world are making it possible to test new solutions for designed workstations, offering a high degree of ease for introducing modifications and eliminating risk and work-related accidents. Virtual reality techniques offer a wide range of possibilities including increasing the cognitive abilities of the elderly, adapting workstations for people with disabilities and special needs, and remote control of machines using collaborative robots.Detailed discussions include: Testing protective devices, safety systems, and the numerical reconstruction of work accidents Using computer simulation in generic virtual environments On the one hand, it is a self-study book made so by well-crafted and numerous examples. On the other hand, through a detailed analysis of the virtual reality from a point of view of work safety and ergonomics and health improvement. Ewa Grabska, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, PolandNoteworthy is the broad scope and diversity of the addressed problems, ranging from training employees using VR environments with different degrees of perceived reality; training and rehabilitation of the elderly; to designing, testing, modifying, and adapting workplaces to various needs including those of disabled workers; to simulation and investigation of the cause of accidents at a workplace.Andrzej Krawiecki, Warsaw University of Technology, Warsaw, Poland
Virtual Reality Blueprints: Create compelling VR experiences for mobile and desktop
by John Williamson Charles PalmerJoin the virtual reality revolution by creating immersive 3D games and applications with Cardboard VR, Gear VR, OculusVR, and HTC Vive Key Features Develop robust, immersive VR experiences that are easy on the eye. Code 3D games and applications using Unity 3D game engine. Learn the basic principles of virtual reality applications Book Description Are you new to virtual reality? Do you want to create exciting interactive VR applications? There's no need to be daunted by the thought of creating interactive VR applications, it's much easier than you think with this hands-on, project-based guide that will take you through VR development essentials for desktop and mobile-based games and applications. Explore the three top platforms—Cardboard VR, Gear VR, and OculusVR —to design immersive experiences from scratch. You’ll start by understanding the science-fiction roots of virtual reality and then build your first VR experience using Cardboard VR. You'll then delve into user interactions in virtual space for the Google Cardboard then move on to creating a virtual gallery with Gear VR. Then you will learn all about virtual movements, state machines, and spawning while you shoot zombies in the Oculus Rift headset. Next, you'll construct a Carnival Midway, complete with two common games to entertain players. Along the way, you will explore the best practices for VR development, review game design tips, discuss methods for combating motion sickness and identify alternate uses for VR applications What you will learn Use Unity assets to create object simulation. Implement simple touch controls in your application. Apply artificial intelligence to achieve player and character interaction. Add scripts for movement, tracking, grasping, and spawning. Create animated walkthroughs, use 360-degree media, and build engaging VR experiences. Deploy your games on multiple VR platforms. Who this book is for If you are a game developer and a VR enthusiast now looking to get stuck into the VR app development process by creating VR apps for different platforms, then this is the book for you. Familiarity with the Unity game engine and the C# language is key to getting the most from this book.
Virtual Reality: Concepts and Technologies
by Philippe Fuchs Guillaume Moreau Pascal GuittonA manual for both designers and users, comprehensively presenting the current state of experts' knowledge on virtual reality (VR) in computer science, mechanics, optics, acoustics, physiology, psychology, ergonomics, ethics, and related area. Designed as a reference book and design guide to help the reader develop a VR project, it presents the read
Virtual Reality Designs
by Adriana Peña Pérez Negrón Graciela Lara López Héctor Rafael Orozco AguirreVirtual Reality is not real life. Instead it is life-like creations using computer-generated scenarios. Human behavior is replicated in virtual scenarios, where every detail is controlled by computers, and in situations that can be repeated under the same conditions. Based on technology and design, the user can experience presence. In the virtual world, users are embodied in avatars that represent them and are the means to interact with the virtual environment. Avatars are graphical models that behave on behalf of the human behind them. The user avatar is a proxy that also backs interaction with others, allowing computer-mediated interactions. Analyses directed to understand people’s perceptions, personal and social behavior in computer mediated interactions, comprise a multidisciplinary area of study that involves, among others, computer science, psychology and sociology. In the last two decades a number of studies supported by Virtual Reality have been conducted to understand human behavior, in some cases the implications of the technology, or to reproduce artificial human behavior. This book presents a collection of studies from recognized researchers in the area.
Virtual Reality for Physical and Motor Rehabilitation
by Patrice L. Tamar Weiss Emily A. Keshner Mindy F. LevinWhile virtual reality (VR) has influenced fields as varied as gaming, archaeology and the visual arts, some of its most promising applications come from the health sector. Particularly encouraging are the many uses of VR in supporting the recovery of motor skills following accident or illness. Virtual Reality for Physical and Motor Rehabilitation reviews two decades of progress and anticipates advances to come. It offers current research on the capacity of VR to evaluate, address, and reduce motor skill limitations and the use of VR to support motor and sensorimotor function, from the most basic to the most sophisticated skill levels. Expert scientists and clinicians explain how the brain organizes motor behavior, relate therapeutic objectives to client goals and differentiate among VR platforms in engaging the production of movement and balance. On the practical side, contributors demonstrate that VR complements existing therapies across various conditions such as neurodegenerative diseases, traumatic brain injury and stroke. Included among the topics: Neuroplasticity and virtual reality. Vision and perception in virtual reality. Sensorimotor recalibration in virtual environments. Rehabilitative applications using VR for residual impairments following stroke. VR reveals mechanisms of balance and locomotor impairments. Applications of VR technologies for childhood disabilities. A resource of great immediate and future utility, Virtual Reality for Physical and Motor Rehabilitation distills a dynamic field to aid the work of neuropsychologists, rehabilitation specialists (including physical, speech, vocational and occupational therapists), and neurologists.
Virtual Reality for Psychological and Neurocognitive Interventions (Virtual Reality Technologies for Health and Clinical Applications)
by Stéphane Bouchard Albert “Skip” RizzoThis exciting collection tours virtual reality in both its current therapeutic forms and its potential to transform a wide range of medical and mental health-related fields. Extensive findings track the contributions of VR devices, systems, and methods to accurate assessment, evidence-based and client-centered treatment methods, and—as described in a stimulating discussion of virtual patient technologies—innovative clinical training. Immersive digital technologies are shown enhancing opportunities for patients to react to situations, therapists to process patients’ physiological responses, and scientists to have greater control over test conditions and access to results. Expert coverage details leading-edge applications of VR across a broad spectrum of psychological and neurocognitive conditions, including: Treating anxiety disorders and PTSD.Treating developmental and learning disorders, including Autism Spectrum Disorder,Assessment of and rehabilitation from stroke and traumatic brain injuries.Assessment and treatment of substance abuse.Assessment of deviant sexual interests.Treating obsessive-compulsive and related disorders.Augmenting learning skills for blind persons. Readable and relevant, Virtual Reality for Psychological and Neurocognitive Interventions is an essential idea book for neuropsychologists, rehabilitation specialists (including physical, speech, vocational, and occupational therapists), and neurologists. Researchers across the behavioral and social sciences will find it a roadmap toward new and emerging areas of study.
Virtual Reality Games for Rehabilitation (Virtual Reality Technologies for Health and Clinical Applications)
by Eva Brooks David J. BrownThis volume focuses on games to manage and facilitate rehabilitation. It emphasizes user practice, attitudes, and experience, and their changing place within developing rehabilitation frameworks. It looks at how users have adopted, integrated, and innovated with games to facilitate rehabilitation. Topics include game technology, game design and accessibility, web-based technologies vs pervasive and mobile technologies, social and collaborative aspects, and rehabilitative outcome. Games for rehabilitation are gaining interest from different communities such as medicine, psychology, and rehabilitation. A distinction can be made between games specifically made for rehabilitative purposes and games made for the general public but that are used in rehabilitation as well. Games have allowed the building of new/complementary forms for rehabilitation and offered new options to produce rehabilitative activities and experiences.
Virtual Reality Headsets - A Theoretical and Pragmatic Approach
by Philippe FuchsThe purpose of virtual reality is to make possible a sensorimotor and cognitive activity for a user in a digitally created artificial world. Recent advances in computer technology have led to a new generation of VR devices such as VR headsets. Accordingly, virtual reality poses many new scientific challenges for researchers and professionals. The aim of this book, a manual meant for both designers and users of virtual reality, is to present the current state of knowledge on the use of VR headsets in the most complete way possible. The book is divided into 13 chapters. The objective of the first chapter is to give an introduction to VR and clarify its scope. The next chapter presents a theoretical approach to virtual reality through our Immersion and Interaction methodology also known as "3I² model’’. Then, a chapter about human senses is necessary to understand the sensorimotor immersion, especially vision. These chapters are followed by several chapters which present the different visual interfaces and the VR headsets currently available on the market. These devices can impart comfort and health problems due to sensorimotor discrepancies. A chapter is devoted to these problems, followed by a chapter that gives a detailed discussion of methods and 32 solutions to dispel, or at least to decrease, VR sickness. The following three chapters present different VR applications that use VR headsets (behavioural sciences, industrial uses and Digital Art) and the final chapter provides conclusions and discusses future VR challenges.
Virtual Reality in Curriculum and Pedagogy: Evidence from Secondary Classrooms (Digital Games, Simulations, and Learning)
by Erica SouthgateVirtual Reality in Curriculum and Pedagogy explores the instructional, ethical, practical, and technical issues related to the integration of immersive virtual reality (VR) in school classrooms. The book’s original pedagogical framework is informed by qualitative and quantitative data collected from the first-ever study to embed immersive VR in secondary school science, ICT, and drama classrooms. Students and scholars of technology-enhancing learning, curriculum design, and teacher education alike will find key pedagogical insights into leveraging the unique properties of VR for authentic, metacognitive, and creative learning.
Virtual Reality in Medicine
by Robert Riener Matthias HardersVirtual Reality has the potential to provide descriptive and practical information for medical training and therapy while relieving the patient or the physician. Multimodal interactions between the user and the virtual environment facilitate the generation of high-fidelity sensory impressions, by using not only visual and auditory, but also kinesthetic, tactile, and even olfactory feedback modalities. On the basis of the existing physiological constraints, Virtual Reality in Medicine derives the technical requirements and design principles of multimodal input devices, displays, and rendering techniques. Resulting from a course taught by the authors, Virtual Reality in Medicine presents examples for surgical training, intra-operative augmentation, and rehabilitation that are already in use as well as those currently in development. It is well suited as introductory material for engineering and computer science students, as well as researchers who want to learn more about basic technologies in the area of virtual reality applied to medicine. It also provides a broad overview to non-engineering students as well as clinical users, who desire to learn more about the current state of the art and future applications of this technology.
Virtual Reality kompakt: Entwicklung von immersiver Software (IT kompakt)
by Manfred BrillVirtual Reality ist immer noch eine Technologie, die sich extrem schnell verändert. Ständig wird neue Hardware entwickelt, die neue Anwendungen hervorbringt und die Weiterentwicklung der dafür nötigen Softwaren erzwingt. Die Themen Immersion, Interaktivität und die Gestaltung des User Interfaces in einer immersiven Anwendung haben au den Konferenzen wie der IEEE VR oder der ISMAR immer noch einen großen Stellenwert.Dieses Buch konzentriert sich auf die Software-Entwicklung von VR-Anwendungen. Dabei werden Werkzeuge aus der Praxis wie Unity, Unreal und andere frei verfügbare SDKs vorgestellt und in Fallstudien eingesetzt. Nach einer Einführung in die Grundlagen der virtuellen Realität konzentrieren wir uns auf allgemeine Aspekte der Software-Entwicklung. Hauptthema sind Portabilität am Beispiel von OpenXR und generische und wiederverwendbare Bausteine für die Implementierung von Benutzungsoberflächen. Wie wir diese Bausteine in den Werkzeugen vorfinden oder selbst implementieren ist anschließend das Thema. Letztendlich werden die Leser ein eigenes Framework für diese Techniken entwickeln, die anschließend in den eigenen Anwendungen verwendet werden können. Die Lösungen der Aufgaben, insbesondere die Quelltexte der vorgestellten Software sind in einem öffentlichen GitHub-Repository verfügbar. Im letzten Abschnitt des Buchs werden immersive Anwendungen im Bereich der Strömungsdynamik, der Volumengrafik und des Immersive Learnings vorgestellt, realisiert und weiter entwickelt.
Virtual Reality Marketing: Using VR to Grow a Brand and Create Impact
by Henry StuartIf a picture is worth a thousand words, then virtual reality (VR) is priceless. This new medium is booming - by 2025, the industry is expected to become bigger than TV. Virtual Reality Marketing is a comprehensive exploration of all things VR, providing readers with everything they need to know about the current VR landscape, and the unprecedented opportunity it offers brands to create unique emotional connections with consumers. A truly comprehensive guide, Virtual Reality Marketing covers all aspects of the industry, including interactive and passive VR, 360 video, social VR marketing, and the role that influencers and bloggers are set to play in its development. It also looks to the future - exploring how VR is evolving and the changes it will undergo in the future. Virtual Reality Marketing is the only complete guide to VR marketing available, written by a recognized industry expert who has facilitated VR coverage for major international brands including Facebook, Audi, Google and Mercedes F1. Packed with fascinating case studies, tips and strategies, this text is the leading resource for any reader looking to incorporate VR in their own marketing campaigns.
Virtual Reality Narratives: Embodied Encounters in Space
by Kath DooleyThis monograph delves into recent evolutions in virtual reality (VR) storytelling, focusing on entertainment-based works created or launched since 2020. Through various case studies, it showcases the increasing diversity and sophistication of recent narrative-based projects. Moving past the initial hype associated with the latest wave of VR, a number of innovative and affective works combining documentary-based or fictional storytelling with game mechanics, live theatre and other elements, have appeared at festivals or on distribution platforms in recent years. These interdisciplinary works have much to tell us about the future of VR storytelling but have yet to receive sustained analysis. This book aims to correct that. Dooley argues that VR, as an interactive medium that places the user inside a storyworld in a visible or invisible virtual body, offers narratives that incorporate the user’s body as a storytelling tool. This fosters user-centred stories that unfold in three-dimensional space. Adopting phenomenological and formal analysis methodologies, the monograph examines case studies through their approaches to narrative, style, and interactive devices. Key concepts that are explored include agency, direct address, environmental and spatial storytelling, embodiment and presence. By providing a much-needed analysis of works through a variety of theoretical lenses, the book illustrates how recent VR storytelling fosters powerfully transformative experiences.
Virtual Reality Technology
by Grigore C. Burdea Philippe CoiffetA groundbreaking Virtual Reality textbook is now even better Virtual reality is a very powerful and compelling computer application by which humans interact with computer-generated environments in a way that mimics real life and engages various senses. Although its most widely known application is in the entertainment industry, the real promise of virtual reality lies in such fields as medicine, engineering, oil exploration, and the military, to name just a few. Through virtual reality, scientists can triple the rate of oil discovery, pilots can dogfight numerically superior "bandits," and surgeons can improve their skills on virtual (rather than real) patients. This Second Edition of the first comprehensive technical book on virtual reality provides updated and expanded coverage of the technology such as: Input and output interfaces including touch and force feedback Computing architecture (with emphasis on the rendering pipeline and task distribution) Object modeling (including physical and behavioral aspects) Programming for virtual reality (WorldToolKit, Java 3D, GHOST, and PeopleShop) An in-depth look at human factors issues, user performance, and sensorial conflict aspects of VR Traditional and emerging VR applications The new edition of Virtual Reality Technology is specifically designed for use as a textbook. Thus, it includes definitions, review questions, and a CD-ROM with video clips that reinforce the topics covered. The CD-ROM also contains a Laboratory Manual with homework and programming assignments in VRML and Java 3D, as follows: Introduction to VRML and Java 3D Sensor and Event Processing VRML and JavaScript Scene Hierarchy, Geometry, and Texture VRML PROTO and Glove Devices Viewpoint Control, Sound, and Haptic Effects The Second Edition will serve as a state-of-the-art resource for both undergraduate and graduate students in engineering, computer science, and other disciplines.
Virtual Reality Technology (Ieee Press Ser.)
by Grigore C. Burdea Philippe CoiffetThorough overview of virtual reality technology fundamentals and latest advances, with coverage of hardware, software, human factors and applications, plus companion Laboratory Manual in Unity 3D. The Third Edition of the first comprehensive technical book on the subject of virtual reality, Virtual Reality Technology, provides updated and expanded coverage of VR technology, including where it originated, how it has evolved, and where it is going. Its primary objective is to be a complete, up-to-date textbook, as well as a source of information on a rapidly developing field of science and technology with broad societal impact. The two highly qualified authors cover all of the latest innovations and applications that are making virtual reality more important than ever before. Unlike other books on the subject, the book also includes a chapter on Human Factors, which are very important in designing technology around the human user. Virtual Reality Technology provides Instructors with a website-accessible Laboratory Manual using the Unity 3D game engine and programming language. Unity 3D is the preferred VR language these days and will prepare the student for the VR gaming and mobile applications industry. For universities Unity 3D is cost-effective as its student license is freely available. With comprehensive coverage of the subject, Virtual Reality Technology discusses sample topics such as: Input and output interfaces, including holographic displays, foveated head-mounted displays, neural interfaces, haptic and olfactory feedback Computing architecture, with emphasis on the rendering pipeline, the graphics processing unit and distributed/edge rendering Object modeling, including physical and behavioral aspects, Artificial Intelligence controlled characters, and model management techniques Programming toolkits for virtual reality and the game production pipeline Human factors issues such as user performance and sensorial conflict, cybersickness and societal impact aspects of VR Application examples in medical education, virtual rehabilitation, virtual heritage, gaming, and military use of virtual reality. Virtual Reality Technology provides thorough and complete coverage of an in-demand sector of technology, making it a highly valuable resource for undergraduate and graduate students in computer science, engineering, and science, along with a variety of professionals across many different industries, including but not limited to engineering, gaming, healthcare, and defense.
Virtual Reality Technology and Applications
by Domen Novak Matjaž Mihelj Samo BegusAs virtual reality expands from the imaginary worlds of science fiction and pervades every corner of everyday life, it is becoming increasingly important for students and professionals alike to understand the diverse aspects of this technology. This book aims to provide a comprehensive guide to the theoretical and practical elements of virtual reality, from the mathematical and technological foundations of virtual worlds to the human factors and the applications that enrich our lives: in the fields of medicine, entertainment, education and others. After providing a brief introduction to the topic, the book describes the kinematic and dynamic mathematical models of virtual worlds. It explores the many ways a computer can track and interpret human movement, then progresses through the modalities that make up a virtual world: visual, acoustic and haptic. It explores the interaction between the actual and virtual environments, as well as design principles of the latter. The book closes with an examination of different applications, focusing on augmented reality as a special case. Though the content is primarily VR-related, it is also relevant for many other fields.
Virtual Reality Technology in Mining Machinery: Virtual Assembly, Virtual Planning and Virtual Monitoring
by Xuewen Wang Jiacheng Xie Suhua LiThis book focuses on the application of virtual reality (VR) technology in mining machinery. It gives a detailed introduction to the application of VR technology in virtual assembly, virtual planning, and virtual monitoring. Based on the theory of digital twin, VR technology and collaborative control technology are applied to coal mining machinery equipment, which lays a foundation for the digitalization and intellectualization of coal machinery equipment and broadens the application scope of virtual reality technology in the mechanical engineering field. Through the application of VR technology in coal machinery equipment, this book provides new methods and ideas for teaching activities, scientific research activities, and actual production with rich illustrations, related table introduction, unique research ideas, and other unique contents. This book could be a useful reference for researchers in mining machinery, simulation and modeling, computer-aided engineering (CAD and CAE) and design, visualization, mechanical engineering, and other disciplines.
Virtual Reality Usability Design
by David Gerhard Wil J. NortonThe development of effective and usable software for spatial computing platforms like virtual reality (VR) requires an understanding of how these devices create new possibilities (and new perils) when it comes to interactions between humans and computers. Virtual Reality Usability Design provides readers with an understanding of the techniques and technologies required to design engaging and effective VR applications. The book covers both the mechanics of how human senses and the mind experience immersive virtual environments, as well as how to leverage these mechanics to create human-focused virtual experiences. Deeply rooted in principles of human perception and computational interaction, the current and future limitations of these replacements are also considered. Full of real-world examples, this book is an indispensable guide for any practising VR developer interested in making efficient and effective interfaces. Meanwhile, explorations of concrete theory in their practical application will be useful for VR students and researchers alike.
Virtual Reality with VRTK4: Create Immersive VR Experiences Leveraging Unity3D and Virtual Reality Toolkit
by Rakesh BaruahVirtual reality is quickly becoming the next medium to communicate your ideas. Once siloed in make-believe world of science fiction, virtual reality can now touch any aspect of your life. This book shows you how to create original virtual reality content using the Unity game engine and the Virtual Reality Tool Kit. By the end of the book you'll be creating your own virtual reality experience using the fundamental building blocks within.You'll start by reviewing spatial computing, an emerging field that encompasses self-driving cars to space exploration. You'll also create your own virtual reality environments for use on headsets such as those from Oculus and HTC. Using the Unity3D game engine and the Virtual Reality Toolkit on a computer or laptop, you will walk through the fundamentals of virtual reality with as little code as possible. That is the beauty of Unity and the Virtual Reality Toolkit. You will discover how to use buttons in a virtual space, gaze-tracking for user input, and physics for enabling interaction between a human and a virtual space. From game design to education to healthcare to human resources, virtual reality offers new and creative ways to engage users, students, patients, customers, and more. Not a coding book, Virtual Reality with VRTK4 shows that you don't need to be a computer or graphics whiz to begin creating your own virtual reality experiences. What You'll Learn Grasp Virtual Reality Toolkit and its interaction with Unity3DExplore the fundamental science of virtual realityReview the inner workings of Unity3D and its integration with VRTKUnderstand the big picture of C# coding in Unity3DIncorporate head and hand movement into virtual experiencesWho This Book Is For Creative professionals or students who are familiar with computer design programs and want to begin prototyping their own original virtual reality work as quickly as possible.
Virtual Schooling: A Guide to Optimizing Your Child's Education
by Elizabeth Kanna Lisa Gillis Christina CulverToday, millions of school-age children are learning outside of a traditional classroom and using cutting edge educational options. Policy experts predict that in a decade half of all education will be delivered virtually. In Virtual Schooling three top authorities help you navigate the fastest growing movement in education -- regardless of whether your child attends public school, private school or is home schooled. You'll discover how to: · Find opportunities and programs to optimize your child's learning, strengths and aptitudes. · Create a personalized learning plan for your child, which can remove barriers, ignite their passions and propel your child to new levels of learning. · Prepare your child for success in the workplace in any future economy.
Virtual Sites as Learning Spaces: Critical Issues on Languaging Research in Changing Eduscapes
by Sangeeta Bagga-Gupta Giulia Messina Dahlberg Ylva LindbergThis volume fills a gap in the literature between the domains of Communication Studies and Educational Sciences across physical-virtual spaces as they intersect in the 21st century. The chapters focus on “languaging” - communicative practices in the making - and its intersection with analogue and virtual learning spaces, bringing together studies that highlight the constant movement between analogue-virtual dimensions that continuously re-shape participants' identity positionings. Languaging is understood as the deployment of one or more than one language variety, modality, embodiment, etc in human meaning-making across spaces. Languaging activities are explored through a multitude of literary artefacts, genres, media, and modes produced in and across sites. The authors go beyond “best practice” approaches and instead present “how-to-explore” communicative practices for researchers, learners and teachers. This book will be of interest to readers situated in the areas of literacy, literature, bi/multilingualism, multimodality, linguistic anthropology, applied linguistics, and related fields. Chapters 2, 5, 8 and 12 are open access under a CC BY 4.0 license at link.springer.com.
Virtual Social Networks
by Niki PanteliAs technology changes, so too have its applications and our uses and experiences with them have changed as well. The emergence of new technologies offer opportunities for new ways of interacting, playing, working and learning. It is within the context of simultaneous excitement and anxiety that we discuss Virtual Social Networks.
Virtual Society: The Metaverse and the New Frontiers of Human Experience
by Herman Narula&“A fascinating, provocative case that the metaverse will not merely transform our virtual experience—it may actually enrich the quality of our lives&” (Adam Grant)—from the visionary co-founder of one of today&’s most innovative technology companies&“This important book offers a highly persuasive argument that the metaverse, a new kind of virtual world, marks a profound next stage in this long human quest for fulfillment through creation.&”—Chris Anderson, head of TEDThe concept of &“the metaverse&” has exploded in the public consciousness, but its contours remain elusive. Is it merely an immersive virtual reality playground, one that Facebook and other platforms will angle to control? Is it simply the next generation of massive multiplayer online games? Or is it something more revolutionary?As pioneering technologist Herman Narula shows, the metaverse is the latest manifestation of an ancient human tendency: the act of worldbuilding. From the Egyptians, whose conception of death inspired them to build the pyramids, to modern-day sports fans, whose passion for a game inspires extreme behavior, humans have long sought to supplement their day-to-day lives with a rich diversity of alternative experiences.Rooting his vision in history and psychology, Narula argues that humans&’ intrinsic need for autonomy, accomplishment, and connection can best be met in virtual &“worlds of ideas,&” where users have the chance to create and exchange meaning and value. The metaverse is both the growing set of fulfilling digital experiences—ranging from advanced gaming to concerts and other entertainment events and even to virtual employment—and the empowering framework that allows these spaces to become &“networks of useful meaning.&”Bloomberg Intelligence recently predicted that the metaverse will become an $800 billon industry by 2024. But its implications, argues Narula, will lead to far more awe-inspiring possibilities than a spigot of cash. The arrival of the metaverse marks the beginning of a new age of exploration—not outward, but inward—with the potential to reshape society and open the door to a new understanding of the human species and its capabilities.Rigorously researched and passionately argued, Virtual Society is a provocative and essential guide for anyone who wants to go beyond superficial headlines to understand the true contours and potential of our virtual future.
Virtual Sociocultural Convergence
by William Sims BainbridgeThis book explores the remarkable sociocultural convergencein multiplayer online games and other virtual worlds, through the unificationof computer science, social science, and the humanities. The emergence of online media provides notonly new methods for collecting social science data, but also contexts fordeveloping theory and conducting education in the arts as well astechnology. Notably, role-playing gamesand virtual worlds naturally demonstrate many classical concepts about human behaviour,in ways that encourage innovative thinking. The inspiration derives from the internationally shared values developedin a fifteen-year series of conferences on science and technology convergence. The primary methodology is focused on sending avatars, representingclassical social theorists or schools of thought, into online gameworlds thatharmonize with, or challenge, their fundamental ideas, including technologicaldeterminism, urban sociology, group formation, freedom versus control, classstratification, linguistic variation, functional equivalence across cultures, behaviouralpsychology, civilization collapse, and ethnic pluralism. Researchers and students in the social and behaviouralsciences will benefit from the many diverse examples of how both qualitativeand quantitative science of culture and society can be performed in onlinecommunities of many kinds, even as artists and gamers learn styles and skillsthey may apply in their own work and play.