Developing Digital Online Learning University of Florida Spring 2010 Definitions for virtual terms.

1. What does the Modern Ego have to do with Virtual Lingo? Yukari Takata Developing Digital Online Learning University of Florida Instructor: Judy Robinson, PhD. January 26, 2007

2. Explain the difference between: A) Online games B) Immersive environments C) Virtual worlds Purpose of the Presentation

3. 1. Computer-mediated communication (CMC) is dominant form of communication. 2. Terminologies help us identify the roles and limitations of concepts. 3. CMC calls into question where the “self” or “ego” is between the real and virtual environment. Why is this important?

4. A) Online games Ex. World of Warcraft Final Fantasy XI B) Immersive environments Ex. IMAX 3D Theaters C) Virtual worlds Ex. Second Life, There.com D) More Ego-centric Terms Presentation Outline and Overview

5. "Online gaming is a technology rather than a genre; a mechanism for connecting players together rather than a particular pattern of gameplay (Rollings, 2006)." Online games are played over some form of computer network, now typically on the Internet. A) Online Games

6. Shooter games Platform games Real-time strategy games Social games Types of Games

7. Immersion- “the degree to which a virtual environment submerges the perceptual systems of the user in computer-generated stimuli.” (Draper, 1998, p. 356) Immersion is the state of consciousness where an immersant's awareness of physical self is diminished or lost by being surrounded in an engrossing total environment; often artificial. (Nechvatal, 1999) B) Immersive Environments

8. Cave Automatic Virtual Environment

10. A virtual world is a genre of online community that often takes the form of a computer-based simulated environment, through which users can interact with one another and use and create objects (Bishop, 2009). C) Virtual Worlds

11. Virtual Presence - feeling present in a computer-generated environment. Virtual Engagement – how absorbed you are with an online game or virtual environment. Telepresence - feeling present in a remote but real environment ex. Video conferencing Object presence - projection of a virtual item into user's real world. Ego presence - projection of self into a computer mediated environment. D) More Ego-centric Terms

12. Cleary, computer-human interfaces are changing the way we define ourselves and blurring the lines between reality and virtual reality. These social implications of computer-mediated communication compels us to keep asking... Conclusion

14. Bishop, J. (2009). Enhancing the understanding of genres of web-based communities: The role of the ecological cognition framework. International Journal of Web- Based Communities, 5(1), 4-17. Draper, J. V., Kaber, D. B., and Usher, J. M. Telepresence. Human Factors 1998; 40: 354- 375. Nechvatal, J.Immersive ideals / critical distances. Retrieved January, 2010, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immersion_(virtual_reality)#cite_ref-0 Rollings, A., Adams, E. (2006). Fundamentals of Game Design. Copyright © 1995 - 2010 Pearson Education . http://wps.prenhall.com/bp_gamedev_1/54/14050/3596994.cw/index.html References