The Real Opportunities of Virtual Worlds

Jane McGonigal,PhDResearcher ~ Game Designer

GoalsI. Getting real about the opportunities in virtual

worlds – why become immersed?II. A “long zoom” on virtual worlds – how do we

define them now, and how might we define them differently in the future?

III. The larger landscape – alternate approaches to virtual worldness

IV. Future learning - innovation skills and abilities emerging from virtual worlds

V. Discussion; Q & A

Part I Getting real about opportunities in virtual worlds – why become

immersed?

Choosing to become immersed in a specific virtual world is a major investment: it means buying in to someone else’s framework.

– New rules of engagement – Non-negotiable interactive limits– A particular visual style and content– Social conventions and other players

Why accept a new, external framework? Why would an individual, or group, or organization choose to become immersed in the new limitations of a virtual world?

Why Virtual Worlds?

Early explorers and recent observers often focus on the “irrational” appeal of virtual worlds. We share vague notions about:

– the power of immersion – “fun”– “novelty” and “cutting-edge”– “community”, and so on.

But virtual worlds are now engrained enough in global culture to start talking about their rational appeal and specific powers.

Why Virtual Worlds?

Why Virtual Worlds?How do we explain the mass migration to

second lives, simulated environments, and alternate realities?

As we move beyond novelty vague hopes, we can adopt a more utilitarian way of thinking about virtual worlds.

Given a specific context, goal, user, or community, what can we hope to do better in a virtual world?

Why Virtual Worlds?Better Sociability – communications, sense of

social connection, and community are improved

Why Virtual Worlds?Better Visualization – new opportunities for

navigation, sense making, visual expression

Why Virtual Worlds?

Better Dynamics – more easily and vividly observed impact, better coordination, more engagement, more clearly understood opportunities, more power, more pleasure

Why Virtual Worlds?Better Sociability – communications, sense of

social connection and community are improvedBetter Navigation – new opportunities for sense

making, discovering and exposing meaningBetter Dynamics – more easily and vividly

observed impact, better coordination, more engagement, more clearly understood opportunities, more power, more pleasure

The decision to move any part of traditional business or team building to virtual worlds

should be oriented toward maximizing one or more of these benefits.

Part II A “long zoom” on virtual worlds

– how do we define them now, and how might we define them

differently in the future?

Goals Virtual worlds are persistent, immersive

environments that are inhabited, explored, and acted in by their users.

Cory Ondrejka suggests: A virtual world is a place that allow many

simultaneous users to experience consistency, persistence, complex player interactions and many forms of player expression.

- Consistency allows players to predict the consequences of their actions- Persistence means that players’ actions have meaning over longer time periods than their individual sessions- Complex interactions include communication, combat, and trade- Players expression includes avatar and environmental customization, their behavior in-game (including griefing), role playing

What is the “long zoom” trajectory of virtual

experience?Virtual Reality (1990s) …

Virtual Worlds (2000s) …

Alternate Realities (2010s) …

What is the “long zoom” trajectory of virtual

experience?Virtual Reality sensory immersion

Virtual Worlds social, algorithmic immersion

Alternate Realities data, network immersion

7 Dimensions of Virtual Worlds

In the next decade, we will witness explosive variation and diversification in the purpose, platform, and experiential aspects of virtual worlds.

1. What is the purpose?

2. What kind of interface?

3. How do users interact with each other?

4. Who produces the content?

5. Is it fiction or non-fiction?

6. Does it reference real space, or not?

7. Is the experience in or out of place?

7 Dimensions of Virtual Worlds

In the next decade, we will witness explosive variation and diversification in the purpose, platform, and experiential aspects of virtual worlds.

1. Social, Communications Gaming, Productivity2. 3D Graphical Environment Everyday Information

Environment3. Synchronous Experience Asynchronous Experience4. Content Consumption Content Creation5. “Accurate” data (informative) “Fantastic” (mythological) 6. Geo-referential (real world) Sui generis geography 7. Out of place (context-blind) In place (context aware)

Part III The larger landscape –

alternate approaches to virtual worldness

Security Challenges

“Cognitive Load”

Alternate Approaches

• Asynchronous virtual worlds

– example: CyWorld

• Virtual economies without the mythology

– example: Seriosity’s Attent

• Non-graphical virtual worlds

– example: World Without Oil

Alternate Reality Fiction

“Alternate reality fiction is a hybrid of Urban Fantasy and Alternate History... A genre that not only alters this world's history, but also its dynamics.”

- OED for Science Fiction

“An alternate reality is another — equally valid but not always attainable — way of experiencing existence.”

- G. S. ELRICK Sci. Fiction Handbk. 30, 1978

Alternate Reality Fiction

“If we're not bound by the same limitations, we can become aware of alternate realities.”

- L. TUTTLE Lost Futures 95, 1992

Alternate Reality Fiction

“When they returned, they discovered that … their excursion had created a new alternate reality.”

- G. A. EFFINGER in Isaac Asimov's Sci. Fiction Mag. Feb. 120, 1989

Alternate Reality Fiction

Part IV Future learning - innovation

skills and abilities emerging from virtual worlds

Invitation Graphic Goes Here

Supersized – working at a new

scaleSuperimposed –

managing a hybrid scenario with both

real and virtual elements

Supercomputing – massively parallel

efforts Superheroic – pursuing goals

defined by the good

the evolution of everyday superheroes:

Virtual World Powers for Real-World InnovationMobability Open Authorship

Influency Emergensight

Ping Quotient Longbroading

Multi-Capitalism Signal/Noise Management

Protovation Cooperation Radar

Mobability• the ability to perform real-time work

in large groups• a talent for organizing and

collaborating with many people simultaneously

Influency• the ability to be persuasive in

multiple social contexts and media spaces

• an understanding that each context and space requires a different persuasive strategy and technique

Ping Quotient• measures your responsiveness to

other people’s requests for engagement

• your propensity and ability to reach out to others in a network

Multi-Capitalism• fluency in working with different

capitals• natural, intellectual, social, financial,

human, e.g.

Protovation• fearless innovation in rapid, iterative

cycles • an understanding that the cost of

short-term failure has been lowered

Open Authorship• ease and savvy in creating content

for public, or open, consumption – through peer 2 peer citation, circulation, and modification

Emergensight• ability to prepare for and handle

surprising results and complexity

Longbroading• thinking in terms of higher level

systems, massively multiple cycles, and a much bigger picture

Signal/Noise Management

• filtering meaningful info, patterns, and commonalities from the massively-multiple streams of data

Cooperation Radar

• the ability to sense, almost intuitively, who would make the best collaborators on a particular task

Virtual World Powers for Real-World InnovationMobability Open Authorship

Influency Emergensight

Ping Quotient Longbroading

Multi-Capitalism Signal/Noise Management

Protovation Cooperation Radar

Part V Open Discussion,

Q & A