Stepping Into the Internet:
New Ventures in VIRTUAL WORLDS
Presented By:
Ghada Abdel Warith
Presented To:
Dr. Dina Rateb

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OTjANCXS6A
On Second Life…2006
Toyota
IBM
If You Build it…
They Will Not Necessarily Come
Hyped Expectations Vs Real Benefits
Revenues in 2011
are expected to
reach $7.3 billion
globally
$2.1 in the United
States
Virtual world… The Future
Virtual World Users
1.2
1
0.8
Users (Billion)
0.6
0.4
0.2
0
2009
2011
And expected to increase…
Virtual World Design

Key Dimension
Fantasy - Realism
 Progression - Emergence: the extent to which the
activities are dictated by the world’s creators vs.
emerged from interaction with Avatars


Key Decisions
Who owns the intellectual property rights?
 Who controls the game?

Virtual World Design
Copyright
Code
Creativity
Community
Contracts (TOS, EULAs)
Virtual Worlds as Occasions for
Sensemaking

Challenge: Making sense of the virtual world!
 Replicated
experience from real world into the virtual
world
Need to better understand how users make sense of the virtual
world environments and how they perceive the value associated
with virtual world experiences
Virtual Worlds as Occasions for
Sensemaking

Person – Avatar Relationship
 What
kind of bond? (object, extension, offspring)
 Important… understand engagement
 Research findings
Engaging in a 3D Environment

Are 3D environments more immersive than their
2Dcounterparts?
 Research
findings
Success of Virtual Worlds


Rests on the creative ideas and energy of the users,
rather than the creators of the virtual world
Virtual world must enable the:




Pragmatic experience
Sociability experience
Usability experience
Hedonic experience
Virtual World Economies


Users property rights over goods & services created
New form of market economy
How companies can attract and retain
potential customers within the virtual world?
Virtual World Economies

Research Question; how the environmental stimuli of
the virtual world impact an individual’s experience?
Casual users as opposed to regular
users
Sample: 345 participants
New Frontiers in Virtual World




Game based learning
Virtual skills in the real world
SMEs have a chance!
Change in workforce dynamics
Virtual Worlds In Reality…


How do you think virtual worlds can help in your
work?
Virtual worlds vs facebook and twitter ?
References

MIS Quarterly; September Issue 201; Authors
Molly Wasko, Robin Teigland, Dorothy Leidner,
Sirkka Jarvenpaa
Any Questions?