VirtualWorldSpaces

=main | objectives | meetings | worlds | findings=

=Exploring The Following Worlds:= (to be decided - please add to list)
 * **Second Life:** http://www.secondlife.com/
 * **There.com**: Like SL, 3D chat, avatars, shop, groups, etc. http://www.there.com/
 * **Virtual MTV**, be cool, party/ shop/ Celebs: http://www.vlb.mtv.com/
 * **Active Worlds:** http://www.activeworlds.com/ Community of users that chat and build 3D virtual reality environments in virtual territory.
 * **Active Worlds Educational Universe:** http://www.activeworlds.com/edu/awedu.asp dedicated to exploring the educational applications of the Active Worlds Technology.
 * **Wells Fargo Stagecoach Island Community:** http://blog.wellsfargo.com/StagecoachIsland/ online virtual world created by Wells Fargo. You can explore the island and its hidden secrets, connect with friends and make new ones, and at the same time learn smart money management.
 * **Entropia Universe:** http://www.entropiauniverse.com/index.var Real Cash Economy in a massive online universe, untamed planet of Calypso. Unique and secure Real Cash Economy.
 * **Virtual World of Kaneva**: http://www.kaneva.com/vworld/vworld.kaneva Chat, avatar, create 3D homes, shop, like Second Life - so let's not do the ones that are virtually the same ;)
 * **The Music Lounge**: http://www.themusiclounge.com/faces/pages/index.xhtml 3D Virtual Dance Club, use AIM, be cool
 * **Cybertown** - Civilization for the Virtual Age, more futuristic than SL: http://www.cybertown.com/
 * **IMVU - 3D chat for PC**, customisable homepage: http://www.imvu.com/
 * **moove online:** more like SIMS online http://www.moove.com/
 * [|Wubble World Online!]+ http://cgve2gether.wikispaces.com/Wubble+Worlds
 * [|Wubble World White Paper] (395 Kb) Daniel Hewlett, Shane Hoversten, Wesley Kerr, Paul Cohen, Yu-Han Chang
 * BarbieGirls - Barbie World - http://www.barbiegirls.com/home.html
 * [|Croquet]

//[|*from - http://sleducation.wikispaces.com/virtualworlds#virtual]//


 * 1) Second Life - **chris | alex miller | regan**
 * 2) There.com -
 * 3) Virtual MTV -
 * 4) Active Worlds - Georgina
 * 5) Active Worlds Educational Universe -
 * 6) Wells Fargo Stagecoach Island Community -
 * 7) Entropia Universe - **Alex Hayes - happy to bring in guest <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<**
 * 8) Virtual World of Kaneva -
 * 9) The Music Lounge -
 * 10) Cybertown -
 * 11) IMVU **- Anne Paterson**
 * 12) moove online -
 * 13) Wubble World Online- **David Bartolo | alex miller**
 * 14) BarbieGirls - Alex Hayes
 * 15) http://openid.net/ - get your ID
 * 16) hardcore MMORPG - http://tobolds.blogspot.com/
 * 17) Habbo Hotel -
 * 18) Virtual Worlds Review - http://www.virtualworldsreview.com/info/categories.shtml
 * 19) [|Croquet] - **Paula Williams** ([|wikipedia])

other virtual worlds
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_MMORPGs


 * **[|Casual Immersive Worlds] //(click to view full table)//** ||  ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||
 * A Comparison Chart by TechCrunch ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||  ||
 * [|<< Back to article] ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||  ||
 * || Active Worlds || Barbie Girls || Club Penguin || Cyworld || Dubit || Faketown || Gaia || Habbo Hotel || IMVU || Kaneva || Millsberry || Mokitown || Neopets || Red Light Center || Second Life || There || Webkinz || Zwinktopia ||
 * **Website** || [|activeworlds.com] || [|barbiegirls.com] || [|clubpenguin.com] || [|cyworld.com] || [|dubitchat.com] || [|faketown.com] || [|gaiaonline.com] || [|habbo.com] || [|imvu.com] || [|kaneva.com] || [|millsberry.com] || [|mokitown.com] || [|neopets.com] || [|redlightcenter.com] || [|secondlife.com] || [|there.com] || [|webkinz.com] || [|zwinky.smileycentral.com] ||
 * **Target Audience** || General || Young girls || Children || Teenagers || General || General || Pre-teenagers || Teenagers || General || General || Pre-teenagers || Pre-teenagers || Pre-teenagers || Mature adults || General || General || Children || Pre-teenagers ||
 * **Main Premise** || Interact with users via chat in an interactive 3D world || Design personal barbie character and chat with friends || Create penguin character, chat with friends, and engage in virtual activities/games || Avatar-centric social networking || Chat with people in various rooms || Chat with people in various settings || Avatar-centric social networking with trivial activities/games || Design character, chat in different rooms, and participate in activities/games || Chat with 3D avatars in various rooms || Create character, explore areas, and chat with other members || Explore 2D world, engage in virtual activities/games || Design character and chat in different areas || Create pet and engage in activities/games || Chat with other members and engage in adult activities || Chat with other members and engage in activities || Chat with other members in a virtual world || Control virtual plush toy, chat with friends, and engage in activities/games || Design character, chat with other members, and engage in activities/games ||
 * **Immersion Level (out of 5)** || 5 || 3 || 2 || 1 || 3 || 2 || 3 || 3 || 2 || 4 || 2 || 3 || 1 || 4 || 5 || 5 || 3 || 2 ||
 * **Graphics & Point of View** || 3D objects; 1st person vew || Sprites; bird's-eye view || Sprites; bird's-eye view || HTML and flash graphics || Sprites; bird's-eye view || Sprites; side view || Sprites; bird's-eye view || Sprites; bird's-eye view || 3D objects; 3rd person view || 3D objects; trailing view || HTML and Flash graphics || Sprites; bird's-eye view || HTML and Flash graphics || 3D; trailing view || 3D objects || 3D objects; multiple view types || Sprites; bird's-eye view || Sprites; side view ||
 * **Users Online When Visited** || 108 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 12 || 98 || 75,482 || 2373 || N/A || 261 || 11,179 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 35,168 || N/A || N/A || N/A ||
 * **June 2007 Total Unique Visitors** || N/A || 1,948,788 || 9,039,009 || 14,810,001 || N/A || N/A || 1,790,567 || 2,132,645 || 4,421,019 || 923,937 || 236,613 || N/A || 7,671,481 || N/A || 3,151,881 || N/A || 4,608,336 || N/A ||
 * **Revenue Sources** || Virtual world and citizenship sales; world hosting; 3D homepages || Premium subscriptions || Membership fees || Virtual purchases and gifts; corporate partnerships || Ads || Ads || Ads; merchandise || Ads; virtual credits || Ads; avatar upgrades || Ads; virtual credits || Product placement || N/A (Safety initiative) || Ads, premium memberships, merchandise || Ads, Premium memberships || Ads, premium memberships; virtual land sales || Premium membership, merchandise || Plush toy sales || Ads; search ad revenues ||
 * **Revenue Sources** || Virtual world and citizenship sales; world hosting; 3D homepages || Premium subscriptions || Membership fees || Virtual purchases and gifts; corporate partnerships || Ads || Ads || Ads; merchandise || Ads; virtual credits || Ads; avatar upgrades || Ads; virtual credits || Product placement || N/A (Safety initiative) || Ads, premium memberships, merchandise || Ads, Premium memberships || Ads, premium memberships; virtual land sales || Premium membership, merchandise || Plush toy sales || Ads; search ad revenues ||

=Project Teams=

Explorers: David Bartolo & Alex Miller
Space: ???

Description :
Wubble World is a 3D space where users (children) create an avatar (a wubble) from a limited set, and then move around a virtual space solving puzzles and using basic language skills. The interesting thing about this world is that it is designed so that the wubble can learn situational language from the children. It seems the project has two goals - to provide children with a social educational interactive space, and to use their communication to teach computers to understand language. By using the childrens' simple language, the wubble is more readily able to learn. Also, as the child becomes the wubble's mentor, they are well-engaged in the learning process. I (David) found the interface pretty underdeveloped in my brief time there - it is a BETA version, and the world is pretty sparse. Also the physics detracts a bit from the user experience - things move a bit slowly and take time to respond to controls. The [|paper] describing this world is really interesting.

Team Outcomes:

 * Explore existing educational spaces
 * Explore educational challenges

World: Second Life
[|Second Life] & [|wikipedia]

Explorers: Alex Miller & Regan Harding
Space: Wiki

Description :
//“////[|Second Life]// //is a 3D online digital world imagined, created and owned by its residents.”// The platform is developed by Linden Lab. Residents engage in a range of activities including socialising, attending musical events, playing games & sports, dancing, shopping, running businesses, building structures, scripting objects, attending meetings and presentations and undertaking training and education.

Team Outcomes:

 * Explore existing educational spaces
 * Explore educational challenges

World: Habbo Hotel
[|habbo hotel] & [|wikipedia]

Explorers:
Space:

Description :
//**Habbo Hotel**// is a virtual community. Habbo Hotel is aimed at teenagers, and it combines the two concepts of a chat room and an online game. The chatrooms that make up each Hotel are large, computer-generated graphics that use isometric projection. The game is centered around //Habbos//, virtual representations of its members. Each character has a different name, and is identified solely by this name. The service's other focus point is //virtual [|furniture]//, which is often called "furni" by players. This virtual furniture can be bought by players using //credits//, which are bought using real-life currency. This furniture and the credits used to buy them can also be traded between users.

Team Outcomes:

 * Explore existing educational spaces
 * Explore educational challenges

World: ActiveWorlds
[|ActiveWorlds] & [|wikipedia]

Explorers:
Space:

Description :

 * Active Worlds** (AW) is a 3D virtual reality platform. The "Active Worlds Browser" runs on Windows. Users assign themselves a unique name, log into the Active Worlds virtual world universe, and explore 3D virtual worlds and environments that other users have built.

Users can chat with one another or build structures and areas from a selection of objects. AW allows users to own worlds and universes, and develop 3D content. The browser has web browsing capabilities, voice chat, and basic instant messaging.

The program's original goal was to be the 3D-equivalent of a 2D web browser (such as Internet Explorer or Mozilla). Instead of creating a website, the user could construct an office, building, or area in which to display products or information

Team Outcomes:

 * Explore existing educational spaces
 * Explore educational challenges

World: There.com
[|There] & [|wikipedia]

Explorers:
Space:

Description :
//**There**// is a 3-D online virtual world. There is **not** a game, but a venue for socializing. Billed on its homepage as "...an online getaway where you can hang out with your friends and meet new ones...", There defines itself as a service providing a shared experience that allows people to interact in an online society. Each new member enters the community by choosing a unique name and a male or female avatar. The avatar's name and gender are permanently set, but various attributes such as hair color and style, head and body shapes, skin and eye color, clothing, etc. can be changed as desired. Most items such as furniture are designed to be used within houses or zones, although some items such as vehicles and dogs are not due to their mobile nature. Monetary transactions in There's economy are done using Therebucks, virtual currency with real world value. Therebucks can be purchased directly from There, from other members, or from any of the third party online "banks" which usually offer competitive exchange rates. Members can also sell their Therebucks to banks in exchange for real world currency, usually USD.

Team Outcomes:

 * Explore existing educational spaces
 * Explore educational challenges