1

Professor Pena LIB 4900 Research paper The future of the virtual world

Cheuk Kwan Chan 12/04/2012

The technology is changing in a rapid speed, everyday there will be a new technology be invented to replace the old one with better function and more suitable for our busy lives style. With the new transforming communication technology that can virtually distribute the information is bringing us major advantages and opportunities for all stakeholders. The innovation in information and communication technologies have allowing us to gain access to virtual learning application. One of these trending communication technology tools such as the Second-Life, Dreamworld, There, Meet Me or any other virtual social networking platforms. The users of all these 3D virtual world applications can be participating in the new style of teaching and learning with no limit such as bad weather, far away from school, missing a class. Threedimensional virtual worlds offer the availability of different learning experiences that are not always possible to replicate in a physical classroom (Dickey 1999). The virtual world is going to break the box that students must learn and stay in classroom, the next generation could be learning the new class material while they are online participating in 3D virtual learning application through animation and actually experience from playing. Hypothesis and Research method My hypothesis on the virtual world is how the virtual world applications will bring in to the classroom as a new kind teaching style for the next generation or a new technique could be incorporate it with teaching the students at home/ outside from school.

For this studying, the data will conduct by using the experience surveys with focus group which includes both male and female from 18-25. People will ask a short survey about 10 questions based on their thoughts on virtual world, to see how their idea and experiences for my study. Literature Review As our technology in the real world become more advanced, people start their interest and focus to the virtual world, some people might say it is the internet, World- Wide- Web. But some of these scholars disagree, they think it will be the gaming virtual world, where people can spend their leisure time and get whole new experience of this reality. The video game market had grown and also generated huge revenue in the U.S. (Messinger et al 1). Since after globalization age started, most of the factories or any other manufactured companies are outsourcing their production lines to China or other countries with low currency rate. In my opinion, the U.S could focusing on video gaming industry which demanding a lot of creativity and advanced technology that other countries dont have, this trending profession field could become a new business with low initial low but huge profit. The video game company could also generate its profit from selling extra stuff such as virtually items or power booster pack virtually. Guo and Barnes both think the people in these virtual world will generate its profit by selling the virtual items which can be fulfilled the people desire by customizing their own unique avatar or improving their avatars ability. The extra revenue beside the actually video game sales, it will bring the company a profit with very little of initial cost and overhead cost. All they need to do is producing their products by computer online. As on the other hand, Messinger continually to urge this new market by surveying

resident in one of the popular online virtual game, Second- Life, which people can create their own character in a new world where everything seem to be exactly like the reality world. Such as some of screenshots that provide from Messingers paper, there are Dell, Honda, and Nissans logo in the virtual world. But the virtual world not only can be a new revenue for the game company or U.S business market, it also can be a new teaching method/ technique for the future generation who born around with high- tech stuffs such as smartphone, tablet computer and Internet. According to Chois article, he selected the players in the BKworld as his targeted group, BKworld an online virtual role playing game similar to Second- Life (Choi, and Baek 2385-2388). His idea on the virtual world applications is different than Messinger and Guos research, Choi thinks that the virtual world will change the traditional classroom teaching culture and become the new style of teaching by transferring the virtual world applications into school for students from variety of countries can participated together in it (307). In additionally, Zhou has different approach to study the virtual world, he is concentrating to study the users behavior in the game like what they usually do and why they so addicted to the online gaming world. Although the result from the in- game questionnaire by Zhou did not supporting Chois idea on the new style of teaching. But it shows that there is small percentage of people are involving the virtual world learning experience. (Zhou et al. 263-267). Since Chois test group is based on elementary students compared to Zhou et al. younger users are under 35(Choi, and Baek 2385-2388, Zhou et al. 264). Data Summary See complete responses

Have you ever be exposed to the virtual world?

Yes 16 100% NO 0 0%

What is the first thing come to your mind when you heard the word "virtual world"? Online game 10 63%

Social network platform 14 88% New style of teaching etc 5 31% 1 6%

People may select more than one checkbox, so percentages may add up to more than 100%. Have you ever talk online course or learn something from online tutorial?

Yes 16 100% No 0 0%

How often you spend your time on social network?

0-1hr 0 0% 2-5hr 6 38% 5+hr 10 63%

Have you ever take online course or use online virtual tutorial help you learn?

yes 15 94% no 1 6%

Do you think in the near future every video game or even school will be based on virtual world?

yes 13 81% no 3 19%

Do you think that the online 3D virtual world can help study or learn something? Yes No 10 67% 5 33%

Maybe 0 0% People may select more than one checkbox, so percentages may add up to more than 100%. Your age

18-21 11 69% 22+ 5 31%

Gender

Male

10 63%

Female 6 38%

Interpretation The data for this study, it will categorize based on respondents answered on whether they have exposed to the virtual world application such as the Second-Life or Sims online. If the respondents answered no in the survey, we will exclude that rest of data about that respondent because the respond from he or she is not really an experience- based answer, it could be a makeup or randomly select answer. Fortunately, all of the respondents we questioned are heard or played the online virtual world before. Every respondent has taken or learned something from either online course or online tutorial uploaded by people in YouTube or other sources. It shows that taking courses or learning in online environment is workable and adoptable for students above 18. Compared to either Choi or Zhou et al target age group, the result gathered from this experiment is more significant Creative expression could then become the most valuable resource in a future world of material abundance created through the triumphs of technologists (Lanier 103). The present day technology has given us enough support in both software and hardware as the backbone for people like scientists or technologists as Lanier mentioned to practice or carry out the ideas from our mind and things that cant be done hundreds of year ago. Furthermore, even ordinary people with very little knowledge of technology can do something innovative and could be affecting their lives, thanks to the evolving technology which has become more users- friendly and simplified by the scientists hard work. The scientists keep improving the technology not just for

showing off how great they are or what they capable to do, but bringing all the human being the ideas from their creativities to move on into a new era. The future is all about how people incorporate their new ideas with action and technology to fulfill the imagination of a dream into reality that improve hundreds of people lives.

Survey Have you ever be exposed to the virtual world? * such as Second life, Sims online or other RPG game.

Yes NO

What is the first thing come to your mind when you heard the word "virtual world"? *

Online game Social network platform New style of teaching etc

Have you ever talk online course or learn something from online tutorial? *

Yes No

How often you spend your time on social network? *

0-1hr 2-5hr

5+hr

Have you ever take online course or use online virtual tutorial help you learn? * From school, youtube

yes no

Do you think in the near future every video game or even school will be based on virtual world?

yes no

Do you think that the online 3D virtual world can help study or learn something? *

Yes No Maybe

Your age

18-21 22+

Gender

Male Female