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February 28, 2007
Audio and Virtual Worlds : Jared as Virtual Reality Specialist
Over the years I have worked with many different platforms for multi-user virtual worlds.
Our first experiments with 3D worlds were with NTT’s Interspace which used webcams for avatar heads and microphones for audio. We then moved to Onlive! (now Digispace) Traveler which also had an audio component but its audio had the added benefit of being directional. Basically it was like real life: you could hear people better who were closer and in front of you. Educationally this was fantastic, as it allowed students to practice their language skills while hiding behind the mask of an avatar – a virtual safe haven for expression.
Today, Second Life announced it would be adding voice to its network. Will audio hurt or help Second Life? Will it overload the grid or help to clean it up?
Pro:
Not everyone can type
Free audio conferencing spaces
Encourages smaller / reasonably sized groups
You can tell who is male and who is female
Adds another critical dimension making the space even more immersive
Con:
Everyone should learn to type
People need to learn the etiquette of mutli-user voice chat – not only is this vastly different from multi-user text chat but most people don’t care if they step on each other’s toes with words – with audio it is much worse.
Larger groups will be overwhelming
There will be a need for moderation controls
People will come up with audio bombs like giant radios
Adds another critical dimension making the space even more immersive
Will it work?
We shall see. But its definitely a step in the right direction and its been a missing component from many of the virtual worlds solutions to date (such as Adobe Atmospheres) and while game chatting add-ons are nice it would be nice to walk up to a complete stranger and just say “Hello”.
http://www.digitalspace.com/traveler
http://www.secondlife.com
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070228/ap_on_hi_te/techbit_second_life
Posted by jeb2 at February 28, 2007 06:41 PM
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Comments
Voice communication will change interactions and behaviors in SL. I hope the provide a way to mute people that are only causing problems
I recently attended a presentation in SL that was attended by 75-100 librarians. It was a very nice environment for collaboration and discussion. As the speaker typed in his formal statements, his slides were displayed behind him. During the presentation, people IM'ed specific individuals with one-on-one conversations. What was very beneficial were all the open comments that were mixed into the chat transcript during his presentation. It was nice people could comment or ask questions with out stepping all over the speaker, as might happen in a teleconference (or not at all in a true real world presentation). As the speaker felt appropriate, he answered questions or added more information. It appeared just as beneficial for him, and he could adjust his pace based on the chat conversation.
Posted by: Brian Gray at March 1, 2007 08:42 AM
I've given several talks at online conferences both in Second Life and on other platforms and its weird to even 'see' the traffic of text going on while you are speaking. I've learned to ignore all text that goes by because it literally can derail your stream of thought (plus sometimes there is a lag and it can be like trying to listen to yourself over the radio).
It is interesting to note that the experience of a SL lecture hall (of 1 talking to 100) is a lot different than a small group discussion. Lecture halls in many ways are easy - whether you are 1 of 100 or 1 of 100,000 you feel a part of the room but when its a small group to feel like you are part of that group requires more capabilities from the technology and more work on the part of the user.
Don't get me wrong I am all for events - but collaboration is where it gets tricky.
Posted by: Jared Bendis at March 1, 2007 09:42 AM