articles...
Janet Cardiff, Orson Welles and Augmented Space
10 May 09 · Shelly Nadashi
In a previous blog I wrote about Augmented Spaces. I would like now to present Janet Cardiff’s work in relation to the notion of augmented space and in comparison to Orson Welles’ War of the Worlds, which I’ve also discussed here before.
Cardiff is a sound artist famous for her audio walks in which she records herself and creates audio tracks especially for certain walking roots. Her audience is asked to wear headphones and to walk in a certain path while listening to an audio track.
Janet Cardiff
The example of Cardiff’s work is applicable for the discussion about War of the Worlds because both hers and Welles’s work is essentially an audio work based upon a narrator’s voice and other sounds which give a sonic interpretation to physical reality. In both cases, a technological layer in being posed over physical reality.
However, while Cardiff is mostly targeting her work towards a specific audience of art consumers – she uses CD players as her audio projection devise – Welles used the radio as his projection devise, and he knew well that War of the Worlds will be consumed by a less sophisticated audience, which might not recognize the fact that this news broadcast was actually a theatrical piece (or an art piece). In this sense his work is experimenting more with the consequences of what might be caused by augmenting another layer of technology over physical reality. In other words, whilst Cardiff work is playing with the notion of augmented space within the safe environment of the art world – Wells’ work functioned in areas beyond this world and resembled more to a real social experiment.
Virtual Rape...is it a crime or just...? _Evaluation of VR
9 May 09 · Manki Park
Even if Virtual reality technologies can be utilized for humans in relation to some positive affects of entertainment, business, communication and mental health service, it is need to monitor various its facets in terms of negative affections. Dibbell emphasized that ethical consideration plays an important role in virtual communities (1). This is because VR can be misused to gratify human beings’ being corrupted desires and violated another’s privacy and rights without moral consciousness. For example, cyber-rape or crimes in LambdaMOO (a virtual reality community) may create individual’s psychological damage like humiliation, shame or fear through avatars’ social activities (ibid).
Nevertheless, most virtual worlds, especially Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game , could be considered to have their own culture. Within a virtual world culture, the community often dictates and manage what types of practices and rules are considered freely allowed (2). That means codified rules in MMORPG communities should not be ignored and responsible for any kind of users’ actions that might be escaped by communities (ibid).
Powers argues that ‘real’ wrongs might be happened when using moral relativism in conjunction with community practices (3). For example, as mentioned earlier ‘cyber-rape’ incident described in Dibbell “Rape in Cyberspace” was wrong and did cause harm. In this ‘cyber-rape’ case, what is the most significant problem is that although there was violated in virtual communities, the ‘cyber-rape’ incident was not constituted an ethical problem and the attacker did not cause significant psychological and emotional distress on the victim as well as the other participants did not, either (ibid). This is because there was not occurred any physical harms and eventually may lead to insensibility to the feelings of other users in communities. It must be required Cyber Ethics!
As a consequence, it may result in people’s emotional confusion between real-life and virtual-life, and actions in virtual life may lead to real-life dormant consequences (4). Hence, it is inevitable to new policies and ethics of virtual world to prevent individual’s erroneous behavior.
Bibliography
(1) Dibbell, J. (1998) My Tiny Life: Crime and Passion in a Virtual World. London: Fourth Estate.
(2) Justin M. Grimes, Kenneth R. Fleischman, and Paul T. Jaeger (2009)
Virtual Guinea Pigs: Ethical implications of Human Subjects Research in
Virtual Worlds, Internationals Journal of Internet Research Ethics, Vol. 2(1) Feb
(3) Powers, T. M. (2003). Real wrongs in virtual communities. Ethics and Information Technology, 5, 191-198.
(4) Slouka, M. (1995) War of the Worlds: Cyberspace and high-tech assault on reality. New York: Basic Books.
URL References
Reader Roundtable: “Virtual Rape” Claim Brings Belgian Police to Second Life
Virtual Rape Is Traumatic, but Is It a Crime?
VR exposure therapy in 3D virtual world _The application of VR_003
9 May 09 · Manki Park
Mental disorders
Psychiatric disorder as mental illness relatively has the highest rate among young people group rather than other population group in the US (4). For example, findings from the survey showed that more than 60% of young people aged 19 to 21 years olds will suffer from mental disorder during their life (5). Especially, the likelihood of mental disorder is higher among young people in urban areas. National studies found that only about 20% to 40% of people who had a mental health disorder in the past 12 months had received treatment during the period (ibid). Another problem is that living in a rural area was difficult to receive treatment relatively rather than those living in more urban areas. Investigations by Rueter et. al. (4) focused on mental health in rural areas. The researchers found issues regarding barriers of service use, methods of service delivery, ethical issues related to offering mental health services in small communities (4).
Virtual health service for mental disease
Gorini suggested that the efficacy of VR exposure therapy in 3D virtual world for the diagnosis and treatment of various psychological disorders (1). During the VR exposure, the patient is immersed in a virtual environment and the therapist can accompany the patient as giving a particular threatening experience to them (ibid). Subsequently, they can share their experience in the same online virtual space as interaction between them. For example, the patient can be taken to a virtual world by the therapist and asked to joint a conversation by other avatars (not patients). Finally, patients can get feedback from therapists through real-time audio and microphone. Moreover, patients suffering from addiction disorders such as drug abuse and gambling can be exposed to specific kinds of dangerous situations without instruction. As a result, virtual world exposure provides the patient with realistic 3D visualization of the feared situation and gains the therapist information about patients, which is more effective that therapists can easily record psycho-physiological symptom before, during, and after exposure from the feared situation (3). Pull demonstrated that it is effective to obtain objective measures of the individual changes (2). This procedure showed that VR exposure is as effective as traditional methods to care mental diseases.
Biobliography
(1) Gorini, A. (2008) A Second Life for eHealth: Prospects for the Use of 3-D Virtual Worlds in Clinical Psychology. Journal of Medical Internet Research 10(3): 1-22.
(2) Pull, C.B. (2005) Current status of virtual reality exposure therapy in anxiety disorders: editorial review. Curr Opin Psychiatry. 18(1): 7-14.
(3) Rizzo, A., Pair, J., McNerney P.J., Eastlund, E., Manson, B., Gratch, J. et. al. (2005) Development of a VR therapy application for Iraq war military personnel with PTSD. Stud Health Technology Information. 111: 407-413.
(4) Rueter, M., Holm, K.,Burzette, R.,Kim, K. J. and Conger, R.(2007)
Mental Health of Rural Young Adults: Prevalence of Psychiatric Disorders.
Comorbidity, and Service Utilization Community Mental Health Journal. 43(3): 1-21.
(5) Wang, P. S., Lane, M., Olfson, M., Pincus, H. A., Wells, K. B., & Kessler, R. C. (2005) Twelvemonth use of mental health services in the United States: Results from the National Comorbidity Survey Replication. Archives of General Psychiatry. 62(6): 629–640.
URL References
Designing VR Exposure Therapy Simulations for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders
WHAT'S NEXT? _The application of VR_002
9 May 09 · Manki Park
Context
Virtual worlds will be categorized into three “worlds” which are as follow; the Real World, the Digital World (2D Web,Internet), and the Virtual World (3D Web) (4). As mentioned before several times, virtual worlds are emerging universes, ranging from MMORPGs (massive multiplayer online games, such as World of Warcraft [www.worldofwarcraft.com/index.xml], and Metaverses (Virtual Worlds that are primarily social vs. game oriented, such as Second Life), to MMOLEs (focused on learning and training environments), to Intraverses (putting up a virtual world inside the corporate firewall), to Paraverses (often also called Mirror Worlds, such as Google Earth) [www.earth.google.com] (ibid).
What is next?
Virtual Worlds will be improved by technology and acceptance for the future and next generation. However, environments such as Second Life are moving and evolving so fast.
1) Virtual Browsers – Many experts and participants expect that the introduction of a “virtual browser” as the next breakthrough, allowing avatars and cyberspaces on the users’ screen to interact and move easily between users in virtual world, installing 3D web browsers (2). Eventually, it aims to build 3D web or Internet. It is quite necessary to form multi-user environments and achieve personal virtual spaces as Internet innovation. For example, SL and other virtual worlds have been developing the post-2D Web platform, transforming it to a 360-degree 3D experience (4). Personally, I wonder how can be utilized avatars and virtual world to attain 3D web browsers or 3D Internet.
2) Ubiquity)– this technology would be used for mobile phones and net books that are fundamentally for communication. Through the combination of these digital gadgets and virtual technologies, data sent by the server to a mobile phone can be displayed on the phone’s screen or on external display devices such as a head-mounted stereoscopic display system (3). These displays can be connected to the mobile phone and home pc or other ways as communication devices.
The application of SL and other virtual worlds have possibilities to become the next generation interface for connections, content, and collaboration.
Bibliography
(1) Hemp, Paul. “Avatar-Based Marketing”.
Harvard Business Review. June 2006: pp.48-57
(2) Guissani, Bruno (2006) “Second Life: the next platform”.
Lunch over IP: Bruno Guissani’s Running Notes on People, Places, Technologies and Ideas. 31, Oct. 2006. www.lunchoverip.com/2006/10/there_is_a_medi.html
(3) Media freaks 3D Animation Studio Blog (2008) Virtual Realities in Mobile Phones Sun, Oct 19, 2008 http://blog.media-freaks.com/virtual-realities-in-mobile-phones/
(4) Susan Kish (2007) Virtual Worlds: Second Life and the Enterprise, Xing, Zurich, Switzerland
URL References
Defining and Understanding Virtual Worlds
Google Maps is changing the Way we see the World
The beginning of Metaverse sevice via a game console and its meaning as to PS3 Home _The application of VR_001
9 May 09 · Manki Park
Metaverse service is evolving novel technology based on the combination of communities and communication, following marketing, games, education as virtual innovation. I strongly introduce Sony’s ambition (over Second Life and Nintendo), novel game for playstation 3 (ps3), the Home that is produced by Sony Computer Entertainment with focus on role playing game – users for PS3.
According to Sony, service of the Home has clear visions and purposes as core contents that allow users to communicate with each other through this game console, PS3 and encourage them to build their virtual game communities as well as use game contents (1). Furthermore, it is likely that the Home is fundamentally focused on Metaservice in relation to some aspects of social interaction, game marketing and entertainments. Its service largely consists of 6 categories such as Home square, Home café, personal space, game space, Cinema and shopping mall respectively.
The beginner of this game can select their own avatar and offer personal space formed one room sized-space in flat as personal spaces (1). Basically, users can easily communicate with other user via text and headset system or real-time avatars technology as moving other space without any limits (2). Moreover, it contains different kinds of expression as a communication method not only speaking language but also gestures and finger or sign language (ibid).
What is the most important feature of this game is that it is quite different from existing Metaverse services like Second Life and There.com at a point of offering various contents that are fundamentally connected with game modules in virtual world (2). That means that only Sony can realize this kind of novel game contents business in Metaverse service or game contents service as first model or try. This is because Sony has a huge capital to lead new game trends in Metaverse service, offering the high quality of contents such as Sony games, Sony films and Sony music, which is distinguish from other service structure (1).
Home enables users to select contents and virtual communities depending users’ purpose and needs. In contrast to no contents in SL, Home shows killer contents to tempt users through Sony’s powerful contents companies like Sony Pictures and even Music for entertainment elements without any admission (1). It may be that it will be one of dangerous business models in Metaverse service. However Sony believes that it appears have considerable potential business model. They also think that the only high quality of content is only way and answer to survive and control new paradigms in the market (ibid).
Bibliography
(1) Asakura Rage ( 2000) The Ambition of Sony, Seoul: Bada books.
(2) Yakee Zmuto (2001) IT Revolution, from Sony, Seoul: Munhwa books.
(3) Watanabe Hiroyoshi (2008) , Destructive Trends, Seoul: wongjin books
Url Refereces
‘Sony Brings Gamers ‘Home‘’, Forbes
‘Sony Launches PlayStation Home’, Business Week
‘Sony launches PlayStation virtual community’, Associated Press
‘Sony’s Home Opens To 15 Million PSN Accounts’, Gamasutra
‘When Will Sony’s ‘Home’ Come Out of Beta’, , 2008.12.12 PC Magazine
recent articles...
- Janet Cardiff, Orson Welles and Augmented Space
- Virtual Rape...is it a crime or just...? _Evaluation of VR
- VR exposure therapy in 3D virtual world _The application of VR_003
- WHAT'S NEXT? _The application of VR_002
- The beginning of Metaverse sevice via a game console and its meaning as to PS3 Home _The application of VR_001