Synthetic Worlds — Emerging Technologies in Education and Economics

Synthetic Worlds, Virtual Worlds, and Alternate Realities are all terms used to describe the phenomenon of computer-based, simulated environments in which users inhabit and interact via avatars. The best-known commercial applications are in the form of electronic gaming, and particularly in massively-multiplayer online role-playing games like World of Warcraft or Second Life. Less known, but possibly more important, is the rapid adoption of platforms in education and business, where Serious Games are being used for training purposes, and even Second Life is being used in many situations that formerly required travel. Linden Lab, creator of Second Life, recently announced the creation of Second Life Enterprise, with customers including IBM, Northrop Grumman, and the US Naval Undersea Warfare Center. Torsten Reiners is in charge of the Virtual Worlds for University of Hamburg project initiated in 2007, and he and two co-editors assembled an ISIS volume that captures the state of research in the field intended to reflect the rapidly growing yet relatively young market in education and business. The general focus is set on the scientific community but integrates the practical applications for businesses, with papers on information systems, business models, and economics. In six parts, international authors – all experts in their field – discuss the current state-of-the-art of virtual worlds/alternate realities and how the field will develop over the next years.Part One of the book covers the origins of Virtual Worlds and also considers where the field will go in the future. Part Two explores the social dimension in the use of Virtual Worlds, and Part Three looks at collaboration through Virtual Worlds. Part Four covers the area of distance education, and Part Five discusses cases and scenarios of integration. Finally, Part Six highlights the development and implementation benefits of dynamic learning environments.