The purpose of this research is the creation of the framework for immersive Virtual Worlds (VW) development and evaluation of factors affecting user’s immersion experience in 3D virtual worlds. Three experiments have been conducted to evaluate different aspects of the immersion experience in virtual reality. The first experiment aimed to explore the influence of communication on users whilst performing certain activities in a virtual world. The second experiment evaluated how the real-world environment affects users in a virtual world. The third experiment examined the aspect of mobility as a main contributor to a user’s distraction. The fourth experiment partly confirmed previous findings and added new factors, affecting immersion experience. The results of all experiments formed a framework, containing factors which users considered as affecting them during their activities in virtual worlds. During the experimentation phase of this research a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods was used. The Grounded Theory (GT) methodology was applied for data analysis in qualitative part. The major contribution of this research is the framework of factors for building immersive 3D virtual environments. Another contribution is the evaluation of factors affecting users in such an environment.

The subjective experience of presence is considered to be important in the treatment of anxiety disorders using virtual reality. Presence can be defined as a psychological phenomenon through which one's cognitive processes are oriented towards another world. Most of the research on presence has focused on the roles of technological factors influencing presence, while the number of studies focusing on the personality and physiological predictors are far fewer. Thus, the present study examined the relationship between various personality variables and presence, along with physiological correlates of presence when engaged in a virtual environment. The Presence Questionnaire, to determine their experience of presence, and a small battery of personality-related questionnaires were administered to 70 young adults who participated in 3 different virtual reality scenarios. Participants' physiological responses were recorded in the form of heart rate, galvanic skin levels, and galvanic skin responses were assessed as were urges to drink (craving). Data analysis showed that expectations, levels of craving, and drinking history played a significant role in the experience of presence.

This study investigated the development of trust between strangers interacting via avatars in virtual worlds. The first part of the study analyzed perceived trustworthiness based on the visual appearance of avatars; the second part makes observations of two strangers self-disclosing information via avatars in a virtual world; the third part analyzed an experimental situation of two individuals interacting via avatars, where avatar appearance was changed and participants were recruited based on their experience with interacting with others via avatars. Findings showed that perceived trustworthiness does vary based on the visual appearance of the avatar. A positive relationship was found for self-disclosure and experience, in that those who have previously chosen to participate in a virtual world were more likely to share more detailed information about themselves. Non-significant differences in self-disclosure were found for avatar appearance; however, experience in using virtual worlds was significantly different for the willingness to share information before engaging in a task: experienced participants shared more information than inexperienced participants. This suggests that self-disclosure might be influenced by appearance at the point of formation in that the experienced are willing to overlook the avatar, and less so when there are other sources of information to base trust-behavior on (Altman & Taylor, 1973; Nowak & Rauh, 2006). Recommendations were made for modifications for similar experiments trying to validate an objective measure of trust, and for continued research in the development of trust between strangers interacting via avatars.

ITC/USA 2015 Conference Proceedings / The Fifty-First Annual International Telemetering Conference and Technical Exhibition / October 26-29, 2015 / Bally's Hotel & Convention Center, Las Vegas, NV / This paper describes a new way to look at telemetry data. Northern Arizona University (NAU) students are researching a new approach to apply virtual reality (VR) to evaluate data from a collection of stored signals. Each signal will have limits attached which we will use to view the parts of the waveform which contain abnormalities. A program to illustrate the technique is being developed by NAU students. Initially, we were working with Vizard 5, using the Python language. However, there is another program, Unity, which will perhaps be more useful for the application we wish to achieve. Additionally, we are examining a technique to accurately access the telemetry data collected. The amount of telemetry data collected has increased over the years resulting in difficulties in identifying the relevant information. We are searching for a better approach to store and access big data and will demonstrate this approach by utilizing Oculus Rift and Microsoft Kinect.

This report is about VR and the effects the VR technology Oculus Rift may or may not have on the different kinds of immersion possible in virtual environments, or games. The report is based on the premise that modern games have evolved into more story based adventures with better graphics, often with moral choice as gameplay, and theories regarding new mediums and the dangers of not fully understanding them. It is also done in cooperation with a research team at Högskolan i Skövde, with a focus on moral dilemmas, and is using a virtual environment to test this combined effort. The game engine Unity is used to create a realistic environment and together with the Oculus Rift, is testing what kinds of effects the VR technology has on the users. 20 test participants have shared their experiences and the majority, independent of gaming experience, claims it has a positive effect.

A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science Johannesburg, May 2017. / Virtual Reality (VR) is widely used in training simulators of dangerous or expensive vehicles such as aircraft or heavy mining machinery. The vehicles often have very complicated controls that users need to master before attempting to operate a real world version of the machine. VR allows users to safely train in a simulated environment without the risk of injury or damaging expensive equipment in the field. VR however visually cuts off the user from the real environment,whichmayobtainobstructions. Usersareunabletosafelymoveorgesturewhilewearing aVRheadset. Additionallyusersareunabletousestandardinputdevicessuchasmiceandkeyboards. Bymixinginaliveviewofthetherealworld,theusercanstillseeandinteractwiththe physical environment. The contribution of this research is presenting ways of using Mixed RealitytoenhancetheuserexperienceoftraditionalVRbasedsimulators. MixedRealityimproves on traditional VR simulators by allowing the user the safety and freedom of not being cut off from the real world, allowing interaction and the tactile feedback of interacting with complex physical controls, while still allowing simultaneous use of virtual controls and by adding a real world reference point to aid in diminishing simulator sickness caused by visual motion / A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science / GR2018

As one of the main topics in Virtual Reality (VR), travel interfaces have been studied by many researchers in the past decades. However, it is still a challenging topic today. One of the design problems is the tradeoff between speed and precision. Some tasks (e.g., driving) require a user to travel long distances with less concern about precise movement, while other tasks (e.g., walking) require users to approach nearby objects in a more precise way, and to care less about the speed. Between these two extremes there are scenarios when both speed and precision become equally important. In the real world, we often seamlessly balance these requirements. However, most VR systems only support a single travel mode, which may be good for one range of travel, but not others. We propose and evaluate a new VR travel framework which supports three separate multi-touch travel techniques for different distance ranges, that all use the same input device with a unifying metaphor of the user’s fingers becoming their legs. We investigate the usability and user acceptance for the fingers-as-legs metaphor, as well as the efficiency, naturalness, and impact on spatial awareness such an interface has.

Enter The Palace of the Monarch to experience Chinese horror and mystery in a fully realized virtual reality game. Follow a trail of cryptic letters and portraits, solving many unique puzzles in ever more extraordinary places—this is a mysterious journey where knowledge meets myth. This fully immersive game asks the player, in the role of the first son of House of Lin, to return to an ancient palace to fulfill solve a mystery. This game is unique to Western markets, bringing Chinese culture, history, writing, and horror sensibility and coupling this with a carefully designed and paced mystery that is told through discoveries in the game world. Ultimately, players will unveil the hidden secrets of the palace. Through research on environmental storytelling, human computer interaction, and game puzzle design, we want to provide the game with fascinating and immersive VR experience.

Enter The Palace of the Monarch to experience Chinese horror and mystery in a fully realized virtual reality game. Follow a trail of cryptic letters and portraits, solving many unique puzzles in ever more extraordinary places€”this is a mysterious journey where knowledge meets myth. This fully immersive game asks the player, in the role of the first son of House of Lin, to return to an ancient palace to fulfill solve a mystery. This game is unique to Western markets, bringing Chinese culture, history, writing, and horror sensibility and coupling this with a carefully designed and paced mystery that is told through discoveries in the game world. Ultimately, players will unveil the hidden secrets of the palace. Through research on environmental storytelling, human computer interaction, and game puzzle design, we want to provide the game with fascinating and immersive VR experience.

This dissertation examines early adopters of mass-marketed Virtual Reality (VR), as well as other immersive technologies, and the playful processes by which they incorporate the devices into their lives within New York City. Starting in 2016, relatively inexpensive head-mounted displays (HMDs) began to be manufactured and distributed by leaders in the game and information technology industries. However, even before these releases, developers and content creators were testing the devices through “development kits.” These de facto early adopters, who are distinctly commercially-oriented, acted as a launching point for the dissertation to scrutinize how, why and in what ways digital technologies spread to the wider public. Taking a multimethod approach that combines semi-structured interviews, two years of participant observation, media discourse analysis and autoethnography, the dissertation details a moment in the diffusion of an innovation and how publicity, social forces and industry influence adoption. This includes studying the media ecosystem which promotes and sustains VR, the role of New York City in framing opportunities and barriers for new users, and a description of meetups as important communities where devotees congregate. With Game Studies as a backdrop for analysis, the dissertation posits that the blurry relationship between labor and play held by most enthusiasts sustains the process of VR adoption. Their “playbor” colors not only the rhetoric and the focus of meetups, but also the activities, designs, and, most importantly, the financial and personal expenditures they put forth. Ultimately, play shapes the system of production by which adopters of commercial VR are introduced to the technology and, eventually, weave it into their lives. Situating play at the center of this system highlights that the assimilation of digital media is in part an embodied and irrational experience. It also suggests new models by which future innovations will spread to the public.