Submitted by Jorge Silva (jorgelmsilva@ufrrj.br) on 2017-02-13T19:21:44Z No. of bitstreams: 1 2015 - Simone Ramos.pdf: 3006092 bytes, checksum: be7e0f821c94ac23a229118fadd1d990 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-02-13T19:21:44Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 2015 - Simone Ramos.pdf: 3006092 bytes, checksum: be7e0f821c94ac23a229118fadd1d990 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-12-22 / This research had as objective recognize ways to present subjectivity knowledge building process triggered by game. For the realization of this study the building game MMO (Massive Multiplayer Online) called Minecraft was chosen for the field research. The hypothesis is that the high level of interoperability and immersion presented in digital media of games come driving a more intuitive, sensible, imagetic and practical cognition. This way, it is intended to initially define what is cognition from the cognition sciences and technologies perspective based on the autopoiesis theory. The next step proposes the theoretical understanding of electronic or computer game beginning with its definition and from the concepts of non-immersive virtual reality, interactivity and immersion. Finally, it will be discussed the relationship between the cognitive potential in games and the autopoietic knowledge. As methodological aspects for field research were used procedures of field research and derived netnography as the process conductors. Data were collected through a questionnaire, through material published on the blog created for research (Videos and comment on the participation in the metaverse made by the research subjects), and the non- structured interview guided and supported by systematic observation. The data analysis was performed from the triangulation between the technique of Talking Dynamics, the data collected in immersion in the metaverse and the theoretical basis used. As a result the research was considered non-conclusive regarding the sample used, but indicates routes to be followed in future researches. / O presente trabalho de pesquisa teve como objetivo identificar os modos de subjetiva??o presente no processo de constru??o de conhecimento deflagrado pelo videogame. Para a realiza??o desse estudo foi escolhido o game de constru??o MMO (Massive Multiplayer Online) denominado Minecraft para a pesquisa de campo. A hip?tese levantada ? de que o alto n?vel de interoperabilidade e imers?o presente na m?dia digital dos games venha acionando uma cogni??o mais intuitiva, sens?vel, imag?tica e com predom?nio da pr?tica. Neste percurso, pretende-se inicialmente definir o que ? cogni??o a partir das ci?ncias e tecnologias da cogni??o (CTC) e tomando como base a teoria da autopoiesi. Em seguida, prop?e-se a compreens?o te?rica acerca do jogo eletr?nico ou computacional a partir de sua defini??o e dos conceitos de realidade virtual n?o-imersiva, interatividade e imers?o. Finalmente, ser? discutida a imbrica??o entre o potencial cognitivo presente nos games e o conhecer autopoietico. Como aspectos metodol?gicos para a pesquisa de campo foram utilizados os procedimentos de pesquisa netnogr?fica derivada e de campo como condutores do processo. Os dados foram coletados por meio de question?rio, pelo material publicado (v?deos e observa??es sobre as incurs?es no metaverso feitos pelos sujeitos da pesquisa) no blog criado para a pesquisa, e pela entrevista n?o-estruturada guiada e apoiada pela observa??o sistem?tica. A an?lise dos dados foi realizada a partir da triangula??o entre a t?cnica da Din?mica das Conversa??es, os dados coletados em minha imers?o no metaverso e a base te?rica utilizada. Como resultado a pesquisa foi considerada n?o-conclusiva em rela??o a amostragem utilizada, mas aponta caminhos a serem percorridos em pesquisas futuras.

This thesis examines the virtual social world of the Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game, Runescape. I observed several locations in the Runescape world, conducted in-depth interviews with players, and participated in clan activities. I analyzed how individual players develop and extend concepts of self through their participation in the game. Players attach patterned meanings to in-game social objects, particularly their character (avatar) that mediates their experiences in the game. Many players refer to their character’s appearance and accomplishments as an extension of the self, particularly when they master game skills or accumulate in-game wealth. How players spend and think about time in the game suggests that they experience a blurred boundary between “play” and “work.”

This Exegesis and accompanying artworks are the culmination of research conducted into the existence of surveillance in virtual worlds. A panoptical model has been used, and its premise tested through the extension into these communal spaces. Issues such as data security, personal and corporate privacy have been investigated, as has the use of art as a propositional mode. This Exegesis contains existing and new theoretical arguments and observations that have aided the development of research outcomes; a discussion of action research as a methodology; and questionnaire outcomes assisting in understanding player perceptions and concerns. A series of artworks were completed during the research to aid in understanding the nature of virtual surveillance; as a method to examine outcomes; and as an experiential interface for viewers of the research. The artworks investigate a series of surveillance perspectives including parental gaze, machine surveillance and self-surveillance. The outcomes include considerations into the influence surveillance has on player behaviour, security issues pertaining to the extension of corporations into virtual worlds, the acceptance of surveillance by virtual communities, and the merits of applying artworks as proposition.

The main purpose of this dissertation was to analyse and compare the attitudes of young people who lived in two different local contexts towards foreigners and immigrants. In the main study 36 teenagers, 17 from Bruksort and 19 from Industriort, were interviewed. Both local societies are rather small and dominated by one major industry, and a large number of the inhabitants are workers. Prospects for the future differed – in Bruksort people did not believe they had a future in the community because of the lack of jobs, while the people in Industriort felt a certain optimism in this respect, as the major industry was doing well. While Industriort had a long tradition and experience of immigration, Bruksort did not. Refugee camps were established in both societies in the early 1990s. The interviews brought up questions of attitude towards foreigners and immigrants. The analysis is also in part based on two pilot studies and an analysis of articles and letters to the editor in the local press, Industriort News and Bruksort Times during 1991-99. Two different discourses were analysed in the main study: the discourse of refugees, immigration, racism and anti-racism in the local press, and discourse of the young people´s discussions of those subjects. These two ways of talking were compared in order to discover possible patterns and changes in underlying thought figures in each town. The importance of the locality was demonstrated in the study. Young people are affected by political decisions, by demands made by adults and by the media. However young people are also being brought up in an active way by their own local society. The inhabitants of Bruksort were suspicious of strangers and of “the other”. However, in Industriort this sort of suspicion was only temporarily acted out towards the refugees in the camp and quickly dissipated because the refugees were integrated into the society. Also, a number of the young inhabitants in Industriort had an immigrant background themselves. The gender difference is notable; girls and boys narrated divergent versions of the events that had taken place involving the inhabitants and the refugees. The girls had a more emphatic way of reasoning about refugees and of the situation immigrants´ of than the boys. Boys on the other hand had been in conflict with the people from the refugee-camp and present juridical and economic arguments about Swedish immigration policies. It is concluded that creating meeting places where people from different ethnic backgrounds can get together and learn to know each other is of crucial importance. Also, the fact that young people seemed to be unaware of the anti-racist projects arranged by the school in Bruksort and the youth centre in Industriort a few years prior to the interviews, and that most of the teenagers interviewed felt that school had done too little, if anything, regarding the discussion of such matters as refugees, immigration and racism, emphasises the importance of more deliberate and longterm strategies as opposed to short term projects.

Spatial information presented visually is not easily accessible to visually impairedusers. Current technologies, such as screen readers, cannot intuitively conveyspatial layout or structure. This lack of overview is an obstacle for a visuallyimpaired user, both when using the computer individually and when collaboratingwith other users. With the development of haptic and audio technologies, it ispossible to let visually impaired users access to three-dimensional (3D) VirtualReality (VR) environments through the senses of touch and hearing.The work presented in this thesis comprises investigations of haptic and audiointeraction for visually impaired computer users in two stages.The first stage of my research focused on collaborations between sighted andblind-folded computer users in a shared virtual environment. One aspect Iconsidered is how different modalities affect one’s awareness of the other’sactions, as well as of one’s own actions, during the work process. The secondaspect I investigated is common ground, i.e. how visually impaired people obtaina common understanding of the elements of their workspace through differentmodalities. A third aspect I looked at was how different modalities affectperceived social presence, i.e. their ability to perceive the other person’sintentions and emotions. Finally, I attempted to understand how human behaviorand efficiency in task performance are affected when different modalities are usedin collaborative situations.The second stage of my research focused on how the visually impaired access3D multimodal virtual environment individually. I conducted two studies basedon two different haptic and audio prototypes concerning understanding the effectof haptic-audio modalities on navigation and interface design. One prototype thatI created was a haptic and audio game, a labyrinth. The other is a virtualsimulation environment based on the real world of Kulturhuset in Stockholm. Oneaspect I investigated in this individual interaction is how it is possible for users toaccess the spatial layout through a multimodal virtual environment. The secondaspect I investigated is usability; how the haptic and audio cues help visuallyimpaired people understand the spatial layout. The third aspect concernsnavigation and cognitive mapping in a multimodal virtual environment.This thesis contributes to the field of human-computer interaction for thevisually impaired with a set of studies of multimodal interactive systems, andbrings new perspectives to the enhancement of understanding real environmentsfor visually impaired users through a haptic and audio virtual computerenvironment. / QC20100701

Over the last several years, there has been tremendous growth in online gaming (i. e. playing games over the internet). The Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (MMORPG) is one type of online game. An MMORPG is played within a virtual world. Users have an in-game representation, called an avatar, that they control. Typically there are over a thousand avatars in the virtual world at one time. Users use client software to connect to an MMORPG server over the internet. If just one server is used then the number of avatars that can be supported in the virtual world at one time is severely limited. In order to overcome this, a multi-server approach is needed. Unlike traditional load balancing and partitioning schemes, which generally use task partitioning, data partitioning is required in this case. This thesis investigates schemes for partitioning and load balancing MMORPG applications on a network of processors. In particular, three different schemes were developed andexamined. These are: Static Av, Static MS and Dynamic MS. Static Avassigns avatars to each server, one at a time, as they enter thesimulation. Static MS assigns equal sized portions of the map of thevirtual world to each server. An avatar is assigned to the server thatowns the part of the map that the avatar is "standing"on. Dynamic MS divides the map into many more segments than there are servers. The map segments are dynamicallydistributed among the servers based on the results of aload balancing algorithm. The thesis details the algorithms and the performance associated with each of the schemes. In summary, Static Av does not perform well, whereas Static MS and Dynamic MS can be used to parallelize MMORPGapplications. To the best of our knowledge, this is thefirst published work that looks at the issue ofparallelizing and load balancing such applications.

Over the last several years, there has been tremendous growth in online gaming (i. e. playing games over the internet). The Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (MMORPG) is one type of online game. An MMORPG is played within a virtual world. Users have an in-game representation, called an avatar, that they control. Typically there are over a thousand avatars in the virtual world at one time. Users use client software to connect to an MMORPG server over the internet. If just one server is used then the number of avatars that can be supported in the virtual world at one time is severely limited. In order to overcome this, a multi-server approach is needed. Unlike traditional load balancing and partitioning schemes, which generally use task partitioning, data partitioning is required in this case. This thesis investigates schemes for partitioning and load balancing MMORPG applications on a network of processors. In particular, three different schemes were developed andexamined. These are: Static Av, Static MS and Dynamic MS. Static Avassigns avatars to each server, one at a time, as they enter thesimulation. Static MS assigns equal sized portions of the map of thevirtual world to each server. An avatar is assigned to the server thatowns the part of the map that the avatar is "standing"on. Dynamic MS divides the map into many more segments than there are servers. The map segments are dynamicallydistributed among the servers based on the results of aload balancing algorithm. The thesis details the algorithms and the performance associated with each of the schemes. In summary, Static Av does not perform well, whereas Static MS and Dynamic MS can be used to parallelize MMORPGapplications. To the best of our knowledge, this is thefirst published work that looks at the issue ofparallelizing and load balancing such applications.

Ted Sider writes that "many are impressed with the utility of possible worlds in linguistics and philosophy", and this is true, in particular, of those with an interest in modal logic. However, in the midst of the marvelous milieu brought on by the development of possible world semantics, some have stopped to ask just what it is that possible worlds are. They certainly seem useful, and we seem to understand how to use them and talk about them, but what precisely is it that we're talking about when we talk of possible worlds? In this thesis, I will attempt to outline the most significant and well-recognized view in this debate: that of David Lewis. Through my discussion of him, I will find occasion to discuss some alternative views that have arisen. After finishing my presentation of Lewis, I will discuss where people have begun to take this debate and address the question of whether progress can be made towards a substantive answer. In Chapter I, I begin by presenting the motivation of the question of possible worlds found in the study of modal logic. I then present the major approaches taken to answering the questions that were raised, leading into my discussion of David Lewis's famous and robust account. I present key features of Lewis's view and then move into his criticisms of the other major responses. This much should suffice as a relatively thorough treatment of the answers that have come before. In Chapter II, I discuss the current state of the debate. I begin by mentioning several problems that can be spotted in Lewis's views in particular. I then move to Menzel's account, which tries to answer the question of possible worlds from a new angle, jettisoning the direction taken by Lewis and his contemporaries. I explain why Menzel has taken this new approach, and then move into another new approach, this time given by Stephen Yablo. I discuss how these two approaches can help serve each other in helpful ways. But, at last, I present several hurdles these two views would have to overcome in order to play together nicely.

<p>Information technology is rapidly changing and companies are amending to the inevitable changes. Recently, the traditional Internet has started to evolve into a 3D Internet, thereby challenging companies into becoming more active in virtual worlds in order to keep up with the latest technology. In this thesis, the virtual world environment is highlighted from a v-business perspective to emphasize on potential opportunities and problems businesses face when entering virtual worlds. Moreover, the future outlook for v-business in virtual worlds is discussed, based on interviews with companies that are active in virtual worlds jointly with observed phenomenon identified in the literature study. Since Second Life is one of the largest and most recognized virtual worlds up to present, having a resemblance with the real world, this virtual world has been selected to pose as an example in this thesis. Taking this into consideration, the aim of this research is to answer the following research questions:</p><p>* What kind of value has v-business added to companies operating in virtual worlds and what kind of impact has it had?</p><p>* What kind of complexities and restrictions have companies experienced with v-business in virtual worlds, and why have these occurred?</p><p>* What does the future look like for v-business in virtual worlds considering opportunities and problems related to such a business approach?</p><p>Consequently, the purpose of this thesis is to examine the future outlook for v-business in virtual worlds, by investigating what opportunities and problems companies face in such a virtual setting, along with their predictions about its future development. Based on these findings an outline of the prospects of v-business will be developed.</p><p>Given that the area of this particular study is not yet broad in terms of research, the research has been conducted through an inductive approach using a qualitative method. Seven companies have been interviewed for this research and a majority of the company respondents have been interviewed through real-time communication using Skype.</p><p>The outcome of this research implies that there is great potential for v-business in virtual worlds, hence adding additional value to companies’ positioning on a yet unique environment. A number of possibilities have been identified where communication was identified as a major opportunity. In contrast, there are also current problems where technical restraints and comprehension problems were especially emphasized. However, in spite of some problems, companies report that they are in general very positive about the future outlook for v-business in virtual worlds, which is one of the reasons as to why we conclude that there is definitely a future awaiting for doing business in virtual worlds.</p>

<p>Bachelor thesis within Business Administration</p><p>Title: Second Life – New opportunity for higher educational institutions</p><p>Authors: Axel Andersen, Emil Hristov & Hamid Karimi</p><p>Tutor: Olga Sasinovskaya</p><p>Date: May, 2008</p><p>Subject terms: Second Life, virtual worlds, distance learning, marketing, universities, stu-dents, interactions</p><p>Executive summary</p><p>Background: Virtual worlds such as Second Life have been used in the corporate world for a few years now. However, it is only recently that higher educational institutions have seen the marketing and educational potential inside this world. Several hundred universities around the world are currently involved in Second Life and a majority of them give fully accredited academic courses inside SL. As traditional distance learning can sometimes be interpreted as low on interactions, SL represents a new means for interactive distance learn-ing.</p><p>Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explore if, why and to what extent Second Life can be used as a marketing and pedagogical tool within higher educational institutions.</p><p>Method: A mixed qualitative and quantitative method was utilized in this study. For the qualitative side: in-depth interviews with SL teachers from five universities around the world were held and these were complemented by observations at educational institutions inside SL. For the quantitative side: a questionnaire was designed and sent out to 50 SL-students. This primary data have been combined with appropriate secondary data concern-ing distance learning and education within SL.</p><p>Theoretical framework: The theoretical framework can be divided into two main sec-tions: a marketing section with primarily service management theories and a pedagogical section where cognitive apprenticeship theory is applied.</p><p>Conclusion: Higher educational institutions can use SL to promote their schools to pro-spective students and to other stakeholders such as new teacher recruits. All of the univer-sities that were under our scrutiny felt SL had strengthened their university’s brand. Fur-thermore, SL represents an opportunity for universities that are looking to increase col-laborations with other international universities and who are interested in enhancing the public image of themselves as pioneering and global universities. Therefore, it is highly ad-visable that a university such as JIBS enters SL, if not on pedagogical reasons then on stra-tegic and marketing reasons. In general, a majority of the students interviewed were satis-fied or very satisfied with the quality of the SL-courses they had taken and an overwhelm-ing majority would recommend SL-courses to other students. The empirical findings showed that the most frequent courses taken within SL are design courses, although no limits were perceived to exist of which courses that can be held within SL. A majority of the students also felt SL aided their learning experience. However, due to some of the cur-rent flaws of SL – such as the slow graphics and the high demands of computer hardware – SL should be viewed mainly as a learning tool that complements, rather than substitutes other current educational forms.</p>