The digital body is a complex entity. A skin as well as a garment. An inhabitable creature. Is it garment, body or both? Where is the line between the object and the wearer? Inhabit is a Master thesis project focusing on what it means to inhabit the digital object, and its position as both object, body and garment in the digital space. Through the topics of 3D modeling, avatar and digital fashion, it will explore the foundations of this research through a casual lens. From there, it will dive into the practical research on the inhabitable object, the processes for generating forms and design choices made to visualize the investigation. Lastly, it will discuss findings and gaps of the resulting project and possible paths for continuation.

This research study, funded by the Leverhulme Trust as part of the CURLIEW project, explored how learners understand, construct, express, and manage identity when virtual worlds are utilized in higher education and how the virtual world itself might impact on concepts of identity. In particular, the study focused on aspects of learner identity from the physical world and learner identity in virtual worlds, the latter being a ‘translation’ of physical identity markers onto the avatar. The research builds on the experiences of 75 student participants, who employed virtual worlds as learning environments. A narrative research approach was applied to thematically analyze interview, focus group, and observational data, collected from two educational contexts at two British universities. Three themes emerged from the analysis and interpretation of these data, which are presented as narratives of Pursuit, Embodiment, and Resistance. The study makes two main contributions to existing knowledge on learning in virtual environments: firstly, it reveals that virtual worlds are ‘threshold concepts’, in which students need to be able to align their learner identities with the utilization of virtual worlds to integrate them successfully in their learning. Secondly, the study develops a five-dimensional typology of the ways in which students engage and manage identity directly in the virtual world through their avatars. This typology includes: dislocated avatars, representative avatars, avatars as toys and tools, avatars as extensions of self, and avatars as identity extensions. The study demonstrates that engagement with virtual worlds and avatars in the educational context can provide a valuable opportunity to foster critical thinking, if learner identities are given a central place in course design and delivery. Then, virtual world learning can enable students and tutors to reflect critically on what shapes, influences, and constrains identity in virtual worlds, in the physical world, in higher education, and beyond.

<p>This thesis tells the story of a design case creating an user interface for a MMORPG where the player are able control the body language of the avatar. By this the game can achieve a gameplay about drama and strong characterization. The thesis addresses considerations on what aspects of body language that can be important for computer games and other virtual environments. It also offers design considerations when designing interfaces for using gestures and other body signals to communicate emotions in virtual environments such as computer games. The main design consideration when creating the interface was to treat the player as an actor and the game world as a stage. The player needs to be in control of combinations of facial expressions, body posture and gestures as well as relative avatar positioning to other characters and objects. The interface was first tested as a paper prototype, re-designed, re-tested and then implemented into a computer prototype.</p>

The goal of this thesis is to synthesize believable motions of a character interacting with its surroundings and manipulating objects through physical contacts and forces. Human-like autonomous avatars are in increasing demand in areas such as entertainment, education, and health care. Yet modeling the basic human motor skills of locomotion and manipulation remains a long-standing challenge in animation research. The seemingly simple tasks of navigating an uneven terrain or grasping cups of different shapes involve planning with complex kinematic and physical constraints as well as adaptation to unexpected perturbations. Moreover, natural movements exhibit unique personal characteristics that are complex to model. Although motion capture technologies allow virtual actors to use recorded human motions in many applications, the recorded motions are not directly applicable to tasks involving interactions for two reasons. First, the acquired data cannot be easily adapted to new environments or different tasks goals. Second, acquisition of accurate data is still a challenge for fine scale object manipulations. In this work, we utilize data to create natural looking animations, and mitigate data deficiency with physics-based simulations and numerical optimizations. We develop algorithms based on a single reference motion for three types of control problems. The first problem focuses on motions without contact constraints. We use joint torque patterns identified from the captured motion to simulate responses and recovery of the same style under unexpected pushes. The second problem focuses on locomotion with foot contacts. We use contact forces to control an abstract dynamic model of the center of mass, which sufficiently describes the locomotion task in the input motion. Simulation of the abstract model under unexpected pushes or anticipated changes of the environment results in responses consistent with both the laws of physics and the style of the input. The third problem focuses on fine scale object manipulation tasks, in which accurate finger motions and contact information are not available. We propose a sampling method to discover contact relations between the hand and the object from only the gross motion of the wrists and the object. We then use the abundant contact constraints to synthesize detailed finger motions. The algorithm creates finger motions of various styles for a diverse set of object shapes and tasks, including ones that are not present at capture time. The three algorithms together control an autonomous character with dexterous hands to interact naturally with a virtual world. Our methods are general and robust across character structures and motion contents when testing on a wide variety of motion capture sequences and environments. The work in this thesis brings closer the motor skills of a virtual character to its human counterpart. It provides computational tools for the analysis of human biomechanics, and can potentially inspire the design of novel control algorithms for humanoid robots.

This thesis explores the idea of how people 'do gender' in their online use of avatars, specifically avatar choice. A secondary question of whether or not a chatterbot can be used as a potential interviewer will also be examined as a tool acquiring large amounts of interview data. Gender is one of the ways in which we structure our society, and is completely omnipresent. We cannot opt out of participating in our gender, as we are constantly performing and reaffirming it. Because of this, gender performance and choice spills over into all domains. This includes entertainment such as massively multiplayer online games, both in how the designers make the game, and what the players bring to the game. Deconstructing how and why people engage in these gendered practices and choices becomes an interesting avenue of research, because it allows researchers to partially separate the mental aspects of gender from physical attributes, as the players' physical bodies are not actually in the game. Through the lens of the popular massively multiplayer online game, World of Warcraft, this thesis will utilize a qualitative user research study to understand how gender affects avatar choices. Prior research identified areas where players brought real world gender norms into the games they played. This research study will extend previous research by having players identify why they made the choices they made for their avatars, and how they feel about those choices. The methodology for this study will also involve using a chatterbot as a way of gathering interviews. In normal person-to-person interview studies, recruiting and organizing meetings for these interviews can often be a difficult task. This thesis brings in the idea of using a chatterbot as a mechanism to gather more interviews in a shorter time span to alleviate the problem of getting these one-on-one interviews in some types of studies.

Η παρούσα διπλωματική εργασία πραγματεύεται την ανάπτυξη μιας εφαρμογής επεξεργασίας και δημιουργίας 3D ανθρωποειδών για χρήση σε Δικτυακά Εικονικά Περιβάλλοντα. Η εφαρμογή επιτρέπει την μοντελοποιηση και σύνθεση ενός 3D ανθρωποειδούς χρησιμοποιώντας έναν αριθμό απο έτοιμα αντικείμενα. Η ανάπτυξη της εφαρμογής έγινε με γλώσσα Java στην πλατφόρμα Eclipse, ενώ οι 3D τεχνολογίες που υποστηρίζει είναι οι VRML / X3D και H-Anim. / The main objective of this work is the development of a Java-based application for the creation and editing of 3d Humanoid Avatars intended to be used specifically for Networked Virtual Environments. The application supports the modelling and synthesis of a 3D avatar using already existing primitives. The tool was developed using the Eclipse platform, and the supported 3D technologies are VRML / X3D and the H-Anim standard.

Esta pesquisa possui como objetivo geral o estudo do envolvimento e das relações sociais de jovens através dos Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Play Games. Para tanto foram realizados três estudos, um qualitativo e dois quantitativos. O primeiro estudo foi conduzido com 20 estudantes de escolas públicas e particulares da região metropolitana de Porto Alegre e teve como objetivo descrever como ocorre a construção e desenvolvimento de avatares por jovens jogadores para a interação nos MMORPGs. Foram realizadas entrevistas semi-estruturadas e analisadas posteriormente com Análise de Conteúdo. Os resultados deste estudo apontaram 7 sub-categorias relativas à elaboração dos avatares e que foram agrupadas em 3 categorias maiores: Imagem, Função e Motivação. O segundo estudo foi realizado em quatro etapas e teve como objetivo desenvolver instrumentos de mensuração do envolvimento e das relações sociais nos MMORPGs. A primeira etapa foi a construção dos itens baseados na literatura e nos modelos teóricos de Calleja (2007) e de Hinde (1997). A segunda etapa compreendeu o uso de três juízes experts na área. A terceira etapa consistiu em um estudo piloto para a compreensão dos itens com cinco adolescentes jogadores de MMORPG. A quarta etapa compreendeu a análise da consistência interna utilizando-se o alpha de cronbach e das estruturas fatoriais das escalas através de análises de componentes principais e análises fatoriais confirmatórias com uma amostra coletada online de 467 jovens jogadores de MMORPG, com idades entre 12 e 30 anos, de diferentes regiões do país. Os resultados apontaram bons índices de estrutura fatorial e fidedignidade, indicando-se o uso das escalas para pesquisas futuras. O terceiro estudo contou com a mesma amostra do segundo estudo e teve os objetivos de descrever um perfil de usuários de MMORPG; descrever como os jovens usuários vivenciam as relações sociais estabelecidas por eles com outros jovens usuários nos MMORPG; e de averiguar se as características de envolvimento e de relações sociais dos participantes estão relacionadas. Análises estatísticas descritivas e inferenciais foram realizadas, através de correlações de Pearson, e do uso de modelagem de equações estuturais. Os resultados finais da tese indicaram um modelo de relações entre os jovens, seus avatares, o envolvimento no jogo e suas relações sociais no jogo. / This research aims study the youth involvement and yours social relationships across the Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Play Games. Therefore, we conducted three studies, one qualitative and two quantitative. The first study was conducted with 20 students from public and private schools in the metropolitan area of Porto Alegre and aimed to describe how is the construction and development of young players avatars for interaction in MMORPGs. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and later analyzed with content analysis. The results of this study reveal 7 subcategories approaching the avatars construction, grouped in 3 major categories: Image, Function and Motivation. The second study was conducted in four stages and aimed to develop scales to measure the involvement and social relations in MMORPGs. The first step was the construction of sentences based on literature and the theoretical models of Calleja (2007) and Hinde (1997). The second stage was the use of three judges, experts in the area. The third step was a pilot study to review the sentences with five teenagers MMORPG players. The fourth step included analysis of internal consistency and factorial structure of the scales with a total sample of 467 young people online MMORPG players, aged between 12 and 30 years, from different regions of the country. The third study involved the same sample of the second study had and the objective of describing a profile of users of MMORPG; describe how young users experience social relationships they established with other youth in the MMORPG users, and to investigate whether the characteristics of involvement and social relations of the participants are related. Descriptive and inferential statistical analyzes were performed. The results indicated a final model of relations between young people, their avatars, the involvement in the game and their social relations in the game.

Esta pesquisa possui como objetivo geral o estudo do envolvimento e das relações sociais de jovens através dos Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Play Games. Para tanto foram realizados três estudos, um qualitativo e dois quantitativos. O primeiro estudo foi conduzido com 20 estudantes de escolas públicas e particulares da região metropolitana de Porto Alegre e teve como objetivo descrever como ocorre a construção e desenvolvimento de avatares por jovens jogadores para a interação nos MMORPGs. Foram realizadas entrevistas semi-estruturadas e analisadas posteriormente com Análise de Conteúdo. Os resultados deste estudo apontaram 7 sub-categorias relativas à elaboração dos avatares e que foram agrupadas em 3 categorias maiores: Imagem, Função e Motivação. O segundo estudo foi realizado em quatro etapas e teve como objetivo desenvolver instrumentos de mensuração do envolvimento e das relações sociais nos MMORPGs. A primeira etapa foi a construção dos itens baseados na literatura e nos modelos teóricos de Calleja (2007) e de Hinde (1997). A segunda etapa compreendeu o uso de três juízes experts na área. A terceira etapa consistiu em um estudo piloto para a compreensão dos itens com cinco adolescentes jogadores de MMORPG. A quarta etapa compreendeu a análise da consistência interna utilizando-se o alpha de cronbach e das estruturas fatoriais das escalas através de análises de componentes principais e análises fatoriais confirmatórias com uma amostra coletada online de 467 jovens jogadores de MMORPG, com idades entre 12 e 30 anos, de diferentes regiões do país. Os resultados apontaram bons índices de estrutura fatorial e fidedignidade, indicando-se o uso das escalas para pesquisas futuras. O terceiro estudo contou com a mesma amostra do segundo estudo e teve os objetivos de descrever um perfil de usuários de MMORPG; descrever como os jovens usuários vivenciam as relações sociais estabelecidas por eles com outros jovens usuários nos MMORPG; e de averiguar se as características de envolvimento e de relações sociais dos participantes estão relacionadas. Análises estatísticas descritivas e inferenciais foram realizadas, através de correlações de Pearson, e do uso de modelagem de equações estuturais. Os resultados finais da tese indicaram um modelo de relações entre os jovens, seus avatares, o envolvimento no jogo e suas relações sociais no jogo. / This research aims study the youth involvement and yours social relationships across the Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Play Games. Therefore, we conducted three studies, one qualitative and two quantitative. The first study was conducted with 20 students from public and private schools in the metropolitan area of Porto Alegre and aimed to describe how is the construction and development of young players avatars for interaction in MMORPGs. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and later analyzed with content analysis. The results of this study reveal 7 subcategories approaching the avatars construction, grouped in 3 major categories: Image, Function and Motivation. The second study was conducted in four stages and aimed to develop scales to measure the involvement and social relations in MMORPGs. The first step was the construction of sentences based on literature and the theoretical models of Calleja (2007) and Hinde (1997). The second stage was the use of three judges, experts in the area. The third step was a pilot study to review the sentences with five teenagers MMORPG players. The fourth step included analysis of internal consistency and factorial structure of the scales with a total sample of 467 young people online MMORPG players, aged between 12 and 30 years, from different regions of the country. The third study involved the same sample of the second study had and the objective of describing a profile of users of MMORPG; describe how young users experience social relationships they established with other youth in the MMORPG users, and to investigate whether the characteristics of involvement and social relations of the participants are related. Descriptive and inferential statistical analyzes were performed. The results indicated a final model of relations between young people, their avatars, the involvement in the game and their social relations in the game.

Esta pesquisa possui como objetivo geral o estudo do envolvimento e das relações sociais de jovens através dos Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Play Games. Para tanto foram realizados três estudos, um qualitativo e dois quantitativos. O primeiro estudo foi conduzido com 20 estudantes de escolas públicas e particulares da região metropolitana de Porto Alegre e teve como objetivo descrever como ocorre a construção e desenvolvimento de avatares por jovens jogadores para a interação nos MMORPGs. Foram realizadas entrevistas semi-estruturadas e analisadas posteriormente com Análise de Conteúdo. Os resultados deste estudo apontaram 7 sub-categorias relativas à elaboração dos avatares e que foram agrupadas em 3 categorias maiores: Imagem, Função e Motivação. O segundo estudo foi realizado em quatro etapas e teve como objetivo desenvolver instrumentos de mensuração do envolvimento e das relações sociais nos MMORPGs. A primeira etapa foi a construção dos itens baseados na literatura e nos modelos teóricos de Calleja (2007) e de Hinde (1997). A segunda etapa compreendeu o uso de três juízes experts na área. A terceira etapa consistiu em um estudo piloto para a compreensão dos itens com cinco adolescentes jogadores de MMORPG. A quarta etapa compreendeu a análise da consistência interna utilizando-se o alpha de cronbach e das estruturas fatoriais das escalas através de análises de componentes principais e análises fatoriais confirmatórias com uma amostra coletada online de 467 jovens jogadores de MMORPG, com idades entre 12 e 30 anos, de diferentes regiões do país. Os resultados apontaram bons índices de estrutura fatorial e fidedignidade, indicando-se o uso das escalas para pesquisas futuras. O terceiro estudo contou com a mesma amostra do segundo estudo e teve os objetivos de descrever um perfil de usuários de MMORPG; descrever como os jovens usuários vivenciam as relações sociais estabelecidas por eles com outros jovens usuários nos MMORPG; e de averiguar se as características de envolvimento e de relações sociais dos participantes estão relacionadas. Análises estatísticas descritivas e inferenciais foram realizadas, através de correlações de Pearson, e do uso de modelagem de equações estuturais. Os resultados finais da tese indicaram um modelo de relações entre os jovens, seus avatares, o envolvimento no jogo e suas relações sociais no jogo. / This research aims study the youth involvement and yours social relationships across the Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Play Games. Therefore, we conducted three studies, one qualitative and two quantitative. The first study was conducted with 20 students from public and private schools in the metropolitan area of Porto Alegre and aimed to describe how is the construction and development of young players avatars for interaction in MMORPGs. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and later analyzed with content analysis. The results of this study reveal 7 subcategories approaching the avatars construction, grouped in 3 major categories: Image, Function and Motivation. The second study was conducted in four stages and aimed to develop scales to measure the involvement and social relations in MMORPGs. The first step was the construction of sentences based on literature and the theoretical models of Calleja (2007) and Hinde (1997). The second stage was the use of three judges, experts in the area. The third step was a pilot study to review the sentences with five teenagers MMORPG players. The fourth step included analysis of internal consistency and factorial structure of the scales with a total sample of 467 young people online MMORPG players, aged between 12 and 30 years, from different regions of the country. The third study involved the same sample of the second study had and the objective of describing a profile of users of MMORPG; describe how young users experience social relationships they established with other youth in the MMORPG users, and to investigate whether the characteristics of involvement and social relations of the participants are related. Descriptive and inferential statistical analyzes were performed. The results indicated a final model of relations between young people, their avatars, the involvement in the game and their social relations in the game.

The increasing availability of modern head-mounted displays have spurred interest in social virtual reality (VR) applications, but their immersion-inducing features limit the use of important nonverbal social cues in multiuser contexts. Embodied avatars have proven useful in increasing the social affordances of real-time rendered VR applications but remain underexplored in cinematic virtual reality (CVR). In the present study, three different conditions were evaluated in co-located CVR where participants watched 360° videos together in pairs; one condition had no visual representation of the co-watcher, one condition had a translucent cone representing the co-watcher’s viewing direction, and one condition had both the cone and a set of hands representing the co-watcher. Social presence was measured through the Networked Minds Social Presence Inventory and a semantic differential scale, presence was measured through the iGroup Presence Questionnaire, and participants’ use of implicit and explicit spatial references (i.e., “there” versus “next to the blue house”) was analyzed. The results indicate that simple embodied avatars can increase presence and social presence in CVR, and lead to more face-to-face-like verbal behavior. / Intresset för sociala VR-applikationer har stigit i takt med spridningen av moderna VR-glasögon, men applikationer för två eller fler användare är svåra att realisera i och med att glasögonen blockerar viktiga ickeverbala sociala signaler. I realtidsrenderad VR har de sociala interaktionsmöjligheterna kunnat förbättras genom så kallade embodied avatars men deras effekt har hittills inte undersökts i cinematisk VR (CVR). I den här studien utforskades tre betingelser av embodied avatars i ett CVR-experiment där deltagarpar tittade på 360° filmer tillsammans i ett rum. En betingelse saknade avatar, i en betingelse representerades ens partners blickfång av en halvgenomskinlig kona, och i en betingelse representerades ens partner av både konan samt ett par virtuella händer. Social presence mättes genom the Networked Minds Social Presence Inventory och en semantic differential scale, presence mättes genom the iGroup Presence Questionnaire, och deltagarnas användning av implicita (”där”) och explicita (”bredvid det blå huset”) spatiala uttalanden analyserades. Resultaten visar att enkla embodied avatars kan öka både presence och social presence i CVR, samt leda till verbal kommunikation som liknar den vi använder i när vi interagerar ansikte mot ansikte.