Megalongcat | Design in the Presence of Idiocy. -

Disclaimer: This is a paper I wrote two years ago when I first heard about vista.  I was interested in online communities and was fiddling around with different platforms to create one which is where this idea came from.

VSPACE

Introduction:

Virtual words have become one of the largest growing and most profitable franchises not only in regards to the gaming industry, but also social networking.  These digital worlds are becoming a common part of our daily lives and could soon very well replace our “cafes, coffee shops, bookstores, bars, hair salons, and hangouts”[1].  Though these digital worlds cannot yet be considered to be one of the Great Places as Raymond Oldenburg suggests, it is safe to assume that virtual worlds have made a significant impact on a large enough population around the world that they should always be considered as alternate forms of communication and congregation.  These virtual worlds become part of a larger mediascape[2] which allows a flow of information and ideas across a wide variety of people and places which does not happen as easily in the real world where we still have to travel and meet in person occasionally to discuss ideas.  Virtual worlds tend to have two modes of distribution; either the content for the world is downloaded as a stand-alone program (FLYFF, Lineage, World of Warcraft) or they are browser based engines which you can run while being online (Puzzle Pirates, Pogo Games).   In order to make a game that is widely available, with little effort to acquire the game, I propose a virtual world in the form of a Microsoft Windows Vista Gadget; a virtual world created within the restraints of a gadget could automatically and easily be integrated into a large system of computers.  The world would be called VSpace.

Background:

I would like to start with the current state of virtual worlds, and MMOG’s; though very similar I’m going to use the former to describe communities based around social networking, and the latter to describe the videogame oriented online worlds.  Currently the largest virtual world based around social networking is Facebook with “has more than 69 million active users worldwide.”[3] Facebook is a web based social community which allows to create public or private profiles to connect within college, job, and town networks.  Other major virtual worlds for social networking are communities like MySpace and Friendster (also web based communities where users create profiles to connect with other people), and then social communities based around animated avatars within a self contained graphical world such as Habbo Hotel and IMVU (both of which allow you to create graphical representations of the user’s liking to interact with other avatars).  All of these examples have been targeted at various social groups.  MySpace was originally intended to attract young adults just as Facebook originally targeted only college audiences.

All of these virtual worlds and MMO communities are only available to a person if they log onto their respective websites, or are referred to by a friend as an incentive to join these networks.   My proposal however, would be a part of the many features that Windows Vista already offers thus immediately eliminating the effort it takes to find these social communities and it has an already established niche; those that own computers running Vista (all Dell and HP computers have Vista as their standard OS before shipping).  This would allow a mass distribution of the virtual world (the product) with less of a need for startup advertising, thus allowing money to be saved for other enterprises.  The virtual world I am proposing will incorporate the creation of both profiles/avatars with not only an avatar based interaction system, but also a web based community for when users aren’t logged onto their avatars.

Description:

VSpace would be a virtual world based within the context of a Windows Vista Gadget application.  When a person buys a computer with Vista as the OS, they go through a series of setup options where you register your product, name your computer, and establish what sort of internet connection.  After the establishment of an internet connection, a person would immediately be prompted to create an avatar to represent themselves.  Before being fully able to create their avatar, a person would have to agree to the usual terms of service which apply to most all online communities; afterwards a user would be able to create an avatar that physically resembles them or their imagined personalities.

(Picture from google images, no source to image)

To run Windows Vista properly, 2gigs of ram are needed which should theoretically cover the amount of computer power that it takes to run a widget such as this.  The purpose of this concept is so that Windows Vista users can interact with each other the moment they log onto their new computers for the first time.  If they’re not used to the new Vista system, they can find other users through the virtual world to ask about these questions if they’re not sure about the information offered in an online FAQ.  Though ‘googling’ for answers has become widely popular, many people still prefer asking other people the answers for questions.  Gameplay would be focused around the avatar that you create; the avatar would be able to walk into the environments of other people using the gadget and challenge them to games or make an attempt at conversation.   Each Character would have its own customizable environment within the gadget where users would have to pay for items if they wanted unique rooms for their avatars.

(Picture from http://www.viviannesart.us/Images/vivgallery/waLL4.jpg)

Key Features:

-Easy installation and character creation: The installation of the virtual world would be part of the setup when you first launch your computer with easy and simple instructions.

-Large community to interact with: considering the large volume of computers which automatically come with Vista, with millions of computers sold each day it would make it easy for this virtual world to get off the ground with a large community.

-No Monthly Subscription: you only need to pay for the items you want!: The gadget would be free to download and install, however to customize your personal environment you would need to page a specified amount of money for credit.  With credit you could then buy the items you like.

-Ability to take interactive experience to the next level by challenging your VSPACE friends to games on the Microsoft Gaming Network: Users would be able to move into other environments of VSPACE users where they could either chat or challenge them to games offered by the Microsoft Gaming Network

-Continue talking to your friends on our web based network using Windows Live Space:  Windows Live Space would allow integration with your regular profile and the avatar that you create.

-Virtually no lag with recommended Vista system requirements: To run properly, computers that come with Windows Vista more often than naught have at least 2 gigs of ram and a decent processer, graphics card, and motherboard to support the extensive 3D options that Vista uses.

Community Features:

Windows Vista sidebar gadgets tend to automatically obtain your area code so VSPACE would be able to determine a list of ten users within a certain radius of your zip code.  Your avatar would then be able to either abruptly walk onto the screen of another VSPACE user, or send for an invite to join them within their environment for conversation, gaming, or whatever the user wishes to interact for.  The community would allow a buddy list system where you can automatically ‘warp’ to rooms that you have been in previously.  I would also propose text based chat with the option of VOIP.  The actual gadget size would more than likely not be able to support a system where large amounts of text are visible, so voice chat would be the best alternative for a means of communication.

VSPACE would be intergraded with the Windows Live Spaces where you would not only have your own profile, but a picture of yourself and your avatar.  There would be a series of privacy options which would determine how much information you would allow to be visible to other users of VSPACE or Windows Live Spaces at any given time.  The framework that I have proposed for this game to operate in “provides the foundation to explore different sections of the demographic [of VSPACE users] that are motivated differently, and whether certain motivations are more highly correlated with”[4] different types of users.  VSPACE features such as the ability to integrate with not only immersive environments, but also a large gaming community to appeal to a large demographic.

Genre:

The genre that this virtual world would fall under would be that of a Metaverse; “a fictional virtual world, where humans, as avatars, interact with each other and software agents, in a three-dimensional space that uses the metaphor of the real world.”[5] A Metaverse would be useful for my earlier description of VSPACE because this simulated world would allow a system that would make users feel connected in a world that closely resembles their own.  Avatars would be simple 3D polygon models with humanistic features and environment options which closely resemble modern day cities, suburbs, and countries.  VSPACE would also follow the “Open World” mode of a game where users would be allowed to do as they pleased within the boundaries of the actual virtual world.

[2] “Modernity at Large” Arjun Appadurai

[3] ^{a b c} Statistics. Facebook.

[4] “The Psychology of Massively Multi-User OnlineRole-Playing Games: Motivations, Emotional Investment, Relationships and Problematic Usage” Nick Yee.  PG 12.

[5] “Metaverse”   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metaverse