Comp 380 Computers and Society

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Comp 380Computers and Society

• Social Issues Gaming and
• the Online Culture
• June 6, 2007
• Russell Gayle
• Summer Session I - 2007

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Announcements

• Short Paper 1
• If you did not pick it up yesterday, be sure pick
  it up from me after class
• Term Project Meetings
• If your team hasnt signed up, let me know by the
  end of class

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Guest Speaker Diane Pozefsky

• Serious Games Putting Games Technology to Work

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Discussion Web Tracking

• First, a quick recap of controversies in web
  tracking (Lec 6-2)

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Culture of Simulation

• We are a culture of simulation
• Sherry Turkle, cybershrink
• MIT Initiative on Technology and Self
• On life online

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Some examples

• In real life
• Shopping malls
• The streets at southpoint
• Training devices
• Television locations
• Cheers
• a bar that is a simulation of a simulation
• Zoos, theme parks, etc
• Sea World, Busch Gardens, Disneys Main Street,
  etc

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In cyberspace

• Games
• Simulators (flight simulator)
• Social networks
• Chat rooms
• Multi-player online environments
• Instant messaging
• Why are these simulations?

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What is a simulation?
The imitative representation of
functioning of one system
by means of the functioning of another
What variables are important?
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Evaluating Simulations

• What is the intent of the simulation?
• The user interpretation?

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Advantages

• Safe place to
• Learn
• Experiment
• Opportunity to try things that you couldnt
  otherwise try
• Different places and times
• Expensive facilities
• Danger

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What if the simulation falls short?

• False sense of capability
• CPR without real practice
• Flying an airplane in bad weather
• Can spoil the real thing
• Disneyland effect
• Nature videos or zoos
• Travelogs
• The Veldt (Ray Bradbury)

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Virtual Environments

• Suspension of disbelief
• What does this mean?
• Where else do we do this?
• Why?
• Are we good at it?

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In Cyberspace

• With your own persona
• Create communities and societies
• Example local politics blog
• Communication with friends
• Are these really you?
• Do you have different persona?
• In real life?
• In cyberspace?
• Is cyberspace real?

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Discussion How real is Second Life?

• A motivating video
• Consumer of Goods and Services
• Culture of simulation
• http//www.idealworldmovie.com/short/

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Exercise Experience Second Life

• Start SecondLife
• Or find someone who has it already setup

Virtual Forest Theatre
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Exercise UNC CH in SL

• Follow these directions to find the UNC island
• Start and login to SecondLife
• Go to the Map
• Search for UNC CH
• Wait for me by the Old Well

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Exploring UNC CH in SL

• Spend a few minutes to orient yourself
• Find 2 interesting things on the UNC SL campus
• Not including South Building and Old Well
• Meet me in South Building discussion area (first
  room on the right)

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Discussion

• Break into groups
• Ideally, each group has at least one team member
  in Second Life
• Pick someone to write (in real life)

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To think/read about

• Are you always safer online?
• Case Cyberbullying
• If culture is moving more online, does it pay to
  have more technical skills or social skills?

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For next time

• Readings 30-33
• Short Paper 3 due
• Hard copy due at beginning of class
• Outline, draft, final, etc
• Final e-copy due at 115959 pm