Augmenting Actual Life Through MUVEs

TL;DR

This paper explores how Multi User Virtual Environments (MUVEs) can enhance real-life social interactions and community engagement by analyzing existing platforms like Second Life and new projects within this virtual space.

Contribution

It introduces a framework for analyzing MUVEs' potential to augment social life and applies it to case studies including Second Life and ongoing projects.

Findings

MUVEs can significantly augment social interactions and community life.

The analysis framework helps understand MUVEs' role in real-world social enhancement.

Case studies demonstrate practical applications of MUVEs for social augmentation.

Abstract

The necessity of supporting more and more social interaction (and not only the mere information sharing) in online environments is the disruptive force upon which phenomena ascribed to the Web2.0 paradigm continuously bud. People interacting in online socio-technical environments mould technology on their needs, seamlessly integrating it into their everyday life. MUVEs (Multi User Virtual Environments) are no exception and, in several cases, represent the new frontier in this field. In this work we analyze if and how MUVEs can be considered a mean for augmenting communities (and more in general people) life. We trace a framework of analysis based on four main observations, and through these lenses we look at Second Life and at several projects we are currently developing in that synthetic world.