Final Post

Video Games and Virtual Reality was an online course that gave the students an opportunity to explore the virtual world from a variety of perspectives. The class gathered in Second Life, which we spent several weeks familiarizing ourselves with. One particular assignment, we had to explore the dynamics of relationships within the program. We acted as both participants/customers when we used other programs such as World of Warcraft, Runescape, Wonderland, and America's Army 3. We became creators and gained some experience in graphics modeling through programs like Google Sketchup and FaceModeler. These two roles helped us understand how the virtual world works. I have never been anything other than a customer so the opportunity to create something was something I had fun with (although quickly realized I was bad at).

We had discussions regarding the differences between certain programs. We discussed 2D vs 3D and how environments affect the immersiveness of a game. Second Life was something truly remarkable. I first approached it like a game, but quickly realized that it was a program that can be utilized for business, school, and networking. It was in essence a true extension of the user. Through this class, I can see how real life and virtual life can come together as evident in the ability to have a lecture. I realized how serious Second Life can be when I accidentally referred to it as a game while talking to a person that does business through it. To make a long story short, he was not happy.

We had in depth comparisons of Runescape, World of Warcraft, and Lord of the Rings Online. We discussed the business aspect of these programs and the work that goes into it.

Overall, the class was very enlightening and fun as I got to explore a variety of programs.

If you would like to know more about the course and the school that it is offered in, please visit www.immersiveeducation.org or www.bc.edu.

Week 10

The first time I tried to install AA3, I did not have enough space on my crowded hard drive. The second time I got an error message. Alas, the game could not install.





Role Call screenshots





This is the face modeler program. I edited the face using paint. I gave him a scar and a beard. There are several angles of the finished face.






This is the result of me trying to model Dr. Dre's face. I changed his expressions a few times and even made him wink.

Week 9

This is my roll call for this class. The lion models are in an older post.

Week 8 HW Rocket in Google Earth

I'm not quite sure what happened but my rocket ended up in a warehouse.

Week 8 w/ Google Earth

These are the roll call screenshots I have.








I explored some of the many features of Google Earth. I liked the incredible detail that the program had of random places on Earth. I visited some places that I've been to before. I also went to Mars, but I forgot to take screenshots of that.

Week 7 HW

These shots show the construction of my crude rocket. I started with a cylinder. I made a small section in the middle. Then i added another cylinder with a cone on top to complete the main body.

Class 6 (Runescape and Totstv)

There are the 3 roll calls from class.







These are my screenshots from my adventures in Runescape. Killing the dragon took a very long time. This was incredibly painful to play.





These are some of my screenshots from totstv games.