Earth to Avatars '98

abstract of Heeter's talk

Dr. Carrie Heeter is founding Director of the Communication Technology Laboratory and Director of Creative Development for Michigan State University's virtual university initiative. She is also Professor of Digital Media Arts and Design. Currently she is living and working in San Francisco, writing a book on "TeleRelating," opening a portal to northern California for Michigan State University, and continuing to work with her lab and Virtual University.

Heeter has published articles and spoken at conferences about her VR research on gaming, BattleTech, social presence, and gender differences. She has exhibited numerous original prototype virtual experiences at SIGGRAPH, CyberArts and other galleries. Winner of the 1995 Discover Magazine Software Innovation of the Year award, Heeter is creator of innovative CD-ROMs, VR experiences, and web sites. She is currently conducting research into maintaining and enhancing close personal relationships through technology.

Mediating Factors in Virtual Experiences

A virtual world does not cause everyone feel part of it to an equal extent. The environment can entice people to participate. It may be well designed or poorly designed. In either case, engaging in a virtual or tele-experience is an act of imagination. Imagination and active engagement enhance the experience of entering CyberSpace, exploring a virtual world, telerelating with another person or entity. Like Peter Pan, think a happy thought to get transported to Neverland; otherwise, stay stuck in the real world. Children transport easier than grownups.

We suggest that engaging in virtual experiences may be analogous to both exercise and meditation. Get up and get out of your body -- it could be good for you... Research and designs from Michigan State University and elsewhere illuminate aspects of how people engage in virtual experiences and how they choose to represent themselves. We consider solo virtual experiences and also tele-relating between people.

What does it mean to engage in a virtual experience? Do the sensory limitations typical of virtual experiences limit or enhance their impact?

Presence

personal

social

environmental

Picture Yourself

* Mandala

* Virtual I/O

* Bag

* Mask

* Real Hands

What's in a Name... choice of self

TeleRelating -- One Way

* Breast Cancer Lighthouse Virtual Support Group

* Portal Reports from San Francisco to East Lansing

Tele-embodiment

+ blimps

Telepresence

* (NASA)

* phone/speaker phone/WebCam

* blowing people up (gaming)

* digital video picturephone

* still photo picturephone

* telewalls

Communication gets focussed... Hold a meeting with your eyes closed... Still frames instead of motion. Analogies -- we choose clothing and hair style, design offices -- like picking an avatar, designing a virtual space.

Vacation

Change of Scenes

Change of Clothes

Halloween

Dressing Up

Worlds are expanded. Crossover between the physical world and the virtual world. Sometimes mapped on top of the physical world, one to one mapping.

Transport to places you have not been before. That do not exist. Places you know.

People you have not met before, who do not exist. People you know.

Avatars interact with one's sense of self. Intentional representation. Adapative embodiment.

I still like the Peter Pan analogy. (Think a happy thought an get transported to neverland.) I do think users have to let it happen if they are to have a good and powerful experience. In addition to openness, there are other techniques and attitudes to enhance the impact of virtual experiences.