Avatar to Avatar Communication
Always a little behind the times, for anyone who ever says there is "nothing on games" really need to spend a couple of days hyperlink-surfing (there must be a more technical term for that).. and find out just how much conversation - academic and otherwise - that is out there is quite incredible.
/Ramble Off
/On Topic:
Avatar to Avatar communication, yes ... came across this link (from Play On) over at terra nova and it made me think about some of the things I've written/thought about in the past. The jist of the post is that avatars dont behave, physically, as humans do in irl, and what can be implemented in terms of animation to make the avatar to avatar communication more immersive.
What I find interesting is their idea of immersion seems to be attached to realism. All of the suggestions made would make the interactions more life like, such as busy signals when a character/player is in several conversations .. like queueing up to talk to one person..yes this would make it more 'life like' but does this really add to immersion?
I think we need to separate the differences between RL immersion and immersion found online or in video games. The qualities and expectations are different. What makes online space more immersive for me is the very fact that I can carry on 5 simultaneous conversations and still multi-task blogging or even killing a mob or two while alt-tabbing in and out of the game. Now, this might not be the immersive experiences some scholars talk about - where you feel like you are "in the game", rid of any interface, but it offers a different type of immersion. Immersion in my digital experience as a whole.
I think we need to understand what makes immersive experiences online ... immersive. Understand that mediums are different and offer different possibilities. Not every experience has to be 'like real life', and often - that is the very key to their immersive success.
So .. ya. That was one bone.
I appreciate some of the other suggestions, like when an avatar is searching their backpacks, that there should be an animation to match. I agree that this would signal to other players that I am busy (and not simply standing idle), increasing the avatar to avatar communication and offer some 'body language' into the game. For all the visual enhancements over the genre of mmog's, body language, short of /commands that allow you to /rude and /dance - the synchronicity of action and interaction is still off.
Always a little behind the times, for anyone who ever says there is "nothing on games" really need to spend a couple of days hyperlink-surfing (there must be a more technical term for that).. and find out just how much conversation - academic and otherwise - that is out there is quite incredible.
/Ramble Off
/On Topic:
Avatar to Avatar communication, yes ... came across this link (from Play On) over at terra nova and it made me think about some of the things I've written/thought about in the past. The jist of the post is that avatars dont behave, physically, as humans do in irl, and what can be implemented in terms of animation to make the avatar to avatar communication more immersive.
What I find interesting is their idea of immersion seems to be attached to realism. All of the suggestions made would make the interactions more life like, such as busy signals when a character/player is in several conversations .. like queueing up to talk to one person..yes this would make it more 'life like' but does this really add to immersion?
I think we need to separate the differences between RL immersion and immersion found online or in video games. The qualities and expectations are different. What makes online space more immersive for me is the very fact that I can carry on 5 simultaneous conversations and still multi-task blogging or even killing a mob or two while alt-tabbing in and out of the game. Now, this might not be the immersive experiences some scholars talk about - where you feel like you are "in the game", rid of any interface, but it offers a different type of immersion. Immersion in my digital experience as a whole.
I think we need to understand what makes immersive experiences online ... immersive. Understand that mediums are different and offer different possibilities. Not every experience has to be 'like real life', and often - that is the very key to their immersive success.
So .. ya. That was one bone.
I appreciate some of the other suggestions, like when an avatar is searching their backpacks, that there should be an animation to match. I agree that this would signal to other players that I am busy (and not simply standing idle), increasing the avatar to avatar communication and offer some 'body language' into the game. For all the visual enhancements over the genre of mmog's, body language, short of /commands that allow you to /rude and /dance - the synchronicity of action and interaction is still off.
posted by Kelly at
09:19
2 Comments:
"I think we need to separate the differences between RL immersion and immersion found online or in video games."
++++
and you forgot to add that what makes one form of CMC immersive is not what makes another form immersive.
Even different games can (and do) have different qualities that makes them immersive.
also - i'm glad your blogging more and with a more relaxed voice. i'm a fan ;-)
By
Anonymous, at 15/12/05 7:28 p.m.
Excellent point, Kell. This sounds to me like one more manifestation of that online/offline dichotomy cropping up, in the sense that you point out. If we don't appear online the same as we do offline, it can't be as good, seems to be the message. But like you, I like the differences of immersiveness of online space/place and wouldn't want that to change.
By
Sashay, at 16/12/05 7:42 a.m.
Post a Comment
<< Home