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Second Life: What Makes Us Human Competition

January 14, 2014 by Leave a Comment
What Makes Us Human posterThe dynamos at Uni of Western Australia have launched another great competition for content creators in Second Life. Having had the pleasure of judging some of UWA’s great art / sculpture competitions in previous years, I have no doubt this one will be another cracker. Here’s the full details via the UWA in SL blog:
A UWA 3D Creation Challenge:
What Makes us Human?
 
UWA Encourages you to Create a Model, Animation, or Simulation that reflects What Makes Us Human at a Cellular, Organ or System Level
December 1st 2013 – February 28th 2014
Prize pool: L$268,750
Open to Everyone
You be the teacher!
Models that simulate and models that stimulate! Your models can be interactive!Imagine riding a blood corpuscle through a three storey high heart, watching from “inside” the brain as an aneurysm bursts (a “stroke”).
OVERVIEW
“What Makes Us Human?” is an event run by UWA and sponsored by the School of Anatomy, Physiology and Human Biology as well as the School of Physics. We encourage you to create a model, animation or simulation that reflects what makes us human at a cellular, organ, or system level. We encourage you to create fairly accurate or representative creations or models that can be used for teaching. The aim is to enable others to learn anatomical, histological, developmental and/or physiological concepts about the human body from your work.
Entries can be submitted anytime between the 1st of December 2013 and the 28th of February 2014. Entries should have no more than 300 prims. There is no limit on the number of entries you can submit. Entries will be displayed at the UWA Virtual Gallery.
HOW TO ENTER:
Fill out the Creator’s Notecard form (available from the entry drop box, or create a new notecard with your name, the title and description of your entry, a bried bio (optional) and your rl city location (optional)) and include it with your entry. Be sure to include your name and the name of your entry in the filename of the notecard.

Place the model in the contest entry receiver at UWA Gallery HERE http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/UWA/64/132/250:

  • Select your item from inventory while holding down the CTRL key
  • Drag the file from your inventory to the contest entry billboard prim.
  • The outline of the billboard should turn red. You may then release your mouse button and your entry will be deposited.
  • Do the same with your Creator’s Notecard.
  • Mod/copy perms are appreciated, so entries can be displayed via temporary rezzers. This will allow for a greater number of prims/land impact for individual entries, if mod is not possible copy is adequate
If you have problems with the receiver drop the model into the inventory of FreeWee Ling (UWA Curator of Arts) or Jayjay Zifanwe (Jay Jay Jegathesan: UWA in Second Life Founder & Lead) along with a note card stating the name of the model/animation/simulation and the creator.
SUGGESTIONS
Histology (convey the microscopic structure of human tissues)
Nervous System: What are the various representations of different types of neurons?
Integumentary System: What are the structural differences between the layers of epidermis (skin)?
Muscular System: Examine structural differences and/or similarities between skeletal, cardiac, and smooth muscle cells.
Anatomy (convey the gross structure of human body parts) & Histology
Embryology & Foetology: What are various stages of embryonic and foetal development? Perhaps look at the transformation from embryo to foetus.
Anatomy
Skeletal System: What are the components of the human skeleton?
Present the anatomy of various types of joints.
Physiology (convey the processes that enable the human body and its components to function):
Nervous System: What are some of the neural pathways that enable us to perform day to day cognitive and motor functions?
Circulatory System: How does blood circulate through our body to meet the metabolic needs and maintain the normal function of cells/organs/and bodily systems.
Anatomy & Physiology
Circulatory System: How does the heart operate, and what are its different chambers and valves?
Histology, anatomy, and physiology are disciplines that go hand in hand. It is only natural that you may construct entries that draw on more than one of these disciplines in order to facilitate the learning of concepts.
Furthermore, you could also think outside the box. You can portray/convey the difference between normal features and functioning, and the abnormal or dysfunctional.
Other topics could include representations of anatomy, physiology and histology pertaining to the following systems:Digestive, Endocrine, Exocrine, Immune,  Lymphatic, Reproductive, Respiratory, Urinary, Visual
PRIZES:*
1st L$81,250 (~$330 USD)
2nd  L$62,500 (~$255 USD)
3rd  L$37,500 (~$150 USD)
4th  L$18,750 (~$75 USD)
5th  L$12,500 (~$50 USD)
Anatomy Special Prize: L$18,750 (~$75 USD)
Histology Special Prize: L$18,750 (~$75 USD)
Physiology Special prize: L$18,750 (~$75 USD)
Total Prize Pool = L$268,750 (~$1,090 USD)
*(Prizes will be awarded in Linden Dollars. US Dollar equivalents are shown for reference.)

Contest Entry Rules (ESSENTIALS):
  • By submitting an entry, you agree to allow the University of Western Australia to use your model/animation/simulation for teaching and learning purposes, and for promotion of UWA’s programs.
  • Maximum land impact for any entry is 300. Mod/Copy perms are appreciated so we can rez/remove entries on demand, however, if mod is not possible, copy is appreciated.
  • Size is not technically limited, but may not interfere with other exhibits or activities on the sim.
  • Script lag, light or particle emitters, or sounds should be confined to the area of the entry.
  • Contact FreeWee Ling, curator, regarding any special requirements such as orientation, media parcels, environmental needs, etc.
  • We encourage the submission of all-original work. If any component of your entry is the result of rendering work that has originated from another author, whether or not it is under copyright, you must have permission to use it and acknowledge the original author of the component.
Judging Panel:
Professor Stuart Bunt (Anatomy)
Professor Geoff Meyer (Histology)
Assistant Professor Gavin Pinniger (Physiology)
Jay Jay Jegathesan (Founder & Lead – UWA in Second Life)
FreeWee Ling (UWA Second Life Curator & Designer)
Teresa Clune (UWA APHB Contest Administrator)
ENTRIES CLOSE FEBRUARY 28th 2014
Cranial nerve models, like the one pictured in the competition poster, can be viewed at the University of Kentucky’s Cranial Nerve Skywalk in Second Life. To teleport there, click HERE.
Filed Under: Australian News, User-generated, Virtual Worlds Tagged With: ,

Oedipus Rex: in Second Life

September 24, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Virtual world Second Life has a vibrant arts community to say the least. Part of that community is the Avatar Repertory Theatre (ART). They have a few shows under their belt now, including Shakespeare’s The Tempest.

Their latest is Oedipus Rex (Oedipus The King) by Sophocles. During October there’ll be six performances, with tickets costing L$500 (around US$1.50). That’s a pretty reasonable price for the whole theatrical shebang including music.

Here’s a short promo to give you a taste:

More information on the show over at the ART blog, or you can check out the theatre space itself in Second Life. If you haven’t checked out Second Life before, here’s a good excuse to do so.

via [Metaverse Journal]

Filed Under: Art, Virtual Worlds, Virtuality Tagged With: , ,

Three reasons social gaming on Facebook is declining

June 22, 2010 by 6 Comments

Over the past couple of weeks there’s been some focus on the fact that Zynga, maker of social games such as Farmville, had a big decline in users during May. Back in January we predicted some fatigue with those games, albeit in the context of ongoing big growth. The decline for Zynga and its flagship Farmville tend to shine a light on a number of issues that need to be resolved, particularly within Facebook:

1. The Spam Driver

One of the key components of the Facebook-based games has been the promotion of achievements within the game on a user’s Wall. Anyone who’s used Facebook knows this only too well, and the backlash has been considerable, to the point that back in February support this was hobbled. Fast forward a couple of months and you have the widespread drop in numbers. A coincidence?

The old notification spam may have been as annoying as hell but it obviously drew in new players, like any spam-like activity will. It may not be missed, but it’s certainly one of the factors that’s hit social gaming fairly hard. The upside is it will force game creators to make games even more engaging – a better growth driver than spam. Of course, the spam isn’t totally gone either – it’s just simpler to suppress.

2. WoW Without The Wow

Usng Farmville as an example, I only needed to play it for a couple of hours to realise how closely it’s modelled on an MMO framework. Everything from the grinding ‘quests’ and achievements system, through to peer competitiveness and in-world currency. The trouble is, Farmville doesn’t quite have the thrill factor of a hard core MMO. It’s not a fair comparison, but the point is that it’s hard for Farmville to keep innovating so that the endless tasks don’t seem frustrating or even pointless.

I’ve spent many an hour doing pointless / frustrating things in World of Warcraft for example – but it didn’t seem that way as there was always an enticing goal at the end of it. Sure, Farmville offers bigger an better houses / sheds / farming equipment but it wears thin pretty quickly. The challenge for social virtual worlds, like gaming more broadly, is keeping it interesting, and it seems there’s still some work to do. There’s also the issue these social worlds aren’t truly socially interactive: when my avatar can chat and farm with my neighbour, then I’m starting to get interested again.

3. The Trade Embargo

Whether it’s Second Life, World of Warcraft or Entropia Universe, one of the keys to their success has been the ability to make money as well as spend it. In some cases that can translate to hard currency – in others its the ability to earn virtual currency from selling goods that are no longer useful or have been created by their original user (here’s a great post on the growing focus on content creation). Sure, in Farmville you can do some limited selling but it’s the finesse of the more mature platforms that provide a lot of the enjoyment. When I can make decent amounts of real or virtual money in a fair way in a social world, then I’ve got even more incentive to stay there. Money isn’t a driver for a lot of people, but it’s more the link between that money-making capability and a more intricate community that makes the difference.

A reversible decline

All the issues discussed above are evolutionary ones to some extent – as social gaming continues to improve then one can hope their interactivity, creativity and overall engagement will improve also. I’m pretty confident the decline is a short-term one and to some extent a desirable one. Sanity checks like that can lead to better platforms and applications and that’s the way things appear to be heading.

Over to you: what are the gaps in social gaming that need to be filled?

Filed Under: Gaming Worlds, General News, Op-ed, Virtual Worlds Tagged With: , , ,

Virtual Adultery and Cyberspace Love screening on SBS

February 26, 2010 by 1 Comment

Virtual Adultery and Cyberspace Love is a documentary originally screened in early 2008 on the BBC. It’s worth remembering that context, as regular Second Life residents may find watching a little frustrating otherwise.

The documentary follows people who’ve met in Second Life, and the ramifications that has had on their real world relationships. I’ve seen about half of the total content of the documentary and overall I’d say it’s worth a watch, but it’s not as engaging as say the local Alter Ego.

The more discerning Second Life resident will be dismayed at how there’s yet another tawdry and narrowly focused portrayal of life in-world. For me, it was a two-sided experience: annoyance at some of the portrayals but also an acceptance that as a documentary it certainly captured the emotions of the people involved.

Virtual Adultery and Cyberspace Love screens tonight on SBS at 10pm AEDT.

Filed Under: Australian News, Virtual Worlds Tagged With: ,

Does a cross-platform interface make Second Life a second-class application?

February 23, 2009 by 10 Comments

Is a cross platform application UI really all that good for users?If you’re a Mac user, you know you’ve got access to a whole slew of first-class applications. That is, apps that follow the user-interface style guidelines for the Mac. Painstakingly developed and tested over time, the guidelines ensure consistent layouts of menus, options and hotkeys, so that you don’t spend your time struggling to work out how to do the familiar, when you should be getting on with gaining expertise in the unfamiliar.

Windows also has it’s own user-interface conventions (though they are not so strongly adhered to), and Linux has its own body of user-interface conventions also (though mostly just a matter of custom).

The thing is, the applications that follow those local rules are quite simply easier on the user, and that gives them a popularity boost right there. You don’t have to think about the hotkeys for saving or quitting. You don’t have to search high and low to find preferences. Your first-class applications are all laid out in the same way, where they have anything in common.

Second Life, however, isn’t a native first-class application on any of the three supported platforms. It sports an interface that’s somewhat alien to all three. My contention here is that perhaps an attempt should be made to actually give the Second Life viewer an overhaul and actually give each platform a native-style first-class UI.

i.e: Have the Mac viewer follow the Mac UI conventions for menus, hot-keys, drag and drop. The whole nine-yards. Windows and Linux viewers should get their UI reworked to follow their local conventions, too.

Sure, there’s a downside to this. More limited opportunities for cross-platform tutorials and documentation, you’d need to triple-up in some cases. Plus extra work from developers and QA.

The question is, however, who are we supposed to be making the viewer UI easier for? Documenters, devs and QA staff, or the actual users? The unified cross-platform interface doesn’t do the user much in the way of favours, and frankly not many second-class applications ever really hit the heights of popularity on any platform. Without following native user-interface conventions, you’re ultimately deprecated somewhat by the very people you need to win over: the actual users.

Ultimately, though, this is something that needs to be proven out by experiment before you can say for certain that a first-class native-conformant UI will do a better job than the existing second-class UI.

With a variety of third-party Second Life viewers out there the question is, who will be the first to try the idea out? I don’t think it will be Linden Lab.

Filed Under: General News, Op-ed, Virtual Worlds Tagged With: , , ,

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