There is a virtual world, not a game. Virtual worlds are a grand bait and switch. People are attracted by activities, games, shopping, exploring. They stay because they have made friends and become involved in the community. There are many ways to satisfy these needs on the internet that do not require a 3d virtual world and an avatar. How does an avatar add to communication? This talk addresses some aspects of avatar-centric communication in There, body language, chat props, and camera design.
|
This is the first of a series of two talks. Chuck Clanton and Jeffrey Ventella will also speak in
the Human Computer Interaction Seminar (Seminar on People,
Computers, Design) on Friday, April 4, 12:30-2:00PM, Gates B-01. The EE380 talk on 2 April describes facial and body expressions, gaze, chat, and how these are all integrated in There's avatar-centric communication. The CS547 talk on 4 April describes the cinematographer and chatprop design in There. |
About the speaker:
Chuck Clanton and Jeffrey Ventrella are principle designers at There. They were responsible for the design of avatar-centric communication in There.
Chuck Clanton worked in user interface design of "serious" software for many years before crossing over to the games. He worked on Populous the Beginning, Dungeon Keeper 2, Sim Theme Park, and the first Harry Potter games, all at Bullfrog in the UK, before joining There. He has taught at Stanford, and promoted the sharing of design knowledge between the HCI and game design communities.
Jeffrey Ventrella has a MS degree from the MIT Media Lab, and a MFA from Syracuse University. He has held faculty positions at UCSD, Tufts, and Syracuse. He is an internationally known writer on Artificial Life. He worked at Rocket Science Games prior to founding There with Will Harvey.
Contact information:
Chuck Clanton
chac@aratar.com