Abstract
ABSTRACTVirtual worlds are relatively recent developments, and so it is tempting to believe that they need to be understood through newly developed theories and philosophies. However, humans have long thought about the nature of reality and what it means to be “real.” This paper examines the three persistent philosophical concepts of Metaxis, Liminality and Space that have evolved across more than 2000 years of meditation, contemplation and reflection. Our particular focus here is on the nature of the interface between the virtual and the physical: at the interstices, and how the nature of transactions and transitions across those interfaces may impact upon learning. This may, at first, appear to be an esoteric pursuit, but we ground our arguments in primary and secondary data from research studies in higher education.
Highlights
Since the emergence of Virtual worlds (VWs) in the 1990s higher education has been awash with stories and legends
Whilst VWs are relatively recent developments, and it is tempting to believe that they need to be understood through newly-developed philosophies, humans have long thought about the nature of reality and what it means to be ‘real’
This paper examines Metaxis, Liminality and Space, three philosophical concepts that have evolved across more than 2,000 years of storytelling, meditation, contemplation and reflection
Summary
Since the emergence of VWs in the 1990s higher education has been awash with stories and legends. The students exhibited little sense of identification with their avatars at all stages of the exercise, but did demonstrate a strong sense of being a part of the scenario in the VW and commented upon how real the scenario felt This was surprising, as past research has shown that the sense of reality and immersion in VWs and in similar video games is closely related to a person’s relationship, and sense of identity, with their avatar (see, for example, Taylor 2002, Waggoner 2009). It may be that the ability of humans to inhabit two worlds at once is underestimated in VW education design, where the emphasis is currently placed upon significant orientation leading to immersion, as a key factor of success This example of liminality draws on a study that used narrative inquiry to examine staff and students experiences of teaching and learning in virtual worlds. Issues of spatial negation tend to interrupt learning in diverse and both helpful and unhelpful ways
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