Virtual World Interoperability: Let Use Cases Drive Design

Abstract

Virtual worlds are slowly creeping into our daily lives. While some early 
 adopters have been using them for entertainment, research and training 
 over the last 20 years, virtual trade shows and online conferencing with 
 user avatars are putting them front and center on the desktops of workers 
 around the world. However, while a "walled garden" virtual world may be 
 useful in and of itself (just like a cell phone being able to call other 
 cell phone customers using the same carrier), the real usability 
 explosion will come when the different virtual worlds start talking to 
 each other (just like cell phones being able to call any phone number in 
 the world, no matter who the destination carrier or operator is).
 
 This article will examine the history of virtual world interoperability 
 as evidenced through early systems like DIS and HLA, current systems such 
 as Second Life / OpenSim teleport and OLIVE simulation interoperability, 
 and will examine some common use cases for the future, interconnected 
 metaverse. Based on this learning, a comprehensive approach to 
 standards-based virtual world interoperability is described, and the 
 article ends with a call for action.
 
 The author has a unique depth of perspective on virtual worlds 
 interoperability, having worked with a variety of technologies ranging 
 from military simulation all the way to massively multiplayer online 
 games, having worked for a leading virtual world platform provider 
 since 2001, and having shipped public virtual world interoperability 
 solutions since 2005.