Virtual World Research Articles

Efficiency of Online Learning and Difficulties Encountered: Case of Albanian Students

The end of last century and the beginning of 21st century marked a significant evolution in information technology and virtual world as a whole, which influenced and dictated the way of living and working around the world, especially in the most developed countries. Thanks to this development, it was possible to cope successfully and continuously during Covid 19 pandemic. Education as one of the strategic and most sensitive sectors, due to Covid 19 pandemic, faced the online learning platform around the globe. In the US and in some developed EU countries, the online learning platform has been a practice applied in the past. However, for many other countries, including Albania, the online learning platform was something new that students and faculty had to face at any rate. Yet, are stakeholders ready to face the online learning platform? This study has analyzed some of the obstacles faced by students, upon the implementation of the online platform. It will be observed whether the efficiency of online learning will have the same efficiency as classical learning. These many other questions will be answered through an empirical and theoretical analysis that was made possible through an online survey, which surveyed 1672 students from all private and public universities operating in the Albanian territory. Multi-factor analysis will be performed through SPSS program, ANOVA test, and Chi-square (x2). Finally, some conclusions finalize this scientific study.

The Dynamics Of Civic Education In Building Social Awareness In The Digital Era

Civic education has become an essential component in shaping individuals as active members of society who are aware of their rights and responsibilities. However, in this digital age, technological developments have brought new challenges that impact the way we understand and engage in social life. In this situation, research has focused on civic education programs to educate the public about digital critical skills and ethical principles in the online world. This study aims to investigate and analyze the more profound impact of social media on forming people's civic awareness in the context of the digital age. This research uses qualitative methods, where the data in this study was obtained through interviews with academics in the field of citizenship and looking for data sources in journal articles and related books. The result of this study is that social media has great significance in the context of civic education, which has an impact that can be both positive and negative. That's why it's essential to work together to tackle cyberbullying and promote online safety, with parents, teachers and caregivers having a key role to play in educating children about safe and responsible online behavior.

Cities in electronic games: how they present and impact real urban areas?

ABSTRACT This study investigates the interactions between virtual cities in electronic (video) games and real urban environments, highlighting a significant gap in the literature regarding the influence of real cities on virtual counterparts and vice versa. Drawing on classical urban theories, it sets two primary objectives: to systematically review how real cities are represented in games and to explore the impacts of virtual cities on real urban areas. Through typological analysis, it identifies two pathways – form and function – through which real cities manifest in games, using specific cases like Cities: Skylines to illustrate these pathways. The principle for virtual city design is also outlined, with an emphasis on the “selection” and “subtraction” of real urban elements in designing processes. Additionally, it discusses how virtual cities impact urban tourism, fostering phenomena like anime pilgrimages, and urban planning, and enhancing public engagement in planning processes. Finally, this research contributes to some newly emerging theories such as Digital Twins by elucidating the interactive relationship between physical and virtual urban spaces.

Role Of Virtual Reality Therapy In Psychology

Virtual Reality creates a controlled simulated computer generated environment that creates an experience which mimics the real world to form a Virtual Environment which helps users to interact with the virtual world. Virtual Reality Therapy (VRT) to treat Psychological distress by using VR headset or a head mounted system and the user views a specialized tailored visual content to overcome their fears without the risk of threat.

Paper and Technology Interaction in Production of Arabic Poetry: "Techno-Paper Poetry" Hypothesis as an Example

Since the emergence of the first signs of digital poetry in the early 1990s, a gap has been formed between two contrasting worlds: the physical (real) world and the virtual (digital) world. As time advanced with the advent of digital literature, the gap widened, leading to a profound intersection between individuals from both worlds, especially among the writers. Two contrasting tones, which are never converging, emerged: the tone of the traditional paper-based writer, who criticizes digital literature as a product of machines, claiming that those who believe in it lack the characteristics of true creativity and have escaped to the virtual world to hide their literary lack. On the other hand, the tone of the digital writer, who calls paper-based literature as remnants of the past, considering it inaccessible and it is impossible to interact with a defunct literature. These two tones had a significant impact on hindering communication with the digital literary system, resulting in its slow progress in the public cultural sphere and academic space. Thus, bridging the gap between the two worlds became essential by creating an intermediate transitional zone that represents a reassurance document for poets from the two opposing worlds, and serving that both forms of literature complete one another. The concept of "Techno-Paper Poetry" was introduced in 2019. It is based on two aspects: one being paper-based and the other digital. It involves a portion of the literature, which is written on paper, while the other is digitized and distributed online. Access to the digital section is achieved through the paper-based section by scanning the barcode or QR code using a dedicated application called "Aquarium Reader" installed on smart tablets. Based on the aforementioned, it becomes crucial to establish a literary roadmap to bridge the gap between these two worlds and legitimize this style of poetry as an active step towards pure digitization.

Hedonism and Opinion Leadership Influence on Consumer Behavior in the Context of First-Class Flights from Short Videos on Social Media

ABSTRACT Short videos have become an important driving force of social media. This study aims to understand how the perception of luxury goods, their associated brand experience and purchase intentions are affected by hedonism and social media influencers via social media videos. This research collects 383 samples from Mainland China using an online survey. The data are analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM). The results indicate hedonism and influencer leadership directly and indirectly influence purchase intentions. The results show that more hedonic consumers or consumers who believe in influencers are more likely to have a positive first-class flight experience. This study also confirmed that brand experience and perceived luxury provide a mediating role on virtual world content. The findings offer new knowledge to researchers and industry in the luxury tourism context. Finally, theoretical and managerial implications are provided.

Emergent group understanding: Investigating intersubjectivity in sociotechnical interdependencies

AbstractTeaching with virtual worlds provides new means for collaborative learning but creates challenges for teachers in terms of IT skills. To address these challenges, we developed a teaching model for using virtual worlds in classroom practices and applied it to Minecraft in several rounds of design-based research experiments. Our conceptual framework combines ideas from software engineering (sociotechnical congruence) and social sciences (intersubjectivity and emergence). Empirically, we addressed the problem of how shared understanding evolves in computer-mediated learning activities. We video-recorded classroom activities and analyzed them using interaction analysis. The teaching model engaged the students in two interdependent processes, referred to as objects: (1) a social object (discussions) that led to a shared knowledge object (video-recorded role-play) and (2) a technology object (Minecraft buildings) for staging the role-play. Our findings include an empirical phenomenon that we call emergent group understanding, which arose from the complex social interactions between social and technology objects when Minecraft was used as a virtual world in a social studies classroom. This revealed two connected subprocesses: (1) a spontaneous act of providing information to assist learners in contextualizing their actions and interactions against a common background, and (2) setting localized goals to guide future actions and interactions. This finding extends previous research by identifying fine-grained processes of intersubjectivity that contribute to collaborative learning. More generally, our teaching model addresses the problem of balancing creative and instructional learning goals.

Adoption of NFT transaction in metaverse platform: a trust transfer approach to leverage trust among users

Purpose Recent growth of metaverse adoption has impacted the adoption of nonfungible tokens (NFTs) which is becoming increasingly attractive. Recently, researchers have explored the adoption of NFTs in metaverse platform. However, considering the risk involved in the transaction, the need for trust on NFT transaction arises. Drawing on trust transfer theory, this study aims to fill this gap by investigating the trust transfer process from trust on metaverse platform and online payment. Moreover, the moderating effect of perceived effectiveness of dispute resolution (PEDR) between trust and adoption of NFT transaction in metaverse platform is explored. Design/methodology/approach This study adopts an empirical approach using a questionnaire survey in India based on simple random sampling technique and is analyzed using structural equation modeling through the Smart PLS software. Findings The findings reveal that users with a higher trust disposition will trust the metaverse platforms, online payments and NFT transactions in the metaverse. Also, the study reveals that trust transfers from the metaverse platform and online payments toward NFT transactions in the metaverse, which further leads to the adoption intent of NFT. The study provides information for platforms on how the trust transfer process occurs and how to manage conflict resolution to attract the trust of users to use NFTs in their transaction. Research limitations/implications The study makes a valuable contribution by identifying the significant impact of trust disposition and social influence in explaining user trust in NFT transactions within the metaverse. Also, the study explores how established trust in conventional online payment mechanisms translates and contributes to trust-building on NFTs and transactional contexts within virtual worlds. Practical implications This study implies that ensuring robust security measures for NFT transactions, such as two-factor authentication, blockchain verification and secure wallets, can reassure users with different levels of trust disposition. Social implications Metaverse platforms should focus on educating users about how trust operates within their environment by providing tutorials, FAQs and support channels to help users navigate the process confidently. Highlighting security measures, user rights and privacy protections can enhance trust toward NFT payment. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study contributes to research as it is the first of its kind study to explore the factors affecting adoption intent of NFTs transaction in metaverse platform using trust transfer theory. Thereby, developing substantial theoretical and practical contributions by considering an emerging technology.

Self- Control dan Internet addiction pada Mahasiswa: Pendekatan Structural Equation Modeling

The overuse of the internet is known as internet addiction. People who are addicted to the internet frequently require assistance in controlling their usage, which causes them to lose track of time and prefer the virtual world to the actual one. The purpose of this study is to look at how self-control affects college students' internet addiction. 352 students, aged between 18 and 24 (M = 20.46, SD = 1.31), living in Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, Tangerang, and Bekasi, made up the sample. There were 69 male students and 283 female students. Purposive sampling, a non-probability technique, was employed. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) is used in the construct validity assessment process. The structural equation modeling method is employed to test hypotheses. The results showed that data with an RMSEA value of 0.074 supported the fit model. In addition, there is a significant influence of self-control on internet addiction in students with an opposing direction of influence. The R-square of 40.2% obtains the amount of influence.

VRodel - A virtual sledding simulator

Introduction & Purpose Sledding is a low-cost and accessible recreational activity popular in alpine regions. However, the risk of injury is high, especially for beginners or tourists, according to the Österreichisches Kuratorium für Alpine Sicherheit (2021). Therefore, promoting sledding safety is important to minimize the number of accidents and fatalities in the sport. Sterr (2019) says, the major reason behind an accident is often the lack of skill in steering the sled. Hence, it would be ideal to acquire the skill to steer before going on a track. In many fields skill training is done in virtual reality. Realism in skill training is a major aspect in the virtual worlds according to Newman et al. (2022). Therefore, the goal of VRodel was to create a virtual environment for training that is as close as reasonably possible to reality. Methods In the first step, an environment had to be chosen that would be safe yet effective for training the skill of steering the sled. Next, the sledding track of Kühtai was transferred to a virtual model by means of drone based photogrammetry. The three-dimensional model was then cleaned, polished, and set into the virtual valley that surrounds the track. In a third step, a game was developed in the virtual world to create a virtual training experience. Input from professional sledders and comparisons to time splits of the real track were used to adapt the physics. The user steers the sled by moving their hands in space to reflect the pulling of the reins and leaning into curves. To increase immersion, the safety training uses gamification aspects. As a fourth step, the game was tested by four experts from Rodel Austria and 49 beta-testers, which gave feedback about the realism. Results The project resulted in a virtual reality safety training for the sport of sledding, that excels the current sledding simulation games in terms of appearance and realism. This was underlined by the feedback from the experts of the Austrian Luge Federation and the beta-testers that gave the simulation an average score of 4.98 out on a scale from 1 to 7. In Figure 1, a glimpse of the virtual world is visible. Discussion Le Noury et al. (2022) mention the potential of extended reality for training a skill in sports in their review. They also outlined that this field showed low efficacy on improving motor skills in the past and more research is needed. This project is addressing the needs of society for safer luging and at the same time uses an approach that needs more research according to Le Noury et al. (2022). Therefore, not only the project’s goals have been met, but also a contribution to the scientific progress in this field was made. Conclusion The immersive nature of the VRodel training program successfully engaged users, particularly children, through its gamified elements. Furthermore, this initiative not only enables sledding on a virtual track but also enables a study on the efficacy of virtual skill training in sledding.

Developing Moral Leadership in the Digital and Remote Era: Ethical Leadership in a Virtual World

This research explores the challenges leaders face in the rapidly evolving digital age and remote working. With the rapid adoption of digital technologies and the shift towards remote working, organizations face the challenge of ensuring ethical principles are maintained and effectively applied. This research aims to identify and develop ethical leadership practices that are relevant in a virtual context and provide practical guidance for handling ethical dilemmas in a digital environment. The research method used a post-qualitative approach with a diffractive design, which involved case studies, document analysis, and in-depth interviews with leaders from various organizations who successfully implemented ethical leadership in a remote context. The diffractive approach enabled an understanding of ethical leadership as a dynamic process that interacts with technology and social interactions. The results show that effective leaders in the digital age require adaptive communication, firm ethics policies, and a values-based approach to build and maintain team trust. The ethical leadership model found includes four key pillars: transparency of communication, integrity in decision-making, maintenance of data privacy, and continuous ethics training. In conclusion, ethical leadership in the digital world requires adjusting ethical values in virtual interactions. This research develops a moral leadership model that is responsive to digital complexity and provides practical guidance to improve ethical leadership in the digital age.

Three-Dimensional Web-Based Client Presentation of Integrated BIM and GIS for Smart Cities

Smart cities use technological solutions to reduce the drawbacks of urban living. The importance of BIM and GIS integration has increased with the popularity of smart city and 3D city concepts in recent years. In addition to 3D city models, Building Information Modeling (BIM) is an essential element of smart cities. The 3D city model web client in this study displays three-dimensional (3D) city models created using photogrammetric techniques, BIM, and campus infrastructure projects. The comparison and integration of the aforementioned systems were evaluated. A web-based 3D client framework and implementation for combined BIM and 3D city models are the goals of the submitted work. The Web is a very challenging platform for 3D data presentation. The Cesium engine based on HTML5 and WebGL is an open-source creation and the virtualcityMAP application using the Cesium infrastructure was used in this study.

“If You’re Talking, I Think You’re Muted”: Follow-up Analysis of Weekly Peer Review Discussion and Plan Changes After Transitioning From Virtual to In-Person Format

AimsDuring the COVID-19 public health emergency, we previously identified decreased rates of radiotherapy (RT) peer review (PR) discussion and plan changes in virtual versus in-person PR conferences. To expand on these findings, we continued to prospectively collect data on all PR conferences from 2021 to 2023 and performed a follow-up analysis before and after the transition back to in-person PR. Materials and methodsA prospectively maintained database of weekly PR cases was queried for consecutive cases reviewed before and after the transition from virtual to in-person conferences. Rates of PR discussion and change recommendations were summarized and compared between the virtual and in-person groups. A survey was developed and administered to assess participants' perceived levels of engagement, opinions on optimal PR format, and preferences for future meetings before and 3 months after the transition back to in-person PR. ResultsIn total, 2,103 RT plans were reviewed: 1,590 virtually and 513 after the transition back to in-person. There was no difference in faculty attendance between groups. The proportion of cases with PR discussion increased from virtual (9.8%) to in-person (25.5%) format (p < 0.001). In the virtual group, 8.1% of cases had 1 topic and 1.7% had 2+ topics discussed. This increased to 15.8% and 9.7% during in-person PR, respectively (p < 0.001). The rate of change recommendation also increased from 1.5% (virtual) to 3.3% (in-person, p = 0.016). Among cases with at least 1 topic discussed, there was no difference in changes. Survey-reported distraction significantly decreased from virtual to in-person PR (p < 0.001). ConclusionUpon returning to in-person PR conferences, peer discussion and plan change recommendations significantly increased and returned to pre-pandemic levels, and participants’ perceived levels of distraction were reduced. In an increasingly virtual world, additional efforts to develop best practices that maximize PR discussion and minimize distraction outside virtual conferences are warranted.

Estereotipos de género y videojuegos online en jóvenes universitarios de la ciudad de La Paz

Gender stereotypes (GE) are beliefs related to the ought and/or behaviors of men and women that perpetuate gender discrimination in different spaces; one of these is the virtual world. Where Dota-LOL online video games are found. Thus, the objective of this article is to know what attributes are assigned by young university students to the characters and to identify the beliefs attributed to the female characters. From a qualitative ap proach that assumes subjective reality, a deep and reflective analysis, 11 interviews were conducted. Confirming that in this type of video games women are assigned related roles: care, empathy, weakness; to men: leadership, aggressiveness, coldness, protector.

Aspects of information and spiritual similarity of real and virtual spaces

The results of numerous studies demonstrate the possibility of using the same approaches to studying real and virtual space in the context of their spatial perception. The study of virtual space can be carried out using the same parameters as physical space, and they should be considered equivalent. Virtual space is only one of the strategies for information copying of real space, the result of an irresistible human need to expand the horizons of research. Virtual space does not pose any threat to reality if we interpret the virtual environment as a transformation of the real environment, a new way of studying the mutual penetration of the virtual and real worlds. Learning to navigate in virtual space leads to safer life in real space.

Digital Enjoyment or Social Disconnection : How Do Online Games Affect Students' Social Lives?

This research aims to analyze the relationship between online game addiction and social interaction and its implications for students' enthusiasm for learning. This research used a quantitative approach with a survey method involving 100 Surakarta students selected through purposive sampling. The instrument used to measure Social Interaction was adapted from (2024) with a reliability coefficient (alpha) of 0.915. And the Online Game Addiction Scale, adapted fromArua et al., (2023) with a reliability coefficient (alpha) of 0.853. Data analysis used descriptive statistics, assumption tests, Pearson correlation, t-test, and coefficient of determination. The results showed that the majority of respondents had a moderate level of online gaming addiction, with a significant negative correlation between gaming addiction and social interaction. Addiction rates were higher in men than women. Interventions should target social and individual contexts, combining education and social support to reduce online gaming addiction among students. Students addicted to online games tend to spend more time in the virtual world; this can divert students' enthusiasm from learning activities. Students become less focused, get tired quickly, or lose enthusiasm for learning because more time and energy is devoted to playing games.

A Modular XR Collaborative Platform for Occupational Safety and Health Training: A Case Study in Circular Logistics Facilities

Over the past few years, safety and health have become major concerns in the warehouse and logistics sectors. Each year, warehouse fatalities, injuries, and accidents cause unrecoverable losses and huge financial costs. In spite of all the advancements in methods, tools, equipment, and regulations, the number of accidents, especially fatal ones, has not subsided significantly. As a result, safety professionals and researchers have explored new and innovative ways to combat this problem. In the circular logistics facility (CLF) industry, located inside warehouses and providing human muscle-oriented services to maintain pallets, both short-term safety incidents and long-term health concerns are present. Long-term health training is rarely discussed in the literature compared to short-term safety training. This is because health issues are more complex than safety issues, since biological outcomes may take time to develop, are affected by multiple resources, and cumulative injuries may occur. This paper contributes to warehouse health and safety by designing and developing a modular XR collaborative training and testing platform (MXC-P). The co-design process is applied to design each module in the MXC-P. Three main modules related to health and safety training for CLF were considered, namely personal protection equipment, pallet handling, and pallet repairing. On this platform, a virtual interactive world provides a solid hands-on training environment and generates syntactic data for evaluating long-term health risks. On the other hand, collaborative and modular environments provide a solution to geographically distributed systems, allowing employees to connect and train remotely. The effectiveness of the MXC-P is compared with traditional safety training in a pilot study. Based on the results, we can establish that the MXC-P is effective in teaching and testing hazard identification situations, especially those relating to short-term health. The results also indicate that trainees’ recall of knowledge would improve with the MXC-P. In addition to this, the MXC-P can also be used to test and evaluate a new system and generate syntactic data for evaluating long-term health.

The Urgency of Actors' Presence on Trending Hashtags on Twitter's New Media in the Frame of Social Network Analysis

The phenomenon of using social media as a new media to meet the needs of information in the community is the result of the rapid development of the internet. Now the needs of the community are easily met, because various things have been contained in it. This can be analyzed based on the phenomenon of trending topics through hashtags on social media twitter using Social Network Analysis (SNA). The purpose of writing this research article is that with so many soap operas in Indonesia that last more than one year on the Indonesian screen, it becomes an interesting thing, but it is not only in the real world, but has become a conversation in cyberspace, Twitter in particular. Using mixed method research methods with actor and network analysis techniques in the quantitative and technical domains of observation, record and descriptive analysis techniques, with Bruno Latour's network study approach. The subjects of the study were the network of actors and the flow of information on the hashtag #IkatanCintaEp1012. The use of Twitter social media as a new media can show networks and actors that make the spread of information and connectivity between fans in the virtual world increasingly stronger and faster in a hashtag network.

GLOBAL EVIL, TECHNOLOGY, AND THE ALIENATION OF REALITY IN WILLIAM GIBSON’S NEUROMANCER (1984)

This article delves into the intricate relationship between technology and reality within the context of William Gibson’s seminal cyberpunk novel Neuromancer (1984) to verify how the characters’ humanity deteriorates due to the information era’s evil influence. Divided into five sections, the article unfolds by providing an introduction to William Gibson’s work, emphasizing the relevance of investigating technology’s impact on shaping reality in the contemporary era. The second section contextualizes the novel within the socio-cultural and technological landscape of the 1980s, tracing the emergence of cyberpunk as a genre and highlighting key events influencing the narrative. The third section comprises significant concepts from works by Jean Baudrillard, Susan Neiman, Ray Kurzweil, Shoshana Zuboff, Mark O’Connell, among others, establishing a theoretical framework for understanding the intertwining of technology and reality. Finally, the fourth section scrutinizes Neuromancer (1984) through this theoretical lens, examining specific passages that illustrate the novel’s dystopian vision of a world dominated by high technology and populated by a marginalized society. The analysis probes the virtual world, the blurring of reality, and the implications of technology on identity and agency. In conclusion, the article synthesizes key findings, reflecting on the implications for comprehending the contemporary intersection of technology and reality.

Fun, experience or education? Learning efficiency – virtual reality lesson vs traditional lesson

PurposeThe aim of the article was to compare the learning outcomes of the same content in the form of a traditional analogue lesson and in the form of a virtual reality (VR) lesson with the use of head-mounted display (HMD).Design/methodology/approachThe study included one biology lesson conducted in 4 groups of a dozen people and one biology lesson in VR carried out individually on 75 people. The respondents completed the knowledge test, a questionnaire before and after the class regarding the attitude to new technologies, and feelings after the lesson. The researchers used detailed observation sheets (subjects' behaviour and the dynamics of the lesson). The obtained results were analysed statistically through lesson type (traditional/VR), respondent type (technology enthusiast/non-enthusiast) and question type. The Mann–Whitney U test, t-student and chi-squared (?²) test were used.FindingsThe average of the overall results in the knowledge test was similar in both groups (16 points; ±SD 2.13), slightly better for the analogue group and for the non-enthusiast group. It was found that VR hinders the acquisition of knowledge by tech enthusiasts, who perceive it primarily in the play paradigm. However, it encourages the learning of technology sceptics, who quickly discover a passion for exploring the virtual world. It was clearly indicated, quantitatively and qualitatively, how the technology modalities directly influenced the learning outcomes.Originality/valueThe article offers fresh insights into how students' perceptions of the educational process can be transformed through the integration of VR. The compelling findings and nuanced analysis provide a robust foundation for exploring new frontiers in educational technology.