Game-Based Virtual Worlds as Decentralized Virtual Activity Systems

There is widespread interest in the development and use of decentralized systems and virtual world environments as possible new places for engaging in collaborative work activities. Similarly, there is widespread interest in stimulating new technological innovations that enable people to come together through social networking, file/media sharing, and networked multiplayer computer game play. A decentralized virtual activity system (DVAS) is a networked computer supported work/play system whose elements and social activities can be both virtual and decentralized [Scacchi, et al. 2008a]. Massively multi-player online games (MMOGs) like World of Warcraft, and online virtual worlds like Second Life are each popular examples of a DVAS. Furthermore, these systems are beginning to be used for research, development, and education activities in different science, technology, and engineering domains [Bainbridge 2007, Bohannon, et al. 2009, Rieber 2005, Scacchi and Adams 2007, Schaffer 2006], which is also of interest here. This chapter explores two case studies of DVAS's developed at UC Irvine that employ game-based virtual worlds to support collaborative work/play activities in different settings. The settings include those that model and simulate practical or imaginative physical worlds in different domains of science, technology or engineering through alternative virtual worlds where players/workers engage in different kinds of quests or quest-like workflows [Jakobsson 2006].