UNLVirtual
Spring 2011 Vol. 1 Issue 1
UNIVERSAL NEWSLETTER FOR VIRTUAL & DIGITAL MEDIA
this issue
Top 5 M M O R P G’s Now this depends on who you ask. Gamers have countless reasons for choosing their favorites – advanced 3D graphics, variety of characters, adventure storylines – you get the idea. But the clear winners in this battle are Second Life, known among its “Lifers” as SL, and World of Warcraft , appropriately nicknamed WoW.
1. Second Life 2. World of Warcraft 3. EVE Online 4. Guild Wars 5. Aion: The Tower of Eternity
UNLV Exploratoria Island Second Life
Wh at’s an MMORPG? P.1 Upcom in g Sprin g Worksho ps P.2
What is an MMORPG? B y Zeenat h Hanif f
MMORPG is an acronym for multiplayer online role-playing games. Online gamers enjoy playing in a 3D fantasy world where they are usually represented by a virtual avatar. Avatars can resemble human features, hybrid animal-like characters or completely fantasybased forms.
However, MMORPG’s are more than just games, they serve as a socialization tool with the unique opportunity for players to cross social boundaries, including swapping genders. Such games also offer emotional connections and social trust among players who form a genuine rapport, necessary to complete raids or guilds that require coordination and teamwork.
Brown Bag Discussion Join us in our first Brown Bag Discussion of the spring semester led by Larry Mullen. Topic: "Virtue in the Virtual: Tracing the Historical Meaning of Virtual Reality" Date: Friday, January 28, 2011 Time: 12:00 p.m. Location: Greenspun Hall, first-floor
conference room MMORPG’s: Page 2
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Upcoming Workshops Spring 2011
T ho u g hts o r Q u e sti o ns ? Feel free to share your virtual or digital experiences and research findings.
Learn about Second Life and virtual education possibilities for your next course or research
Need to find out more about virtual reality or e-newspapers? Ask us! Submit articles and questions to the Virtual and Digital Media office via email: haniffz@ unlv.nevada.edu.
project The Virtual and Digital Media office will be conducting three workshops this semester. They will be held on Mondays at 1:00 p.m. – 2:15 p.m.. Note: Dates to be announced. One. BASIC INTRODUCTION TO SECOND LIFE Learn how to create an avatar, Build objects and architecture, Travel across the globe in the virtual world, Communicate to others. Two. TEACHING VIRTUAL CLASSES WITHIN SECOND LIFE Explore the virtual campus and how to use 3D interactive communication and presentation tools to teach students, or produce virtual reality films and short clips using Machinima. Three. RESEARCH IN SECOND LIFE Curious about a virtual research topic? This emergent field of study encompasses various topics from cyber crimes to iReporting in virtual reality.
Contact Info UNLV College of Urban Affairs Virtual and Digital Media 4505 Marylan d Pkwy Box 455007 Las Vegas, Nevada 89154-5007 Phone 702-895-0035 Lawrence Mullen, Ph.D. Director Email: lawrence.mullen@ unlv.edu Zeenath Haniff Research Assistant Email: haniffz@ unlv.nevada.edu
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Universities worldwide have beg un teaching college classes on virtual campuses, using innovative communication tools an d visual presentation software to interact with distance education students. Catacl ysm is the third expansion to the virtual reality adventure game since 2004 to the delight of WoW players, offering unlocked levels and a new race to its fantastical assortment of heroic characters. EVE Online Incursion 1.1.0 is sparking new interest – the Character Creator sculpts avatars to appear life-like in the space-faring militant game. Guild Wars offers numerous professions an d skill sets for their “heroes” to combat in each town as they encounter enemies and creat ures in epic battles. Created in Korea, it is the story of the god, Aion, who created a world torn into two by the very guards he produced to protect Atreia. The game i s an ongoing war between good an d evil.
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