Samuli Pekkola
ABSTRACT
Collaborative virtual environments (CVEs) have been studied extensively during the past few years. In this paper, the concept of virtual reality (VR), and its value for group work are critically examined. To ground the discussions, experiences from a virtual reality project, from 3D chats, and from present CVE applications are analysed in the light of human communication. It is argued that the value of virtual reality is often overemphasised and overrated in the group work context, especially when conce rning desktop virtual realities and generic groupwork without an explicitly defined task or purpose. The main problem with VR is its self-centricity and inadequate support for shared real-life related objects.
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Index Terms
- Critical approach to 3D virtual realities for group work
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