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The design space of dynamic interactive virtual environments

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Abstract

Virtual environments have become a key component of many fields and the critical component of virtual reality applications. Due to their virtual nature, they can accommodate an infinite number of possibilities. A theoretical work is presented, which decomposes those innumerous possibilities into concepts to help clarify the vast design space and provide insights into future applied research. We propose that what makes environments interesting and engaging is having worlds that are both active and reactive. This article explores the manifestations of those actions and reactions in what we term: dynamic components and interactions. We term worlds containing these dynamic interactive virtual environments (DIVE). An analysis of each component time was performed, with the purpose of providing a theoretical understanding of the respective design spaces. Initially, we collected the myriad possibilities of each component, e.g., the possible kinds of interactions. We point to examples throughout the field to ground and explain concepts presented. We then categorized of each area into taxonomies. The result of the analyses provides insights into the design space of virtual environments, exposes several avenues of research that are yet underexplored, and provides better understandings of ways in which DIVE creation can be supported.

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Notes

  1. In prior publications, we had referred to these as “dynamics.” A discussion of the choice of nomenclature can be found in Online Resource 1.

  2. http://imve.informatik.uni-hamburg.de/projects/FRVR.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department Informatik, interactive media.virtual environments, Universität Hamburg, Vogt-Kölln-Straße 30, 22527, Hamburg, Germany

    Kristopher J. Blom & Steffi Beckhaus

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  1. Kristopher J. Blom
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  2. Steffi Beckhaus
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Correspondence to Kristopher J. Blom.

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Blom, K.J., Beckhaus, S. The design space of dynamic interactive virtual environments. Virtual Reality 18, 101–116 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10055-013-0232-y

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