VR Research

From the publisher: Immersive Storytelling and Spectatorship in Theatre, Museums, and Video Games is the first volume to explore immersion as it is experienced in all three of these storytelling forms: the theatre, museums and historic sites, and video games. It theorizes what it means for a work to be called immersive and how immersion impacts audience experience in each of these modes.

From the publisher: "Virtual Reality for Serious Illness explores the important role virtual reality interventions can play in symptom management, anxiety control, and spiritual meaning. the book focuses on cutting-edge research and its effects on the seriously ill and those who treat the seriously ill. the innovation in this book is twofold: it is a global look at the use of virtual reality in complex medical cases where it takes an interdisciplinary look at use of virtual reality, and it includes a strong focus on the spiritual healing resulting from the meaning and purpose found during this intervention. the book is written for professionals who use holistic healing measures in the scope of treatment for chronic and seriously ill patients. it is written for all disciplines acting in holistic healthcare healing, including physicians, chaplains, nurses, and informatics interventionists."

From the publisher: Thorough review of how virtual reality technology is transforming the field of mental health MHVR: The Power of Immersive Worlds is an expansive and highly insightful exploration into the integration of virtual reality (VR) within the spectrum of mental health offerings. This book is not merely a collection of research and examples; it is a journey through the evolution of VR, tracing its origins from visionary fiction to a substantial, transformative tool in mental health therapy. Written in a modular format with case studies included throughout, this book features contributions from well-known names in the fields of mental health and technology. Readers will learn about: How VR can help clients "paint a picture" during therapy, such as with the help of the Apple Vision Pro and similar devices Various applications of VR in the field of mental health, from suicide assessment, treatment, and prevention, to addiction, to trauma therapy in warzones Hygiene practices in cybersecurity and data management to keep client data private, safe, and secure MHVR: The Power of Immersive Worlds earns a well-deserved spot on the bookshelves of all mental health professionals seeking state-of-the-art knowledge to help improve patient outcomes, as well as all curious individuals seeking to understand more about the latest VR developments and how they can be used to change the world for the better.

From the publisher: A practical guide to the ethnographic study of online cultures, and beyond Ethnography and Virtual Worlds is the only book of its kind--a concise, comprehensive, and practical guide for students, teachers, designers, and scholars interested in using ethnographic methods to study online virtual worlds, including both game and nongame environments. Written by leading ethnographers of virtual worlds, and focusing on the key method of participant observation, the book provides invaluable advice, tips, guidelines, and principles to aid researchers through every stage of a project, from choosing an online fieldsite to writing and publishing the results. Provides practical and detailed techniques for ethnographic research customized to reflect the specific issues of online virtual worlds, both game and nongame Draws on research in a range of virtual worlds, including Everquest, Second Life, There.com, and World of Warcraft Provides suggestions for dealing with institutional review boards, human subjects protocols, and ethical issues Guides the reader through the full trajectory of ethnographic research, from research design to data collection, data analysis, and writing up and publishing research results Addresses myths and misunderstandings about ethnographic research, and argues for the scientific value of ethnography

From the publisher: The book provides an in-depth and comprehensive knowledge review of the use of virtual reality in the education industry and businesses. Virtual reality (VR) technology has thoroughly transformed education by providing engaging and immersive ways for students to experience their education and by offering visual learning, creative development, etc., to enhance their studies. Moreover, with increasing accessibility, both students and educators can utilize it for effective teaching and learning. By embracing this VR-related technology, teachers can transform traditional classrooms into lively ones. Businesses can also leverage VR for skilling, up-skilling, and re-skilling. This book is divided into two parts. Part I discusses the opportunities, challenges, and application of VR technology, and Part II focuses on reimagining education with the metaverse. Readers will find in this book: a description of the relationship between virtual reality and student behavior; a review of VR-enabled tools and techniques for an immersive environment; a discussion on VR in the context of vocational education by developing a conceptual framework and roadmap for its adoption; an overview of the advantages, disadvantages, and mechanisms of VR through a detailed analysis showing a comparison of the strong and weak points of the technologies being used in education; a look at the future of learning in the context of VR; a description of the relevance of VR in emerging economies with the help of bibliometric analysis and discusses its future potential; a review of Metaverse as a new education avatar showcasing diverse educational experiences and how to reimagine teaching; an explanation of the relevance of emerging digital technologies in upskilling employees in fashion retail to impart an immersive experience for customers; a proposed framework for mapping the use of VR for students with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD). The book is designed for information technologists, educational researchers, teachers, policymakers, government officials, and business managers.

From the publisher: This methods case study provides a behind-the-scenes description of a research project in which participants made lethal force decisions while viewing 360-degree videos of police-suspect encounters through a virtual reality headset, while their physiological stress and visual attention was monitored. The results of this project culminated in two papers that focused on how physiological stress and visual attention interact to impact lethal force decision-making with Black suspects. During the development of the project, I faced both expected and unexpected challenges. For example, heading into the project I knew that there was no previously established method for determining visual attention patterns from 360-degree video stimuli, and that this would need to be developed specifically for this project. Unexpectedly, I faced some challenges with experimental control; specifically, although I attempted to film two versions of each police-suspect scenario in which everything was identical except the race of the suspect, you will read below that this was not successful. As a result, I focused my analyses only on scenarios with Black suspects, limiting the strength of our results. These challenges, however, have served as catalysts for my current directions in this line of research. Through the narrative of this project and its challenges, readers will learn about a variety of concepts and developments that are particularly pertinent to psychological research, including understanding the potential value of virtual reality for research, the difference between behavioral and self-report research, challenges of operationalizing variables within behavioral research, and tensions between ecological validity and experimental control.

From the publisher: This book explores how digital technologies are transforming cultural heritage preservation, documentation, and archiving. It delves into the technical aspects of digitalization techniques, digital preservation strategies, and the use of advanced technologies like virtual reality and augmented reality in the context of cultural heritage. Digital Cultural Heritage: Challenges, Solutions and Future Directions covers the digital documentation and archiving of cultural artifacts, which involves the use of imaging techniques, data storage, and metadata management. This aspect would resonate with engineers specializing in imaging technology, data management, and information systems. The chapters showcase the breadth of innovative ideas in delivering, communicating, interpreting, and transforming cultural heritage content and experience through multi-modal, multimedia interfaces. Aiming to offer a balanced overview of digital heritage and culture issues and technologies, the book pulls together expert views and updates on these four broad areas, namely, (a) Smart Cities and Digital Heritage, (b) Heritage and Education, (c) Culture and Society, and (d) Digital Documentation and Preservation. The book will resonate with engineers specializing in imaging technology, data management, and information systems and those exploring the intersection of digital technology and museums, such as interactive exhibits, digital displays, and virtual museum experiences. It will also be of interest to researchers, curators, and educators as well as the culture-minded public seeking to understand how the burgeoning field of digital heritage and culture may impact our social, cultural, and recreational activities.

From the publisher: In this book, Michael Grabowski uses established theories of ethics to evaluate the benefits and risks of using virtual reality (VR). By examining and imagining use cases of VR and related technologies, Grabowski questions how rules should govern VR to address issues of control, access, privacy, bias, deception, and abuse.