Virtually Missing the Point: Configuring CVEs for Object-Focused Interaction

Abstract

In this chapter, we focus on collaborative virtual reality systems that use a combination of 3D graphics and audio to enable people to interact within a virtual setting and to discuss, fashion and manipulate their common environment. The emergence of these systems introduces unique opportunities to develop new sites of sociality and to support distributed collaborative work and interaction. Indeed, as 3D visualizations and single-user VR technologies become increasingly adopted within numerous industrial and entertainment domains (Schroeder, 1996; Stanney et al., 1998), there are heightened opportunities for associated collaborative applications to emerge (Biocca and Levy, 1995). Most successful thus far have been the entertainment applications, such as online gaming, inhabited TV, artistic installations and museum exhibits (see Benford et al., 1997a,b, 1999a; Greenhalgh et al., 1999b,c; and Chapter 5 of this volume). However, here we are particularly concerned with the potential for collaborative VR to provide support for remote working - a relatively under-explored area.