Metaverse Health

Archive for September, 2009

(This story originally appeared over at The Metaverse Journal)

The Virtual World’s Story Project (TVWSP) is a partnership between Jena Ball (SL: Jenaia Morane) and Marty Keltz (SL: Marty Snowpaw). We’ve previously covered one of their other story quests and they’ve certainly been prolific in the health and education field.

Their latest project is focused on HIV/AIDS and is titled The Life and Times of Uncle D, which you can get a taste of in this four-minute summation:

This week sees the in-world launch of The Life and Times of Uncle D. It’s occurring on the 1st October at Noon SL time, which is 5am on Friday the 2nd October AEST – you can find out more info here on the TVSWP site.

It’s another example of the power of machinima, and the virtual environments they’re created in, to assist in providing meaning to real world issues.

(For those interested in the use of virtual worlds in sexual health education or in health more broadly, don’t forget to keep an eye on sister-site Metaverse Health.)

It’s great to see the research base for virtual worlds continuing to grow. A new addition is the Journal of Virtual Worlds and Education. It states its mission simply:

The Journal of Virtual Worlds and Education is a trans-disciplinary academic journal that offers a publication venue for articles and authors examining issues, ideas, and research inspired by the intersection of emerging virtual worlds technologies and education. The Journal maintains the highest standards of peer review and seeks to attract and engage new and emerging authors and scholars across the globe.

The call for papers for the first issue (to be published online early 2010) is already out. Given the dynamism of Australian educators in virtual worlds, I’d be surprised if this neck of the real world woods isn’t well represented in future issues.