International Society
for Presence Research

Author: Matthew Lombard

  • Call: 10th International Conference on Interfaces and Human Computer Interaction (IHCI 2016)

    Published:

    Call for Papers 10th International Conference on Interfaces and Human Computer Interaction (IHCI 2016) 2 – 4 July 2016 Funchal, Madeira, Portugal (http://www.ihci-conf.org) Part of the Multi Conference on Computer Science and Information Systems (MCCSIS 2016) 1 – 4 July 2016 Funchal, Madeira, Portugal (http://www.mccsis.org) Keynote Speaker (confirmed): Professor Jan Gulliksen, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden Submission Deadline (1st call extension): 14 March 2016 The Interfaces and Human Computer Interaction (IHCI) 2016 conference aims to address the main issues of concern within Interface Culture and Design with a particular emphasis on the affective aspects of design, development and implementation…

    Read more: Call: 10th International Conference on Interfaces and Human Computer Interaction (IHCI 2016)

  • VR startup Limitless wants to make characters talk back

    Published:

    [The progress toward rich social (tele)presence, in this case with fictional characters, continues. Note the explicit mention and definition of presence in the second paragraph of this story from Variety, where the original features a 0:46 minute teaser video; for more information on the work being done by Limitless, see the company’s press release on PRWeb and coverage in VentureBeat. –Matthew] This Virtual Reality Startup Wants to Make Characters Talk Back Janko Roettgers, Senior Silicon Valley Correspondent March 3, 2016 Seattle-based virtual reality startup Limitless is building a new technology to bring responsiveness to animated characters in virtual worlds and…

    Read more: VR startup Limitless wants to make characters talk back

  • Call: 6th Irish Conference on Game-Based Learning (iGBL2016)

    Published:

    Call for Participation 6th Irish Conference on Game-Based Learning (iGBL2016) September 1-2, 2016 Trinity College Dublin http://www.igbl-conference.com/cfp/ Abstract submission deadline: March 8, 2016 The 6th Irish Conference on Game-Based Learning (iGBL2016) will be hosted at Trinity College Dublin (TCD) on the 1st and 2nd September 2016. Contributions are welcomed from a wide range of topics and may be research or practitioner-based. THEMES FOR THE CONFERENCE The symposium will include (but is not restricted to) the following topics: Pedagogy, Educational and Social issues Pedagogical/learning theories for game-based learning Evaluation of game-based learning Assessment in game-based learning Integrating games into the curriculum…

    Read more: Call: 6th Irish Conference on Game-Based Learning (iGBL2016)

  • Using presence to change minds

    Published:

    [This story is about arguably the most important application of VR and presence; it also explicitly raises important research questions for presence scholars to investigate (see the paragraph that begins, “According to Bryan Mochizuki…”). The story is from Wired, where the original includes a photo gallery and three videos. –Matthew] VR Films Work Great for Charity. What About Changing Minds? Angela Watercutter March 1, 2016 New inventions, whether they’re gadgets or startups or biotech advancements, always come with some promise to “change the world.” Some do. Most don’t. A rare few find revolutionary uses that go far beyond what their…

    Read more: Using presence to change minds

  • Call: GAMEON’2016 – The 17th annual Simulation and AI in Games Conference

    Published:

    CALL FOR PAPERS GAMEON’2016 The 17th annual Simulation and AI in Games Conference Universidade Nova de Lisboa Faculdade de Ciencias Sociais e Humanas -FCSH/NOVA Lisbon, Portugal September 13-15, 2016 Games Development Methodology Game Theory/Multi-Agent Systems Gamification and Social Game Mechanics Artificial Intelligence Learning and Adaptation Intelligent/Knowledgeable Agents Collaboration & Multi-agent Systems Opponent Modelling Physics and Simulation/Graphical Simulation 3D Scalability Facial, Avatar, NPC, 3D in Game Animation AI and Simulation Tools for games design Game Design Rendering Techniques Voice Interaction Cognitive Psychology Affective Computing and Emotional Gaming Artistic input to game and character design Storytelling and Natural Language Processing Online Gaming…

    Read more: Call: GAMEON’2016 – The 17th annual Simulation and AI in Games Conference

  • Dragon Front game rethinks the first-person VR approach

    Published:

    [We need more of this kind of ‘thinking outside of the box’ in the design of presence experiences. The story is from The Verge (where it includes another image); more details and a video are available on the Oculus blog. –Matthew] Dragon Front is a Hearthstone-like card game built for virtual reality A game that rethinks the first-person VR approach By Nick Statt on February 26, 2016 Virtual reality has traditionally been about transporting you to new worlds and making you believe you’re really there. It’s the immersion element, known as “presence” in industry lingo, that makes VR feel like…

    Read more: Dragon Front game rethinks the first-person VR approach

  • Call: Gamevironments of the Past – Video Games and History (special issue)

    Published:

    CALL FOR PAPERS – Special issue of Gamevironments: GAMEVIRONMENTS OF THE PAST – Video Games and History. Guest editors: Derek Fewster (derek.fewster@helsinki.fi) and Ylva Grufstedt (ylva.grufstedt@helsinki.fi). The journal invites researchers to submit their work to Gamevironments (http://www.gamevironments.uni-bremen.de/) for possible publication in a special issue due December 2016. A significant portion of video games contain historic elements of some description. In some cases, games exhibit representations of people, places and events of the past. In others, the historic element draws broadly on cultural understandings of concepts such as time, causality, continuity and change. Some games employ a self-reflexive historic discourse in…

    Read more: Call: Gamevironments of the Past – Video Games and History (special issue)

  • Using VR and presence to treat depression

    Published:

    [The study reported in this story from the Huffington Post provides new evidence that the ability of presence to give people vivid experiences from different perspectives can produce valuable positive effects. –Matthew] [Image: A study participant playing the role of an adult comforting a crying child.] Virtual Reality Therapy Could Be Used To Treat Depression The new therapy could one day help improve symptoms by teaching self-compassion. 02/17/2016 Carolyn Gregoire, Senior Health & Science Writer, The Huffington Post Could virtual reality be the next frontier for treating depression? A new study, published in the British Journal of Psychiatry Open on…

    Read more: Using VR and presence to treat depression

  • Call: INTERACT Workshop on connecting HCI and HRI research communities

    Published:

    Call for Participation: INTERACT Workshop Monday 21 March 2016 Sheffield, South Yorkshire, UK Calling all UK researchers interested in potential links between HCI and HRI: The University of Sheffield, in conjunction with The University of Nottingham and The University of Hertfordshire cordially invite you to the INTERACT workshop, which aims to connect the UK HCI and HRI research communities, and scope opportunities for future funding and collaboration. While the fields of Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) and Human-Computer Interface (HCI) share many perspectives, and have similar research goals, there is little cross-fertilisation. We are hosting this EPSRC-sponsored workshop as a first step…

    Read more: Call: INTERACT Workshop on connecting HCI and HRI research communities

  • Will presence make life better or just be an opiate for the masses?

    Published:

    [As the title suggests, this story from Wired considers one of the key ‘big picture’ ethical issues raised by telepresence. It arguably has applied to most previous technologies but the potential of today’s and especially future technology brings it new salience. –Matthew] VR Will Make Life Better—Or Just Be an Opiate for the Masses Wagner James Au Culture, author of The Making of Second Life (HarperCollins) and writer for the blog New World Notes February 25, 2016 Virtual reality will dramatically transform movies and gaming, but some see an even loftier goal for the burgeoning technology: Providing the world’s poor…

    Read more: Will presence make life better or just be an opiate for the masses?

  • Call: VR Post Production – Presented by Visual Effects Society and LA SIGGRAPH

    Published:

    VES Vision and Education Committees with LA SIGGRAPH present VR Post Production Saturday, 12 March 2016 Sony’s Ray Harryhausen Theater Los Angeles http://la.siggraph.org/events/title/vr-post-production RSVP’s required Space is filling up – make your reservation now! Revenues from virtual reality and augmented reality are projected to hit $150 billion by 2020! Visual effects artists are on the front lines to deliver that immersive content. These presentations will cover the latest live action VR post production techniques which are currently being used to realize the dream of VR. All attendees must register through VES’ page (https://www.visualeffectssociety.com/events/event/event-ves-vision-and-education-committees-la-siggraph-present-vr-post-production-los). Space is limited. You MUST RSVP.…

    Read more: Call: VR Post Production – Presented by Visual Effects Society and LA SIGGRAPH

  • Opinion: The power of VR will be in the hands

    Published:

    [This blog post from the Huffington Post argues that the transformative power of VR (and thus implicitly presence) is not in visual displays like Oculus but in “VR for the hands.” –Matthew] What Nobody Will Tell You About Virtual Reality Steven Schkolne, Caltech VR PhD, internationally renown artist, and 3dSunshine founder 02/24/2016 There’s a lot of hype about virtual reality these days, and most of it is wrong. Science fiction films and books have created a hunger for Oculus-style, head-mounted displays (HMDs) and “immersive” experiences, but does wearing a pair of goggles really have more power to transport us? Based…

    Read more: Opinion: The power of VR will be in the hands

ISPR Presence News

Subscribe

Search ISPR Presence News:

Categories

Archives

Recent Posts

Recent Comments