Avatars: Exploring and Building Virtual Worlds on the Internet

by Bruce Damer (Author)

5 ratings

ISBN-13: 978-0201688405

ISBN-10: 0201688409

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Explains how people can create digital representations of themselves and travel to virtual worlds from cityscapes to fantasy worlds where the laws of physics are repealed. Indeed goes further to describe how to become a digital homesteader and stake out virtual landscape. Assumes only a 486 or better PC, a lot of memory, a modem, and an internet provider. The CD-ROM contains ten pre-created worlds. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

Amazon.com Review

This book provides a guided tour of avatars--graphical representations (a smiley face, cartoon character, or even a photograph of yourself) of online chat participants that are set in a virtual space against landscapes ranging from the real to the surreal. The CD-ROM that is included with Avatars! is an integral part of the experience. As the book tells you about avatars and shows you the virtual worlds where your avatar can play on your behalf, the CD contains software that enables you to design your avatar and go to the virtual world of your choice. The book leads you to some virtual worlds where you can drop in and chat and takes you to others where you can join other participants in actually building the world and creating an ever-changing environment. The book and CD-ROM take you to eight virtual world systems: Worlds Chat Space Station, The Palace, AlphaWorld, WorldsAway, OnLine! Traveler, Virtual Places, Comic Chat, and Oz Virtual. Damer describes both the technical features and culture of each virtual world. He also shows you how to interact and describes the types of interactions you can expect to take place. The recurring segment "Digi's Diary" puts general thoughts about online interaction in the virtual mouth of Damer's own avatar, DigiGardener. He covers such topics as "avaddiction," dealing with avatars that some might find offensive, and the sort of amusing and not-so-amusing things that can happen when virtual and real worlds collide. After the tour, Damer discusses possible futures for virtual worlds and guides you toward creating a virtual world of your own.

From the Back Cover

Is there life after Web surfing? Yes, and with Avatars!, you can grab your avatar (a digital representation of yourself), run to the nearest virtual world, and experience a whole new Internet. Enter worlds where you take the shape of a butterfly darting in and out of the 3D world below, or where you assume the identity of a living cartoon-strip character talking in text bubbles above your head.

The only book of its kind, Avatars! focuses on what people do inside these virtual worlds, such as building three-dimensional structures, navigating through the worlds, and learning digital etiquette and social interaction skills. A CD-ROM provides readers with ready-to-run worlds that connect them with thousands of other people on the Internet and which are referenced in a companion web site that serves to keep virtual explorers abreast of the latest happenings in the various worlds.

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Peachpit Pr (October 31, 1997)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 552 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0201688409
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0201688405
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.09 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.25 x 1.25 x 9 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #2,619,862 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #810 in Computer Graphics
- #1,559 in Graphics & Multimedia Programming
- #2,148 in Computer Networks, Protocols & APIs (Books)

Customer Reviews:
5 ratings

About the author

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Bruce Damer

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Bruce Damer is a cyber-visionary scientist and writer/speaker living in the redwood forests of the Santa Cruz mountains near Silicon Valley in Northern California. His complete biography and works can be seen at http://www.damer.com

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Bradford Needham

See the Metaverse of the 1990s

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 14, 2022

Verified Purchase

This book is an excellent reference for what was going on in Metaverse work in the 1990s. Full disclosure: it has a page on the Intel IDMOO, which I and others worked on.

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Heather Chalmers, Fleming College

Cyberspace How-to and Now-what

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on October 19, 1999

Bruce Damer's book is the perfect starting point for anyone wishing to take those first steps into virtual worlds. Readers can scour the text, getting a sense of what these computer spaces look like and how they function. AVATARS will give you courage and certainly peak your interest. Once you are online, the book is an excellent guide to how to maneuver, communicate and build in the various worlds.
AVATARS is an excellent how-to introduction to virtual worlds. However, it is an even better now-what discussion of the impact of virtual communication. Damer introduces questions of the place of computer communication within more traditional channels. He reassures readers that life can be enhanced through online interaction; however, he also cautions that family and friends can't be hugged through the computer.
AVATARS is an enthusiastic, informative and balanced introduction to virtual words. An excellent place to jump in with at least one foot

6 people found this helpful

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J. M. Valera

Good book ... almost

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on December 31, 1997

The book brings into view several new and interesting perspectives of the virtual world, the world of today and tomorow. The book was compiled totally online and was totally digital until publication.
Tho the book is well written, and very nicely illustrated, like everything in the world of computers, the technology has evolved to such a point where the technology mentioned out dated.
The book also goes beyond the technology, and into the communities that form online. This is a good study of the who and why of the Internet

2 people found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

Bruce doesn't get it....

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on October 8, 2003

Really, a hopelessly outdated book even at the time it was published. Mr. Damer fails to consider the online gaming community and how it is the GAMING COMMUNITY which will enable the Internet to truly become a 3D universe. A quick look at Mr. Damer's web site ([...]) also reveals how Mr. Damer just doesn't "get it"...he is still attempting to push the concept of "avatars" through his "company." Maybe Bruce should load up a copy of Counterstrike or Unreal Tournament and see what the future of "avatars" and the Internet will really be in the near future.

One person found this helpful

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Avatars: Exploring and Building Virtual Worlds on the Internet

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