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Virtual Worlds Take a tour with @citlspaces

What is a virtual world?

A virtual world is a place to meet online for things like meetings, office hours, events, and so much more. Many of the worlds we cover come with features such as video, audio, and the ability to share your screen. But what differentials most of these virtual worlds apps from typical web-conferencing is it's spatiality. Participants have the ability "walk" around freely with an avatar and talk to others that are close to them more naturally. While some of these can be accessed in a headset, they can all be used on a regular computer with no special gear.

Some of them have already been used for university events such as:

  • Solar Sites open house using Topia
  • Physics fall reception using Gather
  • Gies College of Business and Computer Science holding office hours using Gather

There are many different options for a variety of purposes, so we have prepared a virtual tour of each. Additionally, we created an accompanying rubric in partnership with ATLAS. If you have any questions about these spaces, feel free to reach out to our team with any questions.

Around

https://www.around.co/

With it's professional aesthetic, this virtual world can be used in team meetings, office hours, or even small classes because it can host up to 30 people for free. This platform is very user friendly and is a very natural alternative to Zoom.

Gather

https://gather.town/

This fun pixelated virtual world can be best used for things like office hour, RSO meetings, networking sessions, poster presentations, and so much more. You can easily customize the space with furniture and interactable objects, so every room can be different. There can be up to 25 people in a space for free

High Fidelity

https://www.highfidelity.com/

Want to keep things simple? High Fidelity is an audio only platform with no need to customize the space or avatars, just have a nice virtual conversation with multiple people. High Fidelity features spatial audio, where the audio is processed to seem like it comes from a real location in the space. This feature works best when using headphones.

Note: This platform does not have the share screen feature or video

Hubs

https://hubs.mozilla.com/

Want to dive deep into customization of a 3D virtual world? Hubs and Spokes by Mozilla is the place to do it. You can choose from many pre-made scenes in Hubs or customize your space using 3D objects using Spokes. This space also allows for the use of VR headsets to feel really immersed in the space.

Teamflow

https://www.teamflowhq.com/

This virtual world is set in an office space where there can be separate rooms for different meetings or one big room with spatial audio so you only hear who is closest to you. With all the features and easy access, this virtual world is perfect for small gatherings of 10 people or less (for free).

Topia

https://topia.io/

In this virtual world you are able to design your own space using cartoon-like drawings that are aesthetically pleasing. It is also good for small groups up to 10 people (for free) to enjoy this open world platform that is always open for visiting.