Virtual worlds

The Luddites got it wrong. New technologies not only destroy old jobs, they create new ones. Now the popularization of shared computer-generated virtual worlds has brought us a whole new job description: the chatty, socially adept on-line host in an animated chat salon. It is the next step on from a text-based chat channel. Instead of being made up entirely of written words, the interlocutors are depicted as slow-moving, garish cartoons.

The host appears as a different character depending on the mood he's in. Sometimes he'd represent himself as a simple smiley face, sometimes a dog, a cat or a jester. He spends hours on-line, warmly welcoming new subscribers, showing them around, being as accommodating as possible to the blocky cartoon representations that move across the screen. It's a laugh: people aren't as inhibited as in real life, because of the anonymity. They warm up easily. Once they get used to the typing, they'll come out with whatever's going on in their head. So the job isn't difficult: just have fun, chat, make jokes, make friends.

Communicating as a cartoon character on a daily, nine-to-five basis, through comic-book speech bubbles, is normal: often two or three separate conversations could be held simultaneously on different parts of the screen via special chat mode. Sometimes after a few hours on-line, it takes a while to get used to talking to "real people'". On-line conversations are different from normal ones. It's not just that they are text on a screen. The tone is different. They are more playful and ambiguous. You have to adjust to that too.

This is not particularly hi-tech – it's just the best you can get away with using today's standard hardware. An experimental project set up by a Japanese telecommunications company is based on more advanced technology operating on a fibre-optic network linking five sites. At each site there are a number of powerful Sun workstations, each with a video camera, headset and joystick attached. Each user can hear and see the others clearly while they play dodgems and watch new pop videos.

Talking here is completely different to a text and cartoon chat. With text you get carried along with whatever you're typing. It's easy to forget that there's another hu­man being at the end of the line. When you actually see and hear that person it's much more obvious that they're real. It makes it more personal and interesting. You end up giving people your full attention. Much of the ambiguous game-playing that goes on in text chat is cut out once you add tone of voice and facial expression to the interaction; thus you can learn more about a person.

The virtual worlds of the future may be populated by masked characters with al­tered voices and ambiguous identities. They might also be filled with accurate representations of the people they embody. Either way, one thing is for sure: there will always be someone there to talk to.

Render the text or answer the following questions. Time limit: 18-20 min.

1. An animated chat salon is made up upon

A written words. C masked characters.

B slow-moving images. D real people impersonating different characters.

2. The host could not appear as

A a face. C a cat.

B a dog. D a gesture.

3. New subscribers feel relaxed because they

A get used to the typing easily. C don't see each other.

B are inhibited to warm up. D can move across the salon.

4. Which was not mentioned among advantages of the host's job?
A making merry C making friends

B making money D having fun

5. Which possibility is not provided by the experimental project?
A to see facial expression C to buy dodgems

B to listen to another person D to watch new films

6. What is contrary to the information given in the text?
The new salon is more interesting because

A it's easy to forget that there's another human being.

B you can learn more about a person.

C talking here is completely different and much more personal.

D you can give people your full attention.

7. The author fails to state that virtual worlds of the future may be populated by
A masked characters. C famous people's representatives with altered voices.

B ambiguous identities. D accurate copies of the people they embody.