Comparison of “International Spaceflight Museum” and “Rocca Sorrentina & Bay of Naples, 1785” in Second Life.

The Virtual Worlds

Comparison of “International Spaceflight Museum” and “Rocca Sorrentina & Bay of Naples, 1785” in Second Life.

By: Johan Wang and Abbinash Ranjitkar

The “International Spaceflight Museum” is centered around the history of space exploration, with exhibits and simulations of important spaceflight milestones. Planetary models, rocket launches, and rovers are some examples of the exhibits and simulations in this virtual world.

“Rocca Sorrentina & Bay of Naples, 1785” is an immersive experience created by Brown University meant to simulate a fictional, but historically accurate Italian island in 1785. The history, art, and music of this time are put on display in this virtual world.

Wayfinding

In the “International Spaceflight Museum”, navigation is difficult since there is a lack of a comprehensive map, signs, or general directions. The issue with this is that it is not well-suited for those who are seeking specific information, since they will not know where to go to find that information. It was also confusing with so many rockets in a densely packed area which may be difficult to navigate around. There aren’t any clear boundaries either, meaning that important information was not readily available. One positive aspect of this world is that you can fly to look at the models of the rockets in all directions.

In the “Rocca Sorrentina & Bay of Naples, 1785” world, the navigation is well made. There are teleporters with signs for general areas that may be of interest to those seeking information. One leads to the bay and harbour which shows the boats and a mansion. It shows what mansions look like at that time with antiques within the house on display from that era. The other is the town of Campania which also existed in Italy at the time. It displays a lot of farmland and how towns looked at that time. The map is not great, but it does show identifiable structures that can be used to guide the user. There are clear boundaries for the world which contain the exploration so people will not get lost in the world. Although you are unable to fly on the map, it is because of the realistic nature of the world that the learner can have a more immersive experience. 

Overall, the navigation is better in the “Rocca Sorrentina & Bay of Naples, 1785” world due to the use of teleporters and signs to show the user where they can go to find what they need. The map is usable, due to the shapes representing farmland and towns for example. The map in “International Spaceflight Museum” is hard to comprehend since all the shapes are circles and not effective for wayfinding. The lack of wayfinding in the “International Spaceflight Museum” makes it difficult to recommend in terms of finding the information easily.

Aesthetics

The aesthetics of the “International Spaceflight Museum” are sufficient for its purpose. The graphical elements and details for the planets, stars, and large rockets are basic and do not provide much visual appeal. However, smaller exhibits such as rovers include much more detail about specific features on the exterior of these vehicles, but these details are basic shapes. This difference in detail may be attributed to the difficulties in rendering complex graphics on this platform. The content and purpose of the graphics are relevant and useful, but their basic appearance lessens the overall experience.

The aesthetics of “Rocca Sorrentina & Bay of Naples, 1785” are well made and complement the content in the virtual world. Elegant details are included in every room that contributes to the theme and purpose of the room. For example, an animated greenery floor helps convey the mystical nature of a room containing paintings about nature and fantasy. As mentioned, paintings are also included in the virtual world, and though they are not necessarily directly created for this world, their inclusion still contributes to the overall aesthetic. Tailor-made objects in the city area provide a fictional, but historically based experience of an Italian city in 1785. For example, a seaport and the surrounding objects (boat, crates, lamp, cat).

Overall, the aesthetics of “Rocca Sorrentina & Bay of Naples, 1785” is better because of the complement to the content that they provide, and the great attention to detail included in each object and room.

Content

The content from the “International Spaceflight Museum” is varied and unique. There are many models of rockets and rovers that users can go around and take a look at. Furthermore, most of these are interactive so that people can sit in the rockets and rovers. Moreover, a special option of this world is that there are simulations of rockets launching into space. I’ve found at least two rockets with these simulations, which show different types of rockets launching from the launchpad and returning to Earth. These realistic models and simulations help with the learning of new information visually. Moreover, some planetary models were made to explain the orbits around the different planets and what our solar system looks like. Overall, it was quite well made, and the amount of information is vast enough for people to learn about this world.

The content from “Rocca Sorrentina & Bay of Naples, 1785” is unique but not as varied. There are various models of objects from the past, however, most of them don’t have descriptions of when they were made and their significance. If they had that, it would greatly improve the content. There is one simulation of farming, however, you are unable to interact with it unless you are a member of the world. This means that it isn’t open to everyone. The buildings do not have any labels as well, but they do portray what Italy looks like in 1785. Overall, there are good models for the objects and buildings, but more descriptions would make this world a more viable learning platform.

As I have already mentioned, the simulations and models in the “International Spaceflight Museum” helped with grasping ideas and materials that would be hard to understand with only paper. Since there were simulations and they were well made, this makes it a better world than “Rocca Sorrentina & Bay of Naples, 1785”. For “Rocca Sorrentina & Bay of Naples, 1785”, has good models of objects and buildings, but the lack of descriptions and simulations held it back from being amazing as a world for learning.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the virtual world of “Rocca Sorrentina & Bay of Naples, 1785” has better resources for a learning context. This virtual world has better aesthetics and a more user-friendly environment compared to the “International Spaceflight Museum”. However, the “International Spaceflight Museum” has better content which makes it easier for students to learn and understand the material. It was a close contest, but “Rocca Sorrentina & Bay of Naples, 1785” is better overall since it is better in two of the categories, instead of the one category that “International Spaceflight Museum” was better in. Furthermore, the content in “Rocca Sorrentina & Bay of Naples, 1785” is still good, but some more descriptions would have easily made it better than the “International Spaceflight Museum”.