Virtual Worlds

Intro
How it all started
What it is all about
How it can affect you
What about the Future

Active Worlds Basics
More info on AW
Installing the Browser
Using the Browser

Active Worlds Edu
AW for educational use

The Palace Basics
More info on The Palace
Installing the Client
Using the Client

The Palace Edu
The Palace for educational use

Good question!

There are many many worlds out there with various themes. A lot of these themes are fantasy or science-fiction based. But there are loads with other themes, like computers, politics, many discussion themes on various topics, commercial themes, more and more educational themes, and many many more.

You can see Virtual Worlds as a social version of the World Wide Web. The Virtual Worlds we refer to are all Multi-User ones. People interact with each other in various ways.

Why we refer to Virtual Worlds as a sort of World Wide Web is because it covers almost as many topics.

The Palace has a nice system called The Palace Directory to help you find the world you want. The web version of the Directory lists the worlds alphabetically.. The 'in-world' version of the Directory allows you to select and enter a world of your special interest.

Active Worlds has a  special world for this function.. It's the default world called 'AWgate'. New users automatically land in this world. Active Worlds is 3D and people can 'walk' to areas that have 'gateways' to worlds with a special topic. The picture in the top right of this page is a screenshot from 'AWgate'.                              

In contrast  to  the worlds above  some other worlds have only one theme, like 3Do's Meridian 59 and LivingMasks' Illusia. Active Worlds and The Palace form real universes.

Active Worlds Gate
'AWgate' is a gateway to worlds with various topics

The Palace Portal
This is the new in-world version of The Palace Directory

Illusia
A single world universe. It does have multiple levels, and what you see on this screenshot is a portal to another level/town.

Links:

Websites:

Palace Directory

Software:

Active Worlds

The Palace

Illusia

Merdian 59

Special Words:

universe, in the Virtual Worlds community we use the word universe to refer to a group of worlds that use the same server software

in-world, with in-world we mean 'inside a Virtual World'. With a 'in-world' version of something we mean a system  inside a Virtual World.