3D Worlds Vs IM

There are a few qualitative differences between the normal chat services, like IM and Facebook Chat, and the various 3D Worlds that are now on offer. The list of services that Active Worlds provide is quite amazing. And it is somewhat odd that on the web page at the bottom of the list is that you can create an avatar and chat with others. This shows that just chatting between people, who can be on the other side of the world, just isn't enough anymore. There has to be a sense of being there. Which is one of the qualitative differences. Rather then chatting to a photo, or nothing at all in some cases, there is a much better experience talking to a 3D avatar. It gives the person you are talking to an identity. This makes it more realistic.

The more realistic aspect of the 3D worlds is what makes them more qualitative. The avatar that you create, while in these worlds, can have different features which can show personality. They can often show emotion, to an extent, by showing different facial expressions, moving the head around and body language. These emotions are usually activated by clicking the mouse on something. This is evident in Secondlife. I suppose that these are the more advanced version of smileys. They are used to show different emotions without having to show them in text form. The 3D worlds add a face to that emotion which makes them more qualitative.