Barrett, The Honors College at Arizona State University proudly showcases the work of undergraduate honors students by sharing this collection exclusively with the ASU community.

Barrett accepts high performing, academically engaged undergraduate students and works with them in collaboration with all of the other academic units at Arizona State University. All Barrett students complete a thesis or creative project which is an opportunity to explore an intellectual interest and produce an original piece of scholarly research. The thesis or creative project is supervised and defended in front of a faculty committee. Students are able to engage with professors who are nationally recognized in their fields and committed to working with honors students. Completing a Barrett thesis or creative project is an opportunity for undergraduate honors students to contribute to the ASU academic community in a meaningful way.

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Description
Virtual reality gives users the opportunity to immerse themselves in an accurately
simulated computer-generated environment. These environments are accurately simulated in that they provide the appearance of- and allow users to interact with- the simulated environment. Using head-mounted displays, controllers, and auditory feedback, virtual reality provides a convincing simulation of

Virtual reality gives users the opportunity to immerse themselves in an accurately
simulated computer-generated environment. These environments are accurately simulated in that they provide the appearance of- and allow users to interact with- the simulated environment. Using head-mounted displays, controllers, and auditory feedback, virtual reality provides a convincing simulation of interactable virtual worlds (Wikipedia, “Virtual reality”). The many worlds of virtual reality are often expansive, colorful, and detailed. However, there is one great flaw among them- an emotion evoked in many users through the exploration of such worlds-loneliness.
The content in these worlds is impressive, immersive, and entertaining. Without other people to share in these experiences, however, one can find themselves lonely. Users discover a feeling that no matter how many objects and colors surround them in countless virtual worlds, every world feels empty. As humans are social beings by nature, they feel lost without a sense of human connection and human interaction. Multiplayer experiences offer this missing element into the immersion of virtual reality worlds. Multiplayer offers users the opportunity to interact with other live people in a virtual simulation, which creates lasting memories and deeper, more meaningful immersion.
ContributorsJorgensen, Nicholas Keith (Co-author) / Jorgensen, Caitlin Nicole (Co-author) / Selgrad, Justin (Thesis director) / Ehgner, Arnaud (Committee member) / Computer Science and Engineering Program (Contributor, Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
Description
Games are prolific as an educational medium, and are able to tell a much richer story than pictures or words alone. This has led to the widespread phenomenon known as “gamification” in the educational and business sectors, as well as educational games. While gamification itself is very prolific, its application

Games are prolific as an educational medium, and are able to tell a much richer story than pictures or words alone. This has led to the widespread phenomenon known as “gamification” in the educational and business sectors, as well as educational games. While gamification itself is very prolific, its application to sustainability issues has been somewhat limited. With the progression of technology and the high percentage of gamers within the population, the time is ripe for a paradigm shift. Humans have always played games to inform themselves and others, and though this takes many forms, they always will, be their efforts dedicated to education, entertainment, or profit. While teaching and entertainment may sometimes be at odds with one another, they do not have to be. Many audiences respond well to varied forms of entertainment, and when the ability of a thing designed to further educate or gamify is given room to be entertaining as well, all involved benefit. Sustainability as a whole is an incredibly nebulous and broad concept, such that current educational and entertaining games exploring the subject largely addresses it on a smaller scale, or looks at a piece of the picture instead of all of it, as smaller pieces are easier to break down and address. There are ways that games can be and are vehicles for both entertainment and education, and by combining the two end goals in relatively equal measure, a solid platform can be built off of which both learning and personal growth can occur.
ContributorsHarrenstein, Heather Lee (Author) / Breetz, Hanna (Thesis director) / Selgrad, Justin (Committee member) / School of Sustainability (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05