A virtual artifact (VA) is an immaterial

object Object may refer to: General meanings * Object (philosophy), a thing, being, or concept ** Object (abstract), an object which does not exist at any particular time or place ** Physical object, an identifiable collection of matter * Goal, an ...

that exists in the human

mind The mind is the set of faculties responsible for all mental phenomena. Often the term is also identified with the phenomena themselves. These faculties include thought, imagination, memory, will, and sensation. They are responsible for various m ...

or in a digital environment, for example the

Internet The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, p ...

intranet An intranet is a computer network for sharing information, easier communication, collaboration tools, operational systems, and other computing services within an organization, usually to the exclusion of access by outsiders. The term is used in c ...

virtual reality Virtual reality (VR) is a simulated experience that employs pose tracking and 3D near-eye displays to give the user an immersive feel of a virtual world. Applications of virtual reality include entertainment (particularly video games), edu ...

cyberspace Cyberspace is a concept describing a widespread interconnected digital technology. "The expression dates back from the first decade of the diffusion of the internet. It refers to the online world as a world 'apart', as distinct from everyday re ...

, etc.

Background

The term "virtual artifact" has been used in a variety of ways in scientific and public discourse. Previously it has referred to objects of different nature (e.g.

image An image is a visual representation of something. It can be two-dimensional, three-dimensional, or somehow otherwise feed into the visual system to convey information. An image can be an artifact, such as a photograph or other two-dimensio ...

s, user interfaces, models, prototypes,

computer animation Computer animation is the process used for digitally generating animations. The more general term computer-generated imagery (CGI) encompasses both static scenes ( still images) and dynamic images ( moving images), while computer animation re ...

virtual books
that exist in digital environments. The concept behind the term is rapidly developing and expanding as new phenomena emerge in the virtual domain.

History of the phenomenon

Imaginary worlds, characters, items, etc. have been described in stories and tales since the dawn of humanity. In the philosophic discourse, utopias have existed where extensive systems and their components have been depicted in detail. Imaginary artifacts have been described and created in terms of language and visual presentation. The development of the visual presentation techniques (e.g. linear perspective,

cinematography Cinematography (from ancient Greek κίνημα, ''kìnema'' "movement" and γράφειν, ''gràphein'' "to write") is the art of motion picture (and more recently, electronic video camera) photography. Cinematographers use a lens to focu ...

) enabled more sophisticated methods to describe these artifacts, events and entities in painting, photography and film. Moreover, virtual artifacts were (and still are) commonly found in environments that require a strong imaginary aspect in order to be experienced, such as radio shows, novels, tabletop

role-playing games A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, RPG) is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal ac ...

, etc. The development of computing enabled the creation of interactive virtual environments that were based on digital technologies and new methods of presentation. In digital environments, virtual artifacts became independent entities that could exist and interact outside the human mind. Even previously unknown, complex forms and imaginary artifacts (e.g.

fractals In mathematics, a fractal is a geometric shape containing detailed structure at arbitrarily small scales, usually having a fractal dimension strictly exceeding the topological dimension. Many fractals appear similar at various scales, as illus ...

) could be created and represented in these environments.

In digital environments

Humans have expanded the existing environment to the virtual domain. Virtual artifacts can be seen as an essential cultural phenomenon in modern society. Virtual artifacts bear meanings and functions and since they are part of the world they affect real world events and people's lives. Virtual artifacts have certain similarities to real-life artifacts even though they do not have physical properties in the traditional sense. However, real-life objects and environments can be simulated in digital environments (like

computer games A personal computer game, also known as a PC game or computer game, is a type of video game played on a personal computer (PC) rather than a video game console or arcade machine. Its defining characteristics include: more diverse and user-dete ...

3D modeling In 3D computer graphics, 3D modeling is the process of developing a mathematical coordinate-based representation of any surface of an object (inanimate or living) in three dimensions via specialized software by manipulating edges, vertices, a ...

or virtual reality). Simulated virtual objects ( photorealistic VA) and environments have a model in the real world; however, depending on the context, an abstract virtual artifact isn't necessarily dependent on the laws of physics or causality. Some virtual artifacts are purely abstract in their nature, therefore they can't model real-life objects or phenomena. For example,

computer programs A computer program is a sequence or set of instructions in a programming language for a computer to execute. Computer programs are one component of software, which also includes documentation and other intangible components. A computer prog ...

or digital user interfaces, while often containing representative components of real-life objects, can't exist in physical terms. These virtual artifacts do not have to be comprehensible to humans at all; they can be created and understood solely by

artificial intelligence Artificial intelligence (AI) is intelligence—perceiving, synthesizing, and inferring information—demonstrated by machines, as opposed to intelligence displayed by animals and humans. Example tasks in which this is done include speech ...

. Virtual artifacts can have physical properties (for example color, length) depending on the environment they exist in. These physical properties can be presented and perceived using a certain medium such as a computer screen. On the other hand, virtual artifacts can also contain properties that aren't perceptible. Due to their immaterial nature they can be flexibly accessed, reproduced and archived—even simultaneously by multiple users.

Purposes and uses

* In the field of

archaeology Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landsc ...

, real world artifacts are modeled/reproduced in a digital environment, where they can be modified, reconstructed, and archived. Also, whole historical sites and buildings (e.g
Theban Mapping Project
are reconstructed in a virtual environment. * Virtual artifacts are a crucial part of digital, imaginary game worlds. * Artwork (e.g. paintings, interactive installations, music videos) that is presented/archived in a virtual environment can be considered as a virtual artifact. * Virtual artifacts (e.g. parts of simulated experiments, models) are used in many areas of scientific research (e.g. medical science,

chemistry Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the elements that make up matter to the compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions: their composition, structure, proper ...

astronomy Astronomy () is a natural science that studies celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and evolution. Objects of interest include planets, moons, stars, nebulae, g ...

). *

Designer A designer is a person who plans the form or structure of something before it is made, by preparing drawings or plans. In practice, anyone who creates tangible or intangible objects, products, processes, laws, games, graphics, services, or exp ...

s (such as fashion designers, industrial designers, architects) use virtual artifacts (e.g.

prototype A prototype is an early sample, model, or release of a product built to test a concept or process. It is a term used in a variety of contexts, including semantics, design, electronics, and software programming. A prototype is generally used to ...

s, testing environments) in their work process. *

Virtual art Virtual art is a term for the virtualization of art, made with the technical media developed at the end of the 1980s (or a bit before, in some cases). These include human-machine interfaces such as visualization casks, stereoscopic spectacles and s ...

, artists using virtual reality, augmented reality and mixed reality as a medium produce virtual

artworks A work of art, artwork, art piece, piece of art or art object is an artistic creation of aesthetic value. Except for "work of art", which may be used of any work regarded as art in its widest sense, including works from literatur ...

Virtual consumerism

Virtual artifacts can have a virtual and/or "real" exchange value, and thus can be considered as products. A person or other juristically defined actor can claim ownership and invest money in virtual artifacts. Virtual artifacts can also be valuable in an economical sense outside the environment (e.g. a

virtual world A virtual world (also called a virtual space) is a computer-simulated environment which may be populated by many users who can create a personal avatar, and simultaneously and independently explore the virtual world, participate in its activities ...

such as ones found in massively multiplayer online games) they are created in. For example, game items and characters are valued in terms of real currencies. Within many virtual worlds, there exists a

virtual economy A virtual economy (or sometimes synthetic economy) is an emergence, emergent economics, economy existing in a virtual world, usually exchanging virtual goods in the context of an online game, particularly in massively multiplayer online games (M ...

that often mimics real-life commercial features and models such as trading with in-game virtual artifacts, virtual currencies,

supply and demand In microeconomics, supply and demand is an economic model of price determination in a Market (economics), market. It postulates that, Ceteris paribus, holding all else equal, in a perfect competition, competitive market, the unit price for a ...

, etc. There is a viable real-life business model based on the exchange of virtual artifacts within a virtual environment. One example is the social networking game

Habbo Hotel ''Habbo'' (formerly ''Habbo Hotel'') is an online community aimed at teens and young adults. It is owned and operated by Sulake, a Finnish company. Founded in 2000, Habbo has expanded to nine online communities (or "hotels"), with users from ...

; in Habbo-world, users buy virtual products such as furniture for their virtual hotel room with real money. Many online games require a paid subscription for providing access to the game world, creating revenue to the creator of the world. Moreover, virtual game environments have also created commercial models around them. In fact, the market for virtual artifacts such as game items or virtual property is booming. In China, for example, people are hired to play online games to develop game characters and collect game resources. Furthermore, virtual environments have enabled the production and commercialization of virtual artifacts created by end-users—creating new markets and effectively blurring the line between "real" and virtual consumerism.

Notes