What is a Virtual Space? Digital environment definition
Virtual Space Definition
A Virtual Space is a a computer-generated environment that simulates a real or imagined world where people and devices, can seamlessly interact, collaborate, socialize, and exchange information...as they happen. They’re where real-time interactions and experiences happen online. Usually in a simulated or augmented way.
What Makes a Virtual Space?
For something to be classified as a virtual space, it typically has the following 4 components:
It’s a digital environment
Multi-user – Involves 2 or more endpoints communicating with one another (people and/or devices)
Interactive – Data/communication (a message, a signal, visual status, or remote action, etc.) is transmitted between endpoints
The interactivity (receipt and exchange of data/communication) occurs in real-time
Are Virtual Spaces and web apps the same thing?
Every modern mobile or web app is essentially a portal to a Virtual Space if it provides an online place where people or devices engage with one another.
The existence of a Virtual Space (or Digital Environment) is not dependent on time or duration. In fact, a Virtual Space might be a long-running entity where members work together to achieve a quarterly business goal such as a virtual whiteboard. Or a Space might only exist for the duration of a sporting event, allowing fans to react as their team wins a crucial match.
And while time or duration doesn’t make something a Virtual Space (or not), there are a few things that all successful Virtual Spaces have in common in addition to the four we mentioned at the start of this article:
They’re scalable to allow for a growing user base
They’re highly customizable to meet both the changing needs of end users and the growth plans of creators
They contain features that encourage and facilitate interactions between users
They enable real-time engagement to mimic real life interactions
They’re built with the appropriate attributes and features to enhance functionality and user experience.
Virtual spaces vs physical spaces
Virtual spaces and physical spaces differ fundamentally in their nature, interaction dynamics, and user experiences. Virtual spaces exist digitally, allowing users to interact in a simulated environment that transcends geographical boundaries. In contrast, physical spaces are tangible locations where interactions occur in real-time and face-to-face.
One significant distinction is accessibility. Virtual spaces can be accessed from anywhere with an internet connection, enabling global participation without the limitations of location or travel. This accessibility fosters diverse interactions among users from different cultural backgrounds and regions. Physical spaces, however, often require travel and may limit participation based on proximity, which can hinder inclusivity.
Interactivity is another key difference. In virtual spaces, users engage through avatars and digital interfaces, often using tools that facilitate real-time communication, collaboration, and content sharing. This interactivity can be enhanced through features like instant messaging, video conferencing, and collaborative tools, which create immersive experiences. In physical spaces, interactions are direct and rely on non-verbal cues (Body Language), creating a different social dynamic that can lead to stronger personal connections but may lack the flexibility of virtual environments.
Virtual spaces also offer unique capabilities, such as customization and gamification, allowing users to personalize their experiences and engage in activities that wouldn’t be possible in the physical world. For example, virtual reality (VR) environments can create fantastical settings for gaming or simulations that can’t be replicated in reality. Physical spaces are constrained by the laws of physics and available resources, limiting the scope of experiences.
In terms of sustainability, virtual spaces contribute to reducing carbon footprints by minimizing travel and resource consumption associated with physical gatherings. They allow organizations to hold meetings, conferences, and events without the environmental impact of transportation and venue usage. Physical spaces, while often requiring significant energy and resources to maintain, can offer richer sensory experiences that some users may find lacking in virtual formats.
How do Virtual Spaces engage users?
When designing an app, specific features can be utilized to create an enriching and engaging virtual space that mirrors real-life interactions and fosters user loyalty. These features include:
Real-time, in-app chat and message reactions
In-app live chat generates a sense of community where users can form their own group chats, privately message one another, or broadcasters can directly engage with their audience while still remaining in-app. On top of that, there are additional features within in-app chat, such as message reactions like a thumb’s up, smiley face, or emojis, that allow users to communicate their mood and how they’re feeling to a message.
Push notifications and alerts
Push notifications and alerts give apps a way to reach users wherever they are and draw them back to the app. They can be used to notify users when an event is starting, share personalized reminders, or provide real-time status updates on orders.
User and device presence detection
Presence indicator is a feature that lets you track the online and offline status of users and devices in real time and create updates for changes. These updates include things like alerts for who’s active in a chat or virtual waiting room, when players are online, location, whether a door is open or closed, and other sensor information.
Leaderboards, polling, and quizzes
Interactive leaderboards, polls, surveys, and real-time quizzes add a deeper form of engagement by using gamification to entertain end users.
Access control
Access control gives the ability to grant or revoke access to an app or channel. You can use it to ensure security for home automation devices, to monitor social apps, or to make a chat private.
Live maps and dispatch
Display live maps for visual tracking of fleet, drivers, riders, and deliveries to ensure scheduling and accurate asset counts, which helps keep business operations running smoothly.
Multi-user collaboration
Synchronizing whiteboards and other content in real-time such as quizzes, trivia, and breakout rooms facilitate enhanced engagement among users and provides them with more value in e-learning or digital virtual metaverse workspaces.
Functions
Functions provide the flexibility to filter, re-route, aggregate, transform, and augment data. You can translate chat messages into other languages, screen messages for inappropriate content, or even inspect IoT data (like temperature) and trigger specific alerts based on “events” in your application.
IoT device control and monitoring
Monitor and control smart home devices and systems in real-time. Instantly flag anomalies and see online/offline state visualizations, making it easy to manage home automation, building management, and connected devices.
Real-time dashboards
Live displays present interactive data-driven experiences for gaming leaderboards, auctions, crypto, pricing, and more—and can be used alongside push notifications to update users of new items, pricing changes, highest bids, and more.
Virtual spaces types and examples
1. Virtual Reality (VR) Spaces
Fully Immersive VR
Example HTC Vive is renowned for its room-scale VR capabilities, which allow users to move around within a defined play area. The system uses external base stations to track movement and provides a highly immersive experience for gaming, simulation, and creative applications.
Example Google Earth VR Allows users to explore the Earth in a fully immersive way, giving the sensation of flying over cities and landscapes in virtual reality.
Semi-Immersive VR
Example VR Simulators (like flight simulators) used by pilots in training. These provide a realistic, immersive experience without fully isolating users from the real world.
2. Augmented Reality (AR) Spaces
Augmented Environments
Example Pokémon GO A mobile AR game that overlays digital Pokémon onto the real world through the phone's camera, allowing users to interact with virtual creatures in real-world locations.
Example IKEA Place An AR app that lets users place virtual furniture in their real homes to see how items would look before purchasing.
Mixed Reality (MR)
Example Snapchat offers a wide range of AR filters and lenses that enhance photos and videos with virtual effects, such as face masks and animated graphics. Its AR features are widely used for social media content and personal expression.
3. Virtual Worlds
Massively Multiplayer Online Worlds (MMOs)
Example Second Life A virtual world where users can create avatars, interact with others, build virtual properties, and live a "second life" in a persistent online environment.
Example World of Warcraft An MMORPG where players inhabit a vast, persistent fantasy world, engaging in quests and interacting with thousands of other players.
Social VR Spaces
Example VRChat A social platform that allows users to interact with others in a virtual environment, customizing avatars and exploring user-created worlds.
4. Simulated Environments
Training Simulations
Example VPL's Virtual Reality Surgery Simulation Used by medical students and professionals for training in surgical procedures within a safe, controlled virtual environment.
Educational Virtual Spaces
Example Google Expeditions An educational VR platform that allows students to take virtual field trips to historical sites, underwater worlds, and outer space.
Example Labster A virtual lab simulation platform where students can conduct experiments in a simulated environment, enhancing science education.
5. Collaborative Virtual Spaces
Virtual Meeting Rooms
Example Zoom's Immersive View Allows users to gather in a virtual environment during online meetings, placing participants in a shared virtual space like a boardroom or classroom.
Example Spatial A virtual collaboration platform where teams can meet, share documents, and brainstorm in a 3D virtual space, enhancing remote teamwork.
Virtual Workspaces
Example Slack is a team communication tool that offers channels for organized conversations, direct messaging, and integrations with numerous other apps and services. It is known for its user-friendly interface and flexibility.
Example Gather A virtual office space where teams can work together in a 2D virtual environment, complete with customizable rooms and avatars.
6. Interactive 3D Spaces
3D Design and Prototyping Spaces
Example Autodesk Revit Used by architects and engineers for creating and visualizing 3D models and prototypes of buildings in a virtual space.
Example Unity Reflect Develop A real-time 3D platform that enables designers and architects to collaborate on projects in an interactive virtual space.
Artistic and Creative Spaces
Example Tilt Brush A VR painting app by Google that allows users to create 3D artwork in a virtual space, using immersive tools to paint in three dimensions.
Example Horizon Worlds - A social platform by Meta where users can create and explore virtual worlds, often used for artistic expression and creative projects.
7. Gaming Virtual Spaces
Sandbox Worlds
Example Minecraft - A sandbox game where players can build, explore, and interact in an open-ended, block-based virtual world.
Example Roblox - A platform that allows users to create and share their own virtual worlds and games, fostering a large community of developers and players.
Role-Playing Game (RPG) Worlds
Example The Elder Scrolls Online A fantasy MMORPG where players take on roles in a vast, open world, engaging in quests and interacting with other players.
Example Final Fantasy XIV - Another MMORPG set in a fantasy world where players can engage in story-driven quests, battles, and social activities with others.
Competitive Gaming Arenas
Example Fortnite - A popular battle royale game with a virtual world where players compete in last-man-standing battles within a dynamic, evolving environment.
Example Overwatch - A team-based shooter game where players compete in virtual arenas, engaging in tactical battles with other teams.
What's the best way to build a Virtual Space?
The ideal solution combines all of these capabilities and more in a single platform that is fast, secure, and reliable. With PubNub's Virtual Spaces Platform you get all that, and the assurance that every implementation will be flexible and easily scaled.
What are the benefits of PubNub's Virtual Space Platform?
PubNub's Virtual Spaces Platform offers a collection of capabilities that can be added to apps to improve user experience, stickiness, and loyalty. PubNub already powers thousands of the world’s leading Cyber Space that you already know, use, and trust.
With our Virtual Spaces Platform, you will:
Improve and modernize user engagement with features that facilitate in-app, real-time connections
Drive community through live, full-featured chat, live polls, interactive whiteboards, and many other synchronous real-time experiences
Increase time spent in-app and retention through features like real-time alerts, gamification, and rewards
Create more opportunities for partnerships and monetization
Launch quickly on a platform designed for security and global scale
Analyze real-time user experience data to drive business decisions
Shape online communities in infinite ways with features like language translation, content moderation, giving you the flexibility to create any unique in-app experience
Focus on innovation not infrastructure, using the Virtual Space Platform to accelerate your product roadmap, and stay ahead of the competition
If you’re ready to upgrade your app to an engaging, real-time experience, get in touch with one of our experts. We’ll seamlessly get you up and running with custom real-time chat features for your app.