Tethering and reattachment in collaborative virtual environments

Abstract

We explore a family of specific dynamical methods that support the contrasting goals of presence and independence in collaborative virtual environments. We propose the basic tasks of "tethering" (keeping a collaborator close to a group or leader), and of "reattachment" (returning to a collaborative virtual activity after a period of independent exploration). We first present a taxonomy of methods and parameters associated with tethering and reattachment, and then describe a formative evaluation study.