Syncing Croquet with the Real World

3D virtual environments like Croquet need to be attractive in order to be visited and used. Their attractiveness depends on the level of vitality that the user is able to experience. Vitality can only be recognized by constant changes, similiar to phenomena we know from nature like breathing. We introduce two sorts of vitality by which a virtual environment can be judged: active and passive vitality. By passive vitality we summarize all constant changes happening within the environment, while active vitality includes all personal expressions the user can perform. For creating both types of vitality within a virtual environment this virtual environment has to be synced with reality. With syncing we definitely do not mean to mimic the visual appearance of reality, but to create properties and behaviours corresponding to phenomena of the real world. By means of sensors and microcontrollers we build a technological bridge to dynamically sync data of the real world with their abstract representations within Croquet. Two example applications demonstrate the potential of this syncing method. The degree and extent of syncing reality affects the degree of attractivness because the user recognizes the virtual environment as vital and lively. This syncing method provides authentic information beyond simulation.