Category Archives: Game Development

Is Second Life Sex More Fun than RL Sex?

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Someone got the idea to run a poll of which sex is more fun, RL or SL/Virtual sex. RL won, no surprise there. But, 36% thought Second Life™ sex was more fun… hummm.

On a side note: It is the owner of Basilique, the place where the Lindens are doing their meet up today, that conducted the study: Canary Beck.

Maria Korolov posted a link to a recent study of sex in SL in her: Survey: virtual sex less fun, but more liberated.

The full study she refers to is here:  Second Life sex versus real life sex. It is long and well worth reading. I touch on JUST the parts I found really interesting.

Goddess Xita

Goddess Xita by Alice DiXita, on Flickr

No surprise, they found in a 2012 study and this recent study that sexual practices in Real Life and Second Life differ. So, you are not the only one that is more kinky in SL than RL.  Continue reading →

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The End of Second Life?

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Everything ends. It is just a matter of when. We hear this story of Second Life™ ending all the time. It is not new. Lots of Chicken Little. That SL has not ended, does not mean it won’t. The sky COULD fall. But, I think we will have plenty of warning should the end draw near.

mediterranean girl

Mediterranean girl by Annahyss Resident, on Flickr

I came to Second Life from Myst Online, which has closed and come back a number of times. So, I’m used to games I like closing. Rizom is another one I liked and played for a time. It too closed and came back. Others just closed.  Continue reading →

Second Life: SL Go’s Demise Does Affect You

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Touch Arcade has an article up that gets into the politics and corporate infighting that is affecting us all. See: Onlive is Dead – What does this mean for Game Streaming on iOS? Carter Dotson is the author. I think Carter has made several mistakes in his (?) analysis. But, overall however we get there the result is the same.

Nomnomnom!

Nomnomnom! by Caitlin ‘Caity’ Tobias, on Flickr

My primary take away is Carter is saying that Sony is attempting to break Apple’s choke hold on game streaming for mobile devices. He could be right about that. The idea that if something is not available for iOS via the Apple Store, it loses a huge market share is true. But, I am not sure you can base the hypothesis Apple has a stranglehold on the gaming market.  Continue reading →

Developing Games in Second Life

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Ciaran Laval comes up with interesting stuff and often unique perspectives. He has an article up about MadPea Games. His take is that since MadPea can develop games in Second Life others can too. True. That is proof positive. But, there are games and then there are GAMES.

Party Area?

Party Area? by Ciaran Laval, on Flickr

One support in the argument for Second Life as a game development platform is the new region Consignment. As you explore the region you’ll find the history of MadPea games. So, there is no doubt MadPea has been developing great games for some time and they are popular with SL users. But, are these the games gamers look for?  Continue reading →

Unity Engine 5 Goes Free

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Yesterday Unreal announced they are offering Unreal Engine 4 for a 5% royalty fee only payable when quarterly sales reach $3,000 per quarter. This isn’t just the engine they are offering. It is sample projects, asset packs, and tutorials.

Today I am seeing they are releasing Unity Engine 5. So, if your tired and haven’t eaten, like me and confuse Unreal and Unity, it starts to make sense why they would release a free older version. Still pretty awesome. But, not so awesome after food and a nap.

But………..  there is a Personal Edition and a Pro Edition of Unity Engine 5. The Personal Edition is FREE, no royalty. However, if your game nets sales of US$100,000 then you are expected to upgrade to Pro ($75/month), which at that point should be no problem.  Continue reading →

Massively Closing?

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Massively-that-was

It seems the gaming news site Massively is being closed down, in spite of a 40% per year readership growth rate. Click the link above to learn more.

I used to follow Massively’s section on Second Life. But, as SL coverage there decreased, so too did my interest in Massively. While I am not certain of the future of Massively (will someone buy it?), it seems doomed. If it does pass, I’ll feel the loss.

Oculus Rift Crescent Bay

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The Road to VR CEO Brendan Iribe has announced Oculus releasing news of Crescent Bay, a new Oculus Rift prototype. The specs available are impressive but contain some speculation:

  • Higher Refresh Rate (confirmed as 90Hz)
  • Higher resolution (likely 1440p)
  • (Possibly) Higher FOV
  • Integrated Audio
  • 360 Degree Tracking (LEDs now on back of headset too)
  • Oculus licensed Real Space 3D Audio Specialisation (10 years in development)

Follow Road to VR for more breaking news  on Crescent Bay.

LEAP Motion Controller 2014-35

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This hands free controller is thought by many of us to be the answer to how to deal with hand movement while wearing a HMD (like an Oculus Rift). Jo Yardley has an article on the progress LEAP Motion is making with their VR effort. See: Leap motion announces VR related progress. She includes a video LEAP made (1:30 min) and a link to the source article at LEAP Motion’s site.

Oculus Rift - Image by: Franklin Heijnen - Flickr

Oculus Rift – Image by: Franklin Heijnen – Flickr

Like many LEAP Motion controller owners, Jo does not use the controller often. Mine mostly sits in the box too. You can find LEAP controllers on eBay cheap. I am hoping that changes when the Oculus or another HMD unit go retail.  Continue reading →