Second Life and Virtual Worlds
A blog named MoviePilot has a NICE article about Second Life™: Second Life: How to Navigate an Online Virtual World (and Maybe Even Make Some Money).
Sex is mentioned in an adult way. 1920’s Berlin is mentioned.
In general this is one of the best articles I’ve seen about SL in some time. Please click over and check itout.
Jo Yardley points us to an interview with Ebbe on MMORPG.com: Linden Lab Looks to the Future of Online Experiences. There are a few interesting bits in the Interview. this is an article ABOUT the interview not a transcript.
Age limit: 13… really!?! Yes… Ebbe says the Lab has the experience to know how to separate content and keep the young safe. I suppose that means regions/experiences will have a rating and those will work with the viewer to limit access and exposure. Since users will be less anonymous by the time they have significant build rights this should an enforceable concept.
This also tells us we are going to have sex in Sansar, aka SL 2.0.
Oh noooo… everyone is writing about Dr. Phil doing a show on computer gaming. The show aired on CBS this Tuesday (7/14 – 3PM PT – I was working). For Second Life residents the big deal was to be some coverage of Second Life and an interview with Ebbe Altberg, the Linden Lab CEO.
Hurry and see the video. I’m not sure whether CBS will allow it to remain. 1/5/2016: Some have been removed others have remained. This one replaces the one I originally used.
Drax is said to have helped setup the in-world parts.
Dr. Phil visits Second Life and 1920s Berlin
Dr. Phil Features Second Life in Show on Game Addiction
I Met Dr. Phil in Second Life! – If you only have time for one, read Strawberry’s. She has a play-by-play of the show on Plurk.
Massively Overpowered points to an article at Rock, Paper, Gun that mentions Second Life™. See: The Declining Magic Of MMOs.
The author, Richard Cobbett, is writing about the declining audience for MMO’s. He thinks that is due to a lack of magic. He makes a reasonable point and I can see his point at work in a number of places.
With the onetime best selling game Myst, the magic was the new level of imagery possible with the advent of CD delivered games. With World of Warcraft it was the magic of being the first MMO to interest a large audience or said another way: have LOTS of players.
Second Life is mentioned as never making it because of complexity, cost, and clunkiness. In other words too hard to learn. Minecraft overcame those problems and became a larger success.
I suppose if this idea of magic is true, the next big success will be virtual worlds that support virtual reality and do a good job of it. That places Project SANSAR in a good position. I think it is a matter of whether or not Linden Lab can remedy the complexity. I am pretty sure cost and clunkiness will get handled. But, the Lab is likely to have to decide if they are going to build a Minecraft easy thing for kids or a more adult and complex world for advanced hobbyists and professional 3D modeling types. Can they come up with a way for type to use SANSAR aka SL 2.0.
Massively Overpowered has an article by Bree Royce, I think she wrote it, titled SEX, LOVE, AND MMOS in the Working as Intended column. Second Life™ is mentioned but is not the focus. The image used for the article is from Star Wars: The Old Republic.
In February of this year I wrote about Massively closing: Massively Closing? Today I see that Massively Overpowered launched February 10th. MassivelyOp.net is a new effort by the founding staff of the now closed Massively site, formerly part of Joystick.
See: About Massively Overpowered.
I found them because they published: MEET THE MMO THAT LIVES IN SECOND LIFE. This is another article about Remnants of Earth.
They do have a Second Life category. But, I only found two articles there. But… they have only been running this site since February.