The Metaverse

The end of the road for Google Lively

Roadmap to the Virtual World » Blog Archive » Google Deadly.

"This is tragic and disappointing. Despite my negative review of Lively in it’s initial form, I am baffled. After spending at least two years in largely secret development (making 16,000 options for hair!) it was given only 4.5 months between announcement of launch and announcement of shut-down. Sure, it hasn’t taken off like a rocket yet, but it’s in beta, with some of the most important features yet to roll out. In my view, this is about more than just its performance to date; someone at Google either doesn’t believe in virtual worlds in the near term or perhaps more likely, didn’t believe that this particular product has a path to success. If Google thinks that everything it rolls out has to set the world on fire in its first version and within 4.5 months, it won’t be succeeding with too many new products."

I think Sibley's hit the nail on the head with this post. While Lively itself didn't seem to have much going for it, four and a half months isn't much commitment.

Semper International Adopts Lively for Hiring and Collaboration

Virtual Worlds News: Semper International Adopts Lively for Hiring and Collaboration.

"To me, it actually makes more sense than using Second Life as a hiring tool. If the point is to find an avatar-based environment for interviews, something simple and Web-based seems, well, simpler than a richer environment that requires a download. The lack of integrated voice in Lively, though, could present problems"

I think this highlights something that is often not realised by proponents of one or another virtual world platform: what is an appropriate level of "virtual" for one application might be less-so for another.

In this case, Lively is probably a better choice: it's simple, browser-based, and offers a good experience in small groups (it's utterly lousy in larger groups - you think a Second Life sim with 30 people in it is bad, try going to a lively room with 10).

Oscar Niemeyer in Second Life

Go beyond the mundane in Second Life, and you can find some really interesting work.

The above is a demo of some work which a team at Tokyo Metropolitan University have done, developing a 3D image database of the work of Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer.

You can read a little more about the project here.

(Via The Arch)

Talking trademarks in Second Life

Massively notes that United States attorney Frank Taney of Philadelphia law firm Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC will be giving a talk and Q&A session in Second Life on Trademarks for Virtual World Related Businesses on 6 June from 2:30PM to 4PM SLT. With all the recent controversy over trademarks, this promises to be an interesting session.

Home coming this year as 'open, working beta' - Joystiq

Home coming this year as 'open, working beta' - Joystiq:

Sony has again trumpeted intention to get its virtual world Home out the door this year, though precisely what state it will be in when players are eventually allowed to log on remains another issue entirely. Speaking to Wired, PSN senior director Susan Panico referred to Home's initial roll out as "similar to Gmail," calling the online initiative's presumably fall release an "open, working beta."

I'm not sure if Home is getting more interesting, or less.

Tags: Sony, PlayStation 3, Home

Second Life - FriendFeed

I've started up a room in FriendFeed devoted to Second Life. It's public, so feel free to come along, join, and post anything you fancy.

Exclusive slum dwelling - designed for you

If you've ever had a dream of living in your own trailer, now's your chance. Sarah Nerd has released a a few exclusive plots of land in the Slums of Nerdville:

"The Slums of Nerdville is a low prim, low rent, themed residential sim with lots from $275L a week to $550l a week. All builds here need to be run down trailers, mobile homes, shacks, or similar. We want to keep the classy folk out of our slums."

I'm almost tempted myself...

Orange Island: Announcing Games Week on Orange Island

Orange has been doing some really interesting things based on and around their Second Life island.

Over the next week, they're running Games Week on Orange Island, which includes talks on games in Second Life from the likes of Onder Skall, Valentine Janus, and many others. It sounds well worth a visit, and I'll try and get over when I can.

Company touts potential of Second Life to Filipinos

Hackenslash has a post up about metaversal development studio Avatrian encouraging Filipino companies to tap the potential of virtual worlds like Second Life and Entropia. Avatrian has a production office in Cebu City.

First full movie made in Second Life

In brief: Fraggles to invade Outer Space | News | guardian.co.uk Film:

"The first movie made entirely in Second Life, has been completed. Molotov Alva and his Search for the Creator: A Second Life Odyssey tells the story of a man who vanishes from the real world to live in the virtual one. The movie has been bought by a US TV channel for a six-figure sum. "

I'm not actually sure that this is the first film to be made entirely in Second Life - surely, there's a load of machinima that takes precedence - but this still looks interesting.