Category Archives: Virtual Worlds

Virtual Worlds

Second Life – definitely “out” ?

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Not a big news : Facebook and other Social Networks is the buzzword of 07 while the previous year was the year of Virtual Worlds, especially Second Life.
Since the beginning of last year, the first critics about SL was appearing. Since september 07, the situation was clear – Second Life was not the hot topic anymore.
And now, when I look at some figures, I wonder if Second Life is turning to be the completely "out" topic.

Hereunder, you’ll find Second Life’s alexa traffic – for those who are not familiar with this tool, alexa tracks the traffic of the major website of the web. Not 100% reliable, but it gives you a good idea of the trends.

Graph_2

The full graph

(just a funny fact – just add on the graphic the keywords "worldofwarcraft.com" or "facebook.com". Crazy, isn’t it ?). Clubpenguin.com is the famous virtual universe dedicated to kid acquired by Disney discussed in this previous article.

You can also check the google trends graphic for the same keywords which confirm the trend.

We’ve alredy discussed the topic in july 07. But I wanted to come back on this a few months after, and give 5 pro / 5 con ideas regarding SL, just in case to discuss with clients 🙂

5 reasons why second life is still an interesting plateform to visit / to investigate for you and your client

Now, my opinon : it’s not new, the trends is just going on – Second life is definitely not the hot topic anymore. But it’s not because people don’t talk about it that there is nothing interesting inside. Reasons why Second Life is still a universe to investigate :

1/ it is the most advanced social technology plateform of the moment (3D, voice, social capabilities, etc)
2/ Second Life has a strong community which remains dynamic : http://secondlife.com/whatis/economy-graphs.php
3/ Second Life is the most advanced community in term of Metaverse (a universe created and animated by its users)
4/ Second Life remains the best place to experiment Virtual Universes, 3D technology, etc
5/ Second Life is the most advanced virtual Universe while young generation are getting more and more used to interact with this new universes (see the previous article discussing the NYT article)

5 reasons why people don’t visit Second Life anymore

But despite the fact that I’m a Second Life enthusiast, I have to admit that people are not interesting anymore in that universe. And here are the main reasons I’ve identified.

1/ "Second Life sucks". The plateform in itself is unstable, require huge computer to work decently and … compared to actual 3D games, it’s just ugly. Welcome back to 90’s graphics.
2/ "Second Life is boring". Second Life for newbie is a very disturbing experience. People are so disappointed when discovering a virtual universe : rules are changed. How many avatars die after a few minutes lost in the newbie island ?
3/ "I’ve got Facebook, looser". Second Life completely missed the social network game. Making more bridges between identities and avatars would have been a good way to increase retention, and attract new people. Of course, facebook is not the same, but the social aspect of Second Life has been neglected.
4/ "It’s unsafe, it’s crowded with sexual pervert and it emits ton of carbons". Blablababla. At least, that’s what media says (the same media that never visited SL to write articles about it).
5/ "It is for Nerds". Or at least, you need to have a certain familiarity with a computer and a LOT of time.

My diagnostic would be : all these critics are true. But it also confirms that Second Life remains a fantastic place to experiment what Social web could be in the coming year – Second Life is a universe of Science fiction, a visionnary place built by technology pioneers.
A lot of people made the mistake to think it was mainstream.
Not yet. It requires to be open minded and aware of what it implies.

Let’s hope that the next plateforms will learn from Second Life present critics. But for the moment, the advice for our client remains the same :
"Go to second life to experiment and interact with your community"

Have you also the feeling the Second Life is going to be out ?
Have you identified reason why people may think that ?
Would you recommend it for a client ?
Have a different feeling about it ?

Pierre from Paris

Virtual Worlds

Second Skin – a documentary about second lives

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I’ve just noticed this this week end somewhere lost in my RSS reader.
Some people are finishing a documentary about virtual universes – of course, there will be a strong focus on gaming, but Metaverses (such as Second Life) will also be in …

Second Skin takes an intimate look at computer gamers whose lives have been transformed by the emerging genre of Massively Multiplayer Online games (MMOs). World of Warcraft, Second Life, and Everquest allow millions of users to simultaneously interact in virtual spaces. Second Skin introduces us to couples who have fallen in love without meeting, disabled players who have found new purpose, addicts, Chinese gold-farming sweatshop workers, wealthy online entrepreneurs and legendary guild leaders – all living in a world that doesn’t quite exist.

If you want to have a look at the trailer : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPOxuOCGi9I
If you want to have more info : http://www.pwdocs.com/secondskin/?id=home
They have a blog : http://www.secondskinfilm.com/blog/

Virtual Worlds

2008 in Virtual Worlds

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Trends and issues
Yeah, yeah, I know, virtual worlds sounds so “2007”. But look at it carefully, and you’ll see that the whole industry is moving extremely rapidely.
And this report highlights the coming trends for 08.
http://www.virtualworldsmanagement.com/forecast2008/

I like this report, first because it’s free, second, because it brings several interesting observation on the evolution of virtual worlds.
Just a rapid summary in bad english:

  • The number of virtual universe will continue to grow, especially the one dedicated to teens and pre-teens
  • Virtual universe and social networks will go closer more and more rapidely
  • Virtual universe accessible from a browser will transform niche market in mass market (and do not forget the mobile market)
  • Education market and corporate market will be very active in term of adoption and development of specific usage
  • Virtual universe will be more and more monitored by administrations and governments, especially from tax administrations.
  • Tools to track engagement, traffic and activity will be improved or will appear
  • Second Life (hey, pay attention, that’s the most interesting moment) will probably not being the most privileged universe for brands – brands will probably look at more stable, more structured and more controlable universes
  • The asian market (with its technological and cultural specificities) will have a major influence in the development of these universes.

Just one last word about virtual universes for teens and kids.
Look at this NYT article you’ve probably already read … Who said Virtual Universe has no future ?
Article on the NYT : Web Playgrounds of the Very Young

Extract :

Forget Second Life. The real virtual world gold rush centers on the grammar-school set.Trying to duplicate the success of blockbuster Web sites like Club Penguin and Webkinz, children’s entertainment companies are greatly accelerating efforts to build virtual worlds for children. Media conglomerates in particular think these sites — part online role-playing game and part social scene — can deliver quick growth, help keep movie franchises alive and instill brand loyalty in a generation of new customers.Second Life and other virtual worlds for grown-ups have enjoyed intense media attention in the last year but fallen far short of breathless expectations. The children’s versions are proving much more popular, to the dismay of some parents and child advocacy groups. Now the likes of the Walt Disney Company, which owns Club Penguin, are working at warp speed to pump out sister sites.

More

(you’ll probably have to register on the NYT – for those who are not yet registered, it’s free).

PS : just a reminder : the map of the virtual universe discussed here will help you having a clear idea of the actual situation of the industry

Pierre from Paris.

Virtual Worlds

Virtual Paris 2007

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Logo_VirtualParis2007.jpgI owe you this debrief of a conference we’ve talked about a few weeks ago, dedicated to virtual universes that took place in Paris in October (argh – more than a month that I should have send you this debriefing :S)
This conference gathered people from various backgrounds around the theme of virtual universe, with an audience composed of prospective leader of French company.

Sorry for the delay, as the input I’m going to share with you is really interesting.

The idea of this day of conference was to gather all the expertise and experience in virtual universes for companies.
We were the only one company speaking for communication perspectives on Second Life.

Among the speakers :
A consultant named Fred Cavazza, well known for its 2.0 expertise and specialized in interface. He drew up a map of virtual universes, Media agencies, big advertising companies, 3D designers, builders, scripters … and ourselves (Philippe – GM France and Myself) for our insight regarding communication with these universes.

Here is a quick debrief of this day, with a few useful documents that I would like to share with you.

Map of virtual universe.
We do speak about Second Life, but it’s a good thing to observe the whole ecosystem of virtual universes. The map hereunder give you an idea of all the universes and their public.
By the way, he published after the event a map of the universes with interesting comment I encourage you to read : http://www.fredcavazza.net/2007/10/04/virtual-universes-landscape/

VirtualUniversesLandscape.jpg

Brand design in virtual universe.
Logos, brand image and corporate communication needs to be adapted to 3D universe – interaction and community habits break down traditional model of brand identity. This brand identity has to be rethought with new codes.

3D and virtual universe
Creation of object and universe obey to strict technical rules and oblige to comply with new competencies.

Second Life and Open source
Linden lab unveils its code very rapidely. So developers invest this new code to create new solutions and to imagine more bridges between reality and virtuality.

Events in Second life
This intervention was a case study of an event organized by a credit company, sponsor of a cycling company in Le Tour de France, which created a cycling event inside Second Life to promote its activities.

Communication and Second Life
This was our intervention, dedicated to the disruption created by these universe on traditionnal media, and the new rules and habit you have to keep in mind when investing these new universe. We focused on the necessity to have a real investment in the long term with the community to leverage such an investment.

And know, I would like to share with you the content unveiled during the event.

http://www.divshare.com/download/3012155-db1
pass : Text100

Some of the presentation might be in French. If you need help to know what it is about, do not hesitate to ping me.

In this directory, you’ll find :

Pierre from Paris

Virtual Worlds

Critics over SL – end of the hype or beginning of a crisis ?

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Several articles has been published recently following the publication of a forrester study showing that several company are leaving Second Life as their audience is not what was initially expected …
An exemple : http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-mon_second_lifejul23,0,7924397.story

In the meantime, the september european SL conference of Berlin has just been canceled. The message posted on the frontpage confirms that the event had not enough financial support http://www.slconference.eu/

All these bad signals will probably worry future and existing clients investing in SL … At least for the moment, they worry the press in France 🙂
Is it really the sign of the beginning of the end for Second Life ?

A few elements to keep in mind :

1/ Our involvement in Second Life is mainly an invitation to explore virtual universe. If Second Life vanishes one day, the 3D social environment will probably modify for a long time use and habits on the web.

And so for our client : being involved with Second Life allows them having a deeper experience with their ecosystem.

Audience in SL is for sure a problem – but it is not a massive market – it’s a long tail market where communities and individuals can be reach.

2/ Business models inside second life are discussed a lot these days. But we care first about delivering the best experience between our clients and communities by creating a conversation : SL probably remains a good communication plateform / a bad marketing plateform.

3/ Several companies have massively invested inside SL. A lot of money circulates around SL. Companies rarely leave their investment behind them …

What is your opinion regarding these critics ? Is it the same ‘business as usual’ critics or a deeper sign of a crisis ?

Pierre from Paris.

Virtual Worlds

Lewis PR promotes their SL activity

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Brand_republic160507You’ve probably already noticed it, but I’ve seen it today on Techcrunch (the US version, not the French one) – Lewis PR have set a banner on the site to promote their SL activity (linking on their website)

Of course, this is only an advertisement, but this is the first time I see a PR company branding and marketing its SL activity and showing it in a large Media such as Techrunch.

Have you ever noticed other PR company doing this ?

How do you react over such a campaign ?

By clicking on this link, you’ll see a screenshot of what I’ve seen today.

Pierre from Paris

Virtual Worlds

Is SL bad for environment ?

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I know, this could sound a bit strange to ask such a question.
After all, since its beginning, SL has been recognized for its capacity to connect people, and thus to potentially replace real meetings with virtual features (and reduce energy dedicated to transportations, etc) …

However,  an interesting article has been published in les echos this week. Les Echos is the no1 french business daily newspaper (our national FT). The article discusses about the latest Gartner report saying that the Data Center consumes a lot of energy and could be very bad for environmnent.
So far, no big news. But the journalist reported in his article the calculation of Nick Carrs about Linden Lab’s 4000 data centers consumption – these 4000 data centers prequire 1.752 kWh of electricity to work, which represents 1.17 tons of carbon equivalent …

If you divide this consumption by the overall SL population, each avatar produces more carbon that a brazilian citizen, according to this calculation …

o_O  Impressive …

What do you think  about these figures ? Have you already seen them somewhere ?

Sources :
The orginal article (translated over google)
Click here
The source for this article : Nicholas Carr’s blog
http://www.roughtype.com/archives/2006/12/avatars_consume.php

Pierre from Paris.