Virtual Cultures

More Virtual World News

An interesting article on Why Virtual Worlds are So Hot Right Now, compliments of Katherine Mancuso (who also sent us the Lively article.)

Google Releases New Virtual World

I was totally unaware of this but Google has just released a browser-based virtual world called Lively.

Myst Online: Reborn Again

We were very pleased to hear last week that Myst Online aka Uru has been returned Cyan, who are planning to relaunch it as MO:RE, Myst Online: Restoration Experiment, which is slated to include user-created content. For more see:

Myst Online Forums
Gamasutra
Kotaku
Spokane Spokesman Review

Trans-Ludic Avatars Arrive

This just in via Jacki Morie: Apparently IBM and Linden Lab have partnered to create Trans-Ludic Avatars that players can take across virtual worlds.

I'm personally quite skeptical about this enterprise. I'm under the impression that the main motivation for this is so executives don't have to create a new avie every time they enter a new world. I personally like having different avatars in different worlds. I would not, for instance, want to move my There avatar to Second Life and vice versa. I'm not entirely clear on the utility of this. I suppose it makes sense if you are switching games, to be able to take your stats, etc. with you, but identities are context-sensitive. As I've often said, avatar identities are socially constructed, so who you become in each world is highly contingent on the social context. I'll be curious to see how this plays out.

Rand Miller on the Design Philosophy Behind Uru

This is a very interesting interview with Rand Miller on "Gamers with Jobs" where he talks about the underlying premise of Uru. He describes it as content-based MMOG where content is the central focus of gameplay rather than a means to an end of a leveling-based experience, and new content is introduced on a regular basis to keep the world fresh. The challenge is to find a business model for this type of game.

Also for those who "myst" Uru, some players made a beautiful Myst-style 2D walkthrough of the game.

The Final Days of Uru...Again

As most of our readers are probably aware, the game that initially brought Ron and I together, Uru, now known as Myst Online on GameTap, is closing this week. A group of players have made this video, which I must say, brought me to tears.

Don't Give Up, Uru

The Uru community has been through the "slings and arrows of outrageous fortune" multiple times on an epic level. This little film sums up not only the experience of Uru refugees, but of any group who has lost their play community.

I was sent this while in the middle of writing my Uru book. I'm sure this will find its way into the "final chapter."

"Baby Grace" and WoW

I was interviewed last week by Eyder Peralta of the Houston Chronicle about the "Baby Grace" case, which, predictably, some members of the press is trying to tie to the fact that the two child-murderers met playing World of Warcraft. Refreshingly, the reporter I talked to was happy to reprint my take on the connection: "With about 10 million players, and only two willing to do what these two did, it's not a meaningful percentage." Click here for the whole article.

NPR Story on Avatars/"Alter Ego" Book

There's an interesting story on NPR about avatars and the book and exhibition Alter Egos: Avatars and Their Creators.

I'm interviewed briefly as part of this, but that has nothing to do with the fact that it's a very well-done in-depth story. :) One of the more nuanced and thoughtful press pieces I've heard on the subject.

Article in the Guardian about Virtual Worlds

Wow this is a busy week! While little in this article in the Guardian is particularly new, especially to those of us who track these things, what is interesting is the critical mass the article portrays. Naturally, it has the usual hypey tone of these things. I would be surprised if this reporter had actually visited any of the virtual worlds in question. However, it's interesting to hear claims like "virtual worlds will create 10,000 jobs in China" and "Second Life...claims to have created the equivalent of 6,000 full-time jobs." Also, note the sub-heading: "People to work from home in an alternate reality." These tidbits speak to the conflation of work and play that a number of us have been taking about for the past year or so. 

"Chinese Second Life Clone": Virtual Capitalism for Communists?

Thanks to Jacki Morie for bringing to our attention the Beta Launch of HiPiHi, a product that everyone is calling the "Chinese Second Life Clone." I noticed a comment about it in TerraNova from March: "Why don't you meatheads start researching and writing about what everyone is currently buzzing about? Namely, did HiPiHi really steal SL's code to make their virtual world?" (Jeff) It was also blogged around the same time by Raph Koster, who recommends an article by Bjorn Lee comparing the two.