So here’s a question that really worries me lately. What’s up with Second Life? What does the future hold?
Second Life is one of my favourite EVER subjects – I wrote an MSc dissertation on it after all. I don’t spent much time on Second Life (do it for a while for research purposes. it kinda spoils it for you) but I do admire the founding principles – the idea that Residents would take over and literally create and run this world.
Here is one of my favourite ideas in Second Life: Corporations and entrepreneurs have exactly the same opportunities because the Corporations do not get any unfair advantages. Not to mention that most corporations simply failed to ‘get’ what Second Life was all about. Real Life (RL) companies are simply struggling, at best, or just plain failing, at worst, in that world. (Here is an old blog post by yours trully on why)
It seemed to work. Residents took over, entrepreneurs flourished, creatives ruled the (Second Life) universe. The cult of the many, the cult of the amateur prevailed.
Now it seems each and every single one of the old guard over at Linden Lab is abandoning ship. Normally I wouldn’t worry. Companies change, people leave, new faces come. Yet – and this is the crucial bit – all of these founding members shared that revolutionary vision of Residents as creators and owners. And with any business model/ culture that is revolutionary it is very often the case that without the visionary the culture goes downhill. So here is what bugs me.
Have they actually built a system / culture that will keep going? Or – with them gone – is it a case of a new more corporate, rigid way of running things? In other worlds will the Residents prevail over the suits?
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Read On:
Second Life’s Second Act: Business Teleconferencing? by Eric Krangel on Silicon Alley Insider
Linden Lab Finally Cracks Down On Second Life Porn by Eric Krangel on Silicon Alley Insider
Quick Link: Will Wright Says Second Life is On the Right Track on Dusan Writer’s Metaverse
Teaching journalism with virtual worlds by Cory Doctorow on boing boing
Not sure the right question is '… will the Residents prevail over the suits?' but rather, will more 'suits' come into Second Life and opt to make a social connection with the community.
The answer to which I think will be positively 'Yes'. To be fair, I am probably categorized AS one of those suits, but my involvement since 2006 has been to listen and learn form the current residents so I understood how and why residents might want to connect to whatever project I am developing.
It's been a tough road… the free-for-all, laissez faire, old west model of no sheriff in town has driven legitimate efforts out of Second Life and kept many others from considering SL as a legitimate platform. My perspective is because of my efforts in supporting the American Cancer Society in Second Life as a Corporate Fundraising Chairperson
Who's losing? I think both sides… the creative community needs support, financial and conceptual. Likewise RL businesses need to learn how to connect to this awesome, vibrant community with 3D, rich media efforts. I am not sure, but I do think that the changes in how adult content is managed may help it along… let's revisit the question in a few months eh?
Estaban Graves in SL
Hey there Steven thanks for dropping by. A very interesting take there.
If we were talking about a year ago I would have told you that corps just don't get how SL works – which Residents obviously did. How else could you have explained how they innovated to attract peope (see navigating by the green dots) while corps only managed to create expensive and uselesss spaces that nobody wanted to visit.
Yet, regulation is becoming important for the Residents themselves, especially since copyright theft is becoming a huge problem. When you have created a line of clothing that is quite profitable you don't want other people to steal your creation. So, while the starting position was 'let us get on with it' more and more Residents are looking for some protection.
I know the balance will be difficult to strike especially if regulation/ policing is seen to tip the balance in favour of corporate entities.
But as you say. Let's revisit in a few months.
I was recently wondering the same thing, especially since it seems to be in media darkness except for when it makes news for all the wrong reasons (financial rumours, sex stories etc)
I've started questioning whether it's one of those concepts that is just a bit ahead of the curve – so the premise is sound, but maybe the market just wasn't ready? (http://www.thisisherd.com/2009/04/second-life-rig...
Having said that, I did come across an interesting database of educational projects happening in the virtual world today – proof that it's always been about more than the old chestnut of virtual porn: (http://sleducation.wikispaces.com/page/diff/educa...