Following on from Part 1 of our 2007 roundup, let's look at the second half of 2007. July 2007 - Garden for the Missing was featured. - we discussed the Australian Federal Police's monitoring of virtual worlds. - we interviewed the person who manages Hilary Clinton's (unofficial) Second Life presence. - active Australian users of Second Life climbed to nearly thirteen … [Read more...] about Virtual Worlds and Australia 2007 Part 2
Op-ed
Virtual Worlds and Australia 2007 Part 1
It's not an understatement to say that it's been a hell of a year for virtual worlds in the Australian context. So I thought it was worth doing a bit of a retrospective to put in context how much has occurred. Second Life has been our focus the past year but there's been some other exciting developments. January 2007 - we started off the year asking if 2007 would be Second … [Read more...] about Virtual Worlds and Australia 2007 Part 1
Trends in Virtual Worlds – an interesting perspective
There's an excellent thesis put forward on 20 trends in virtual worlds over the past year. The ones of particular relevance were: 1. "Shedloads of virtual worlds will be launched in 2008" - I think that's a fair bet though how many actually make launch is doubtful. 2. "Teen-focused virtual worlds are huge" - Not surprising really - they're the consumers who have an intrinsic … [Read more...] about Trends in Virtual Worlds – an interesting perspective
Second Life “Winter” Festival – good old ethnocentrism
Linden Lab have announced their fourth annual winter festival. I can't resist making an obvious comment - who decided that a virtual world has seasons that match the US / Europe seasonal cycle? Ethnocentrism at its very best. Bah humbug. … [Read more...] about Second Life “Winter” Festival – good old ethnocentrism
Linden Lab CEO responds to technical issues of the past week
The Official Linden Blog is carrying a lengthy post from CEO Philip Rosedale. Its premise is a revamp of Linden Lab's mission statement but it's also an exposition on the future of Second Life in Rosedale's eyes. First, he admits to how frustrating the problems of the last week have been for residents. He then stated that the new physics engine (currently in beta) will address … [Read more...] about Linden Lab CEO responds to technical issues of the past week