Tech -- Culture -- Humour
Relay for Life 2011 is in its closing stages as we speak in Second Life. US$343,000 has been raised at time of writing (71 million Linden dollars) and there’s still plenty to see and do. As always musical entertainment is a focus in addition to the relay itself, and there’s plenty on offer.
If you haven’t already, jump in and participate. Even better, add to the donation tally!
Just a quick note that the book chapter on virtual worlds, health and simulation I wrote during late 2010 is now available for ordering as part of the book Virtual Worlds and Metaverse Platforms: New Communication and Identity Paradigms
Each chapter has an abstract available for viewing and a PDF sample of the first couple of pages (here’s my PDF sample). There’s an interesting range of topics on offer and I’m looking forward to having a read of them all. As my first academic publication I’m just a little stoked 😉
It’s also interesting to note I’m the only author that’s not directly aligned with a University – is it really that rare for someone to contribute to an academic publication that’s not directly aligned with a tertiary institution?
Of course, with the rapidity of change in the field, books like this can date rapidly but having a read-through my own chapter I think it holds up relatively well so far – that may be a different story in six months!
If you do end up reading the chapter in full, I’d dearly love your feedback on it – I have no doubt I’ve missed stuff given the breadth of things underway.
As a gamer of 30 years standing, I still manage to get very excited by an upcoming game release. If that game is related to an iconic childhood brand like Star Wars, then that excitement grows even more. That’s why, for the past couple of years I’ve been running a website devoted to covering the upcoming Star Wars MMO, Star Wars: The Old Republic(SWTOR) . For those unaware, game developer Bioware has licensed the LucasArts behemoth in what is one of the largest game development tasks ever undertaken: the voice scripts alone run to over 40 novels in length
The stakes are very high overall: Star Wars fans are a picky lot and demand a product faithful to the lore of the Star Wars universe. The hardcore Star Wars fan is another beast altogether. They create fan fiction, read all the books and comics, and have played most if not all of the games that have gone before. I should know, as I interact with them on a daily basis – I’m more of a casual fan who loves the movies and has played Lego Star Wars.
The challenge of course with any MMO is creating a great product that builds a big enough base of players to make it viable. World of Warcraft is the leader in the space, with most others in a distant catch-up game as far as subscriber numbers. SWTOR is well-placed to make a big splash in that regard. The story is there, the history is there and there’s no shortage of MMO players looking for a new thing. The power of the franchise is also likely to be strong enough to attract a new audience to MMO gaming.
SWTOR has been in active development for well over three years, and one of the biggest obsessions of those following the game is when it will be released. Bioware are stating a 2011 release is still on the cards and the game demonstrations to date show a game that’s looking pretty polished. The hard part observing from the outside is determining whether those snippets of game demonstration indicate a game close to completion. This is where the passion issue comes into it. The fans of the game are desperate to get their hands on SWTOR and the lack of a firm release date drives some of those fans to distraction. SWTOR’s official forums are riddled with speculation on release date and that’s likely to intensify with each week that passes. Others tend to caution against a rushed release, happy to wait a little longer to increase the chances of a great game.
For Australian fans there’s another source of friction: rumours of a delayed release for our region. ABC TV Australia’s Good Game set off that little firestorm with some tweets from the E3 games expo in the United States. It was backed up by a Fairfax gaming journalist http://www.theage.com.au/digital-life/games/blogs/screenplay/e3-diary-day-4-20110613-1fzn6.html – in both cases it appears the information came from a PR person at Bioware’s parent company Electronic Arts and in both instances the information was far from definitive.
I’m here to tell you that those mentions have set off one hell of a reaction amongst what we call the Oceanic community of SWTOR fans. Bioware have refused to comment on rumours (and I bet they get a lot of them) and because the story broke over a weekend there’s not been a lot of response at all. You can imagine how that has gone down with some fans. I’ve seen forum posts arguing for picket lines at the Electronic Arts offices in Brisbane to coincide with an upcoming games expo. Petitions have been created, phone campaigns are being discussed (again to Electronic Arts offices in Australia) and there’s generally a lot of agitation. All of the angst is over some unverified information from a PR person. For what it’s worth, I’ve done some research and spoken off the record to some other journalists who attended E3: the information appears not to be set in stone but there’s certainly some active consideration occurring of a staggered launch. The SWTOR FAQ addresses the issue by stating that:
Star Wars: The Old Republic will be released simultaneously in various countries of the world and the service will be localized in several languages. More details on this will be released at a later date.
Some are taking that as confirmation of a worldwide simultaneous release – others like me aren’t so sure.
The issue places Bioware in an interesting conundrum. If a delayed release in Australia is intended, then their management of the issue has been shown wanting – or at least their parent company’s PR people have let them down. If a simultaneous worldwide release is still the plan, then they have some work to do in getting the PR messages right with their parent company. Either way – it’s just another example of the passion of the fans of a game and the pressure that places on a developer to deliver the goods. Nothing gets people riled up more than perceived discrimination and if a staggered release does occur, it’s easy to argue that that’s exactly what it is: favouring the larger markets.
That said, I’ll stake my collection of Star Wars figurines on the fact that even if a local delay does eventuate, most people will still sign-up and use workarounds to be up and running as soon as possible. That’s what passionate fans do. I’ll still be on the picket line with all the hardcore fans though.
(This is a slightly altered piece that was written for ABC Technology)
Virtual worlds TV host Paisley Beebe has announced the cessation of her long-running show Tonight Live. Citing the need to devote more time to her newly established physical world business and family, Beebe won’t be making any further shows. I asked her why:
Oh I hate farewells, I’m no good at them…I always stuff it up. Happy to just transition quietly 🙂 sort of…
It’s a shame to see new mediums like this disappear, and it also emphasises how they’re still a long way off being a financially viable option if you’re needing actual income. Have a read of Paisley’s farewell here. For some reminiscing, you can view my 2008 interview here or a 2011 one I wrote for ABC Technology here.
Although it’s been done to death, the Hitler Downfall Meme still gives me plenty of laughs. With the ramp up of Google Plus over the past week, there’s been plenty of talk about it becoming a serious competitor or even eventual killer of Facebook.
After 24 hours of using Google Plus myself, I though an addition to the Hitler meme was called for. So without further ado, enjoy Hitler’s take on Google Plus:
For what it’s worth, I’m very impressed with Google Plus so far – it’s certainly had a more promising start than Google Wave and I can see over a year or two it’ll get significant traction. A big thanks to Raulan for the invite and sorry I don’t have any invites to hand out.
1. Toronto Star (Canada) – Global Voices: Playing games for social change. “Mission One: Tokyo, 2020. The city is on the verge of famine, with rice rations expected to run out in weeks. Pacific fisheries are at an all-time low. Temperatures are rising; crops are dying. The population is malnourished. It’s not just Tokyo, but the entire world. Will you help? You, yes you, can become part of a global network of secret agents who must complete ten missions to solve the world’s most pressing problems: poverty, hunger, water security, energy, disaster relief. Humanity needs your help. Go. As school wraps up and kids retreat to virtual worlds, parents fear their children are hunkered down in the basement, slaying aliens. What if they were solving real-world problems? Could video games be the antidote to apathy? The scenario above is Evoke, an online game developed by the World Bank Institute with designer Jane McGonigal. A comic-book narrative calls on players to become agents of social change. Using the game’s “superpowers,†such as collaboration, resourcefulness and local insight, they invent solutions to humanity’s greatest threats, then share ideas in blog and video posts. The most innovative solutions received seed money, scholarships or mentorships to turn fledgling ideas into functioning social enterprises.”
2. VentureBeat (USA) – Roblox raises $4M for kids virtual world. “Roblox, a kids virtual world that has grown to 5.7 million monthly unique visitors, raised $4 million in venture funding today. With Roblox, kids are architects of their own games and learn software coding abilities that can help them later in life. Roblox uses physics to simulate a virtual world, allowing kids to construct things in building-block style. The success is modest, but the growth has been organic and steady, suggesting that kids virtual worlds aren’t as dead as some industry observers assume. The round was led by existing investors Altos Ventures and First Round Capital, and it will allow the company to accelerate its next phase of growth. The company’s site draws more than 650 million page views a month and it has been growing steadily since its launch in September 2006. The target is kids ages seven to 16, with boys ages 8 to 14 as the main audience. Children spend roughly 19 million hours a month on Roblox, and there are about 7 million active kids who play each month.”
3. GigaOM (USA) – How to create an avatar for work-related virtual worlds. “The use of virtual worlds is increasing for marketing, training and collaboration, according to a survey that Aliza recently covered. This may mean that there will be more enterprise use for Second Life, Open Simulator, and other online virtual environments. According to another survey, early adopters of virtual worlds are learning to use it for brainstorming and project coordination. This survey also suggests that those who use virtual world technology for recreation are likely to be among the first in their organization to explore the possibilities of using it for business.”
4. Campus Technology (USA) – LMS for Virtual Worlds Released. “Educators who work in virtual worlds, such as Second Life, can now use a hosted learning management system (LMS) designed specifically to work within that virtual environment. The people behind Texas State Technical College’s virtual presence in Second Life, TSTC vushi, have released the vushi learning system (vLS). Texas State Tech offers some of its programs, including degrees in digital media and digital signage technology, in the immersive online environment. The vLS will provide a secure means for users to tap into class information, including class rosters, grades, assignments, assessments, and attendance, without leaving the virtual space. Additional features include a single sign-on interface, a searchable database for in-world education areas, a “field trip” transportation tool for group teleports, and the ability to create and deliver assessments and assignments within the environment.”
5. TechCrunch (USA) – Virtual World Technology Developer ProtonMedia Raises $4.5 Million. “ProtonMedia, a startup that develops virtual worlds technology, has raised $4.5 million in Series B venture financing led by Kaplan Ventures (the venture arm of the education company) with Originate Ventures and Osage Venture Partners participating. This brings ProtonMedia’s total funding to $7 million.”
6. Forbes (USA) – LEGO Universe Latest Online Game to Adopt Free-to-Play Business Model. “A growing trend in the burgeoning online video game space is to offer games for free and then generate revenue through subscriptions or the sale of in-game micro-transactions for virtual items. The LEGO Group is the latest video game publisher to venture into this free-to-play business with its LEGO Universe massively multiplayer online (MMO) game. Originally launched as an in-store retail PC game on October 26, 2010 by distributor Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment (WBIE) for $50, starting this August the game will be available for free via digital download. Sales of the retail PC game, which currently sells for $20, will be discontinued permanently.”
7. Variety (USA) – Highlights from the Supreme Court gaming decision. “Monday’s ruling that video games are protected under the First Amendment was the culmination of a long fight. And the victory was clearly a solid one for the industry. But in reading through the 90-plus page decision and dissenting opinions, there are some interesting arguments – both for the industry’s rights and those of parents. Much like the oral arguments of last November, Justices were split on the possible differences in interactive and passive forms of entertainment and the First Amendment issues at hand.”
8. Shack News (USA) – EVE Online clothing causes microtransaction debate. “The first part of EVE Online’s long-awaited “walking in stations” update, Incarna, finally launched last week. However, it’s been greeted by a lot more teeth-gnashing than developer CCP had anticipated. The microtransactions for Incarna’s paid cosmetic “vanity” items proved to be not quite so micro, putting into question CCP’s approach to paid content in the space MMO. A pair of digital boots might cost only $5, according EVE News 24’s conversions from virtual currency to real-world money. But a shirt can go for $17, and a virtual monocle is a staggering $61. While players can, of course, choose not to buy these cosmetic lovelies, a leaked CCP newsletter indicated that expensive clothing was only the beginning. The May 2011 issue of CCP’s internal newsletter Fearless (available from EVE News 24) posed the question “Greed Is Good?” In the issue, employees made a number of cases for and against microtransactions in EVE, console FPS tie-in Dust 514, and CCP’s mysterious World of Darkness MMO–but mostly for.”
9. New York Times (USA) – Positive Disruption. “Even in the men’s room at Google’s sprawling New York offices there’s no respite from the cascade of new ideas feeding the behemoth. Rather than gaze into space, I found before my eyes messages about “signal widgets†and the implication of having every “text string†translated into 40 languages. I’d come by to see two former State Department guys now trying to do good things for the world through networks rather than diplomatic cables. Call them T-shirted envoys with algorithms. Both seemed to be bubbling with relief at finding themselves out of the unwieldy bureaucracies that address the world as it appears on a physical map and in a company that views the globe in the same borderless way as the 52 percent of the world’s population that is under 30.”
10. Mail and Guardian (South Africa) – That’s entertainment. “The Race of Man is right at the back of the gallery. But this 19-minute film is remains centerpiece of Michael MacGarry’s new solo show, Entertainment. A parody of the immersive video game, the film follows players killing each other to advance to the next level. MacGarry locates two of these gaming levels in a desert dune and an unspecified white room. Our own uncertainty about these real and virtual worlds is reiterated when the first two players show an unwillingness to actually kill each. Their collusion against the game’s rules advances them to the next level. But here the two players are unable to escape the prospect of facing each other again. Blinded by bags over their heads, separately tied to the same pole and wielding axes, they eventually stumble into each other with gruesome consequences.”
An 80-year-old Scotsman went to the doctor for a check-up.
The doctor was amazed at what good shape the old fellow was in and asked:
‘How do you stay in such great physical condition?’
‘I am Scottish and I am a golfer,’ said the old fellow: ‘and that is why I am in such good shape. I am up well before daylight and out golfing up and down the fairways. I have a wee glass of whisky, and that’s it.’
‘Well,’ said the doctor, ‘I am sure that helps, but there has to be more to it. How old was your Dad when he died?’
‘Who said my Dad died?’
The doctor was amazed.
‘You mean you are 80 years old and your Dad is still alive. how old is he?’
He is 100 years old,’ said the old Scottish golfer. ‘In fact he golfed wi’ me this mornin’, and then we went to the topless beach for a walk and had anither wee dram and that is why he is still alive. He is a Scot and he is a golfer, too.’
‘Well,’ the doctor said, ‘that is great, but I am sure there is more to it than that. How about your Dad’s Dad? How old was he when he died?’
‘Who said my Grandad is dead?’
Stunned, the doctor asked, ‘You mean you are 80 years old and your grandfather is still living! Incredible, how old is he?’
‘He is 118 years old,’ said the old Scottish golfer.
The doctor was getting frustrated at this point: ‘So, I guess he went golfing with you this morning too?’
‘No. Grandad couldnae go this mornin’ because he is getting married today.’
At this point the doctor was close tolosing it. ‘Getting married!!
Why would a 118 year-old Scotsman want to get married?’
‘Who said he wanted to?’
Yet another website to add to the “I Wish I’d Thought Of This First” archive. Dear Photograph is nothing short of addictive.
Like most great ideas, their premise is simple and powerful. In the case of Dear Photograph, the photographing of an old photo in the same location the original one was shot is the order of the day.
Some of the results are stunning – have a look for yourself. Some of the creativity displayed is amazing and even the most mundane scenes have a real power about them – or maybe I’m just being sentimental on a Saturday afternoon.
If you’re keen, dig out some old photos and submit a few masterpieces of your own. I know I will be.
[via Kat Claxton]
Playing a little catch-up after a hectic few weeks. Here’s some highlights from around the industry over that time:
1. Following up from her February interview with Linden Lab CEO Rod Humble, Tateru Nino has a great chat with Mr Humble on Second Life’s usability.
2. We’ve written extensively on the University of Western Australia’s dynamic presence in Second Life. Here’s why the person who has driven most of that momentum thinks it’s one of the most important things he has done.
3, Daden UK have developed a virtual world finder aimed at businesses navigating the confusing array of platforms on offer.
4. Australian virtual world for kids, eKidna, keeps plugging away growing its market share if the regular promotions are anything to go by. Have a look at their work if you haven’t already.
5. Terra Nova asks: why aren’t there more sex games / virtual worlds for kids and teens?
6. Duran Duran are up and away in Second Life. Check it out for yourself here. I spent 30 mins or so wandering around the island and it’s a well fleshed out build, lots of fun. More pics below:
Having grown up in the 70s and 80s, I ended up a ravenous consumer of comics. Although I liked a bit of Archie, Batman and Richie Rich to name three, I was mostly a rabid Marvel Comics fan. Daredevil, Fantastic Four, Spiderman, Dazzler, Cloak and Dagger, I could go on for hours about them all.
Marvel’s Editor in Chief for most of my childhood and teen years was Jim Shooter. Even as a young person I remember being impressed by his passion for comics and loved reading his Bullpen missives. That passion obviously hasn’t faded as Jim is now a blogger and what a blog it is.
Most days Jim posts fascinating anecdotes about the comics industry, particularly on his Marvel days. Whether it’s stories of rooting out corruption or debates with comic artists / letterers / inkers, it’s all gold.
Have a read for yourself, you won’t be disappointed.
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