122-516: Second Life is a multiplayer virtual world that allows people to create an avatar for themselves and then interact with other users and user-created content within a multi-user online environment. Developed for personal computers and owned by the San Francisco -based firm Linden Lab , it launched on June 23, 2003 and saw rapid growth for some years; in 2013 it had approximately one million regular users. Growth eventually stabilized, and by
244-514: A command-line interface . Users interact in role-playing or competitive games by typing commands and can read or view descriptions of the world and other players. Such early worlds began the MUD heritage that eventually led to massively multiplayer online role-playing games , more commonly known as MMORPGs, a genre of role-playing games in which a large number of players interact within a virtual world. Some prototype virtual worlds were WorldsAway ,
366-545: A 'prohibited game' which cannot be streamed on the service. There is no charge for creating a Second Life account or for making use of the world for any period of time. Linden Lab reserves the right to charge for the creation of large numbers of multiple accounts for a single person (5 per household, 2 per 24 hours) but at present does not do so. A Premium membership (US$ 11.99 monthly, US$ 32.97 quarterly, or US$ 99 annually) extends access to an increased level of technical support, and also pays an automatic stipend of L$ 300/week into
488-529: A 2001 meeting with investors, Rosedale noticed that the participants were particularly responsive to the collaborative, creative potential of Second Life. As a result, the initial objective-driven, gaming focus of Second Life was shifted to a more user-created, community-driven experience. In October 2010, Rosedale announced he was leaving his position as CEO. In September 2012, Linden Lab announced two new products: Creatorverse (for iPad ) and Patterns (for desktops ). In January 2013, Linden Lab purchased
610-626: A Christian church headquartered in Edmond, Oklahoma , and with eleven campuses in the US, created "Experience Island" and opened its twelfth campus in Second Life . In July 2007, an Anglican cathedral was established in Second Life ; Mark Brown, the head of the group that built the cathedral, noted that there is "an interest in what I call depth, and a moving away from light, fluffy Christianity". The First Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Second Life
732-618: A Resident's email when the Resident is logged off, although message length is limited to 4096 bytes. Identities in Second Life can relate to the users' personality or creating their own character. It is based on their decisions on how to express themselves. Most avatars are human, but they can choose to be vampires or animals. Sometimes, what they choose does not relate to their offline selves. In Coming of Age in Second Life: An Anthropologist Explores
854-529: A challenge as far as dealing with others and in emotionally surviving within their real lives. One reason for this freedom of exploration can be attributed to the anonymity that virtual worlds provide. It gives the individual the ability to be free from social norms, family pressures or expectations they may face in their personal real world lives. The avatar persona experiences an experience similar to an escape from reality like drug or alcohol usage for numbing pain or hiding behind it. The avatar no longer represents
976-464: A comfort zone in entering these virtual worlds, as well as a sense of acceptance and freedom. Virtual worlds allow users to freely explore many facets of their personalities in ways that are not easily available to them in real life. However, users may not be able to apply this new information outside of the virtual world. Thus, virtual worlds allow for users to flourish within the world and possibly become addicted to their new virtual life which may create
1098-629: A comfortable and safe environment which can expand their situation, experience interactions (when the involvement of a multiple cultures and players from around the world is factored in) they may not have been able to experience without a virtual world, healthy or sick. Virtual worlds also enable them to experience and act beyond the restrictions of their illness and help to relieve stress. Virtual worlds can help players become more familiar and comfortable with actions they may in real-life feel reluctant or embarrassed. For example, in World of Warcraft , /dance
1220-512: A difficult experience with the necessity of proper graphics hardware (such as the more advanced graphics processing units distributed by Nvidia and AMD ) for the sake of reducing the frequency of less-than-fluid graphics instances in the navigation of virtual worlds. However, in part for this reason, a growing number of virtual world engines, especially serving children, are entirely browser-based requiring no software down loads or specialized computer hardware. The first virtual world of this kind
1342-707: A few days the ATM's along with the banks disappeared altogether. Around $ 700,000 in real world money was reported missing from residents in Second Life. An investigation was launched but nothing substantial ever came of finding and punishing the avatar known as Nicholas Portocarrero who was the head of Ginko Financial . Civil and criminal laws exist in the real world and are put in place to govern people's behavior. Virtual Worlds such as Eve Online and Second Life also have people and systems that govern them. Providers of online virtual spaces have more than one approach to
SECTION 10
#17327908925971464-646: A financial value that is based on each quarter's financial performance. As a result, key stakeholders in the projects with high point values received a distributed monetary payoff at the end of the quarter for successfully completed projects. The Distributor was discontinued after Rosedale left the company. In addition, each employee's quarterly performance review is published on a Misplaced Pages-like internal website that all other employees may see. Employees of Linden Lab, who are easily identifiable in-world by their avatars ' last name "Linden", have participated in several collaborative events with Second Life users. For example,
1586-448: A geographically unconstrained auction house. In this way, virtual worlds may provide a glimpse into what the future economic geography of the physical world may be like as more and more goods become digital. Virtual spaces can serve a variety of research and educational goals and may be useful for examining human behaviour. Offline- and virtual-world personalities differ from each other but are nevertheless significantly related which has
1708-411: A greater level of student participation. It allows users to be able to carry out tasks that could be difficult in the real world due to constraints and restrictions, such as cost, scheduling or location. Virtual worlds have the capability to adapt and grow to different user needs, for example, classroom teachers are able to use virtual worlds in their classroom leveraging their interactive whiteboard with
1830-435: A last name from a pre-determined list of options. Boellstorff describes this mentality as being in direct contrast to the one held by other mainstream social media websites, where anonymity is shunned and users are encouraged to make the link between their online and physical presence clear. The ability to create content and shape the Second Life world is one of the key features that separate this from online games. Built into
1952-581: A long illness. In late 2023, it became apparent that Linden Lab had sold the rights of Blocksworld to Ukrainian studio Fortell Games. While the purchase is yet to be announced officially, activity on the games long inactive social media, Steam and Apple App Store pages point all but confirm the acquisition. Linden Lab utilized another internal tool, the Distributor, that enabled all employees to distribute "points" to projects that they deemed worthy of development and resource support. Each point has
2074-438: A new form of advertising. There are many advantages to using these methods of commercialization. An example of this would be Apple creating an online store within Second Life. This allows the users to browse the latest and innovative products. Players cannot actually purchase a product but having these “virtual stores” is a way of accessing a different clientele and customer demographic. The use of advertising within "virtual worlds"
2196-683: A new product. According to trade media company Virtual Worlds Management, commercial investments in the "virtual worlds" sector were in excess of US$ 425 million in Q4 2007, and totaled US$ 184 million in Q1 2008. However, the selection process for defining a "virtual worlds" company in this context has been challenged by one industry blog. A number of virtual worlds have incorporated systems for sale of goods through virtual interfaces and using virtual currencies. Transfers of in-world credits typically are not bound by laws governing commerce. Such transactions may lack
2318-660: A number of implications for self-verification , self-enhancement and other personality theories . Panic and agoraphobia have also been studied in a virtual world. Given the large engagement, especially of young children in virtual worlds, there has been a steady growth in research studies involving the social, educational and even emotional impact of virtual worlds on children. The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation for example have funded research into virtual worlds including, for example, how preteens explore and share information about reproductive health. A larger set of studies on children's social and political use of
2440-409: A personal avatar and independently explore the virtual world, participate in its activities, and communicate with others. These avatars can be textual, graphical representations, or live video avatars with auditory and touch sensations. Virtual worlds are closely related to mirror worlds . In a virtual world, the user accesses a computer-simulated world which presents perceptual stimuli to
2562-415: A pilot program in the college's computer lab in spring 2011. The Maldives was the first country to open an embassy in Second Life . The Maldives' embassy is located on Second Life's "Diplomacy Island", where visitors will be able to talk face-to-face with a computer-generated ambassador about visas, trade and other issues. "Diplomacy Island" also hosts Diplomatic Museum and Diplomatic Academy. The Island
SECTION 20
#17327908925972684-470: A profit in Second Life in February 2009, of whom 38,524 made less than US$ 10, while 233 made more than US$ 5000. Profits are derived from selling virtual goods, renting land, and a broad range of services. Second Life comprises the viewer (also known as the client ) executing on the user's personal computer, and several thousand servers operated by Linden Lab. Linden Lab provides official viewers for
2806-514: A region, and provide communication between avatars and objects present in a region. Every item in the Second Life universe is referred to as an asset . This includes the shapes of basic 3D polygon objects formally known as Primitive Mesh (commonly known as primitives or prims for short), the digital images referred to as textures that decorate primitives, digitized audio clips, avatar shape and appearance, avatar skin textures, LSL scripts, information written on notecards, and so on. Each asset
2928-482: A result, considerations of geography in virtual worlds (such as World of Warcraft) often revolve around “ spatial narratives” in which players act out a nomadic hero's journey along the lines of that present in The Odyssey . The creation of fantastic places is also a reoccurring theme in the geographic study of virtual worlds, although, perhaps counterintuitively, the heaviest users of virtual worlds often downgrade
3050-538: A shared passion, the wish to share information, or a desire to meet new people and experience new things. Users may develop personalities within the community adapted to the particular world they are interacting with, which can impact the way they think and act. Internet friendships and participation online communities tend to complement existing friendships and civic participation rather than replacing or diminishing such interactions. Disabled or chronically invalided people of any age can benefit enormously from experiencing
3172-443: A simple tool or mechanism manipulated in cyberspace. Instead, it has become the individual's bridge between the physical and virtual world, a conduit through which to express oneself among other social actors. The avatar becomes the person's alter ego; the vehicle to which one utilizes to exist among others who are all seeking the same satisfaction. While greatly facilitating ease of interaction across time and geographic boundaries,
3294-450: A successor to Second Life , a VR experience called Sansar , launching a public beta in July 2017. Uptake was low and Linden Lab halted development in 2020 to focus their attention fully on Second Life . The rights to Sansar 's assets were sold to Wookey Search Technologies, who are expected to continue development on the title without Linden Lab. Second Life , the usage of which peaked in
3416-435: A two-dimensional chat environment where users designed their own avatars; Dreamscape , an interactive community featuring a virtual world by CompuServe ; Cityspace , an educational networking and 3D computer graphics project for children; and The Palace , a 2-dimensional community driven virtual world. However, credit for the first online virtual world usually goes to Habitat , developed in 1987 by LucasFilm Games for
3538-440: A variety of reasons. Players can conduct business with companies on the other side of the world, so there are no geographical limitations, it can increase company productivity. Knowing that there is an area where help is on hand can aid the employees. Sun Microsystems have created an island in Second Life dedicated for the sole use of their employees. This is a place where people can go and seek help, exchange new ideas or to advertise
3660-474: A virtual economy is usually linked to their usefulness and the difficulty of obtaining them. The investment of real world resources (time, membership fees, etc.) in acquisition of wealth in a virtual economy may contribute to the real world value of virtual objects. This real world value is made obvious by the (mostly illegal) trade of virtual items on online market sites like eBay , PlayerUp , IGE for real world money . Recent legal disputes also acknowledge
3782-416: A virtual world. The economy arises as a result of the choices that players make under the scarcity of real and virtual resources such as time or currency. Participants have a limited time in the virtual world, as in the real world, which they must divide between task such as collecting resources, practicing trade skills, or engaging in less productive fun play. The choices they make in their interaction with
Second Life - Misplaced Pages Continue
3904-399: A wide range of worlds, including those based on the real world , science fiction , super heroes , sports , horror , and historical milieus. Most MMORPGs have real-time actions and communication . Players create a character who travels between buildings, towns, and worlds to carry out business or leisure activities. Communication is usually textual, but real-time voice communication
4026-963: A wide variety of virtual commodities. Second Life also quickly became profitable due to the selling and renting of virtual real estate. 2006 also saw Second Life ' s first real-world millionaire; Ailin Graef, better known as Anshe Chung (her avatar), converted an initial investment of US$ 9.95 into over one million dollars over the course of two and a half years. She built her fortune primarily by buying, selling, and renting virtual real estate. Major tech corporations have tried to use Second Life to market products or services to Second Life ' s tech-savvy audience. IBM, for example, purchased 12 islands within Second Life for virtual training and simulations of key business processes, but has since moved on to other platforms due to maintenance costs. Others, like musicians, podcasters, and news organizations (including CNET , Reuters , NPR 's The Infinite Mind , and
4148-530: Is Philip Rosedale , a former CTO of RealNetworks , one of Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People in The World in 2007. The company name "Linden" originates from the street name where the company premises were initially based, at 333 Linden Street in San Francisco. The hexagonal Linden Lab logo is influenced by a lime tree, otherwise known as a Linden or Tilia tree. In 2008, the company
4270-405: Is a general term, the virtual environment supports varying degrees of play and gaming. Some uses of the term include A virtual economy is the emergent property of the interaction between participants in a virtual world. While the designers have a great deal of control over the economy by the encoded mechanics of trade, it is nonetheless the actions of players that define the economic conditions of
4392-475: Is a high level of entrepreneurial activity in Second Life . Residents of Second Life are able to create virtual objects and other content. Second Life is unique in that users retain all the rights to their content which means they can use Second Life to distribute and sell their creations, with 2.1 million items listed on its online marketplace. At its height circa 2006, hundreds of thousands of dollars were changing hands daily as residents created and sold
4514-400: Is a multi-user virtual world, because its virtual world facilitates interaction between multiple users. As it does not have any stipulated goals, it is irrelevant to talk about winning or losing in relation to Second Life . Likewise, unlike a traditional talker, Second Life contains an extensive world that can be explored and interacted with, and it can be used purely as a creative tool set if
4636-424: Is a relatively new idea. This is because Virtual Worlds is a relatively new technology. Before companies would use an advertising company to promote their products. With the introduction of the prospect of commercial success within a Virtual World, companies can reduce cost and time constraints by keeping this "in-house". An obvious advantage is that it will reduce any costs and restrictions that could come into play in
4758-606: Is against Eve Online's terms and conditions. There are many MMORPG virtual worlds out on many platforms. Most notable are IMVU for Windows, PlayStation Home for PlayStation 3 , and Second Life for Windows. Many Virtual worlds have shut down since launch however. Notable shutdowns are The Sims Online, The Sims Bustin Out Online Weekend Mode, PlayStation Home, and Club Penguin. Some single-player video games contain virtual worlds populated by non-player characters (NPC). Many of these allow players to save
4880-525: Is also possible. The form of communication used can substantially affect the experience of players in the game. Media studies professor Edward Castronova used the term "synthetic worlds" to discuss individual virtual worlds, but this term has not been widely adopted. Virtual worlds are not limited to games but, depending on the degree of immediacy presented, can encompass computer conferencing and text-based chatrooms. The concept of virtual worlds significantly predates computers. The Roman naturalist, Pliny
5002-569: Is established by DiploFoundation as part of the Virtual Diplomacy Project. In May 2007, Sweden became the second country to open an embassy in Second Life . Run by the Swedish Institute , the embassy serves to promote Sweden's image and culture, rather than providing any real or virtual services. The Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs, Carl Bildt , stated on his blog that he hoped he would get an invitation to
Second Life - Misplaced Pages Continue
5124-685: Is fully customizable. Second Life culture consists of many activities and behaviors that are also present in real life. A single resident account may have only one avatar at a time, although the appearance of this avatar can change between as many different forms as the Resident wishes. Avatar forms, like almost everything else in Second Life, can be either created by the user, or bought pre-made. A single person may also have multiple accounts, and thus appear to be multiple Residents (a person's multiple accounts are referred to as alternate character ( alts )). Avatars can travel via walking, running, vehicular access, flying, or teleportation. Because Second Life
5246-475: Is impossible. However, if needed to, rule breakers can be punished with fines being payable through their virtual bank account, alternatively a players suspension may be put into effect. Instances of real world theft from a virtual world do exist, Eve Online had an incident where a bank controller stole around 200bn credits and exchanged them for real world cash amounting to £3,115. The player in question has now been suspended as trading in-game cash for real money
5368-568: Is in San Francisco, California , with additional offices in Boston, Massachusetts ; Seattle, Washington ; Davis, California ; and Virginia . In addition, the company employs remote workers that communicate and collaborate on projects using Second Life technology. The company, founded in 1999 as Linden Research, employs numerous established high-tech veterans, including former executives from Electronic Arts ; eBay ; Disney ; Adobe Systems ; and Apple . The company's founder and original CEO
5490-408: Is intended for people ages 16 and over, with the exception of 13–15-year-old users, who are restricted to the Second Life region of a sponsoring institution (e.g., a school). Philip Rosedale formed Linden Lab in 1999 with the intention of developing computer hardware to allow people to become immersed in a virtual world. In its earliest form, the company struggled to produce a commercial version of
5612-408: Is just as much a big database as Microsoft's Encarta encyclopedia. Virtual worlds represent a powerful new medium for instruction and education that presents many opportunities but also some challenges. Persistence allows for continuing and growing social interactions, which themselves can serve as a basis for collaborative education. The use of virtual worlds can give teachers the opportunity to have
5734-475: Is likely due to both the lack of penetration of 3D-capable devices into non-niche, non-gaming markets as well as the generally higher pricing of such devices compared to 2-dimensional HIDs. Even those users who do make use of HIDs which provide such features as six degrees of freedom often have to switch between separate 3D and 2D devices in order to navigate their respectively designed interfaces. Like video gamers, some users of virtual world clients may also have
5856-432: Is only about US$ 14, depending on the currency exchange rates. However, the vast majority of casual users of Second Life do not upgrade beyond the free "basic" account. Avatars may take any form users choose (human, animal, vegetable, mineral, or a combination thereof) or residents may choose to resemble themselves as they are in real life. They may choose even more abstract forms, given that almost every aspect of an avatar
5978-429: Is referenced with a universally unique identifier or UUID . Assets are stored on Isilon Systems storage clusters, comprising all data that has ever been created by anyone who has been in the Second Life world. Infrequently used assets are offloaded to S3 bulk storage. As of December 2007, the total storage was estimated to consume 100 terabytes of server capacity. The asset servers function independently of
6100-421: Is such a vast virtual world, teleportation is used when avatars wish to travel instantly and efficiently. Once they reach their destination, they may travel in more conventional means at various speeds. Avatars can communicate via local chat, group chat, global instant messaging (known as IM), and voice (public, private and group). Chatting is used for localized public conversations between two or more avatars, and
6222-414: Is the emote for a dance move which a player in the virtual world can "emote" quite simply. And a familiarization with said or similar "emotes" or social skills (such as, encouragement, gratitude, problem-solving, and even kissing) in the virtual world via avatar can make the assimilation to similar forms of expression, socialization, interaction in real life smooth. Interaction with humans through avatars in
SECTION 50
#17327908925976344-462: Is the field of navigation . Specifically, this research investigates whether or not virtual environments are adequate learning tools in regards to real-world navigation. Psychologists at Saint Michael's College found that video game experience corresponded with ability to navigate virtual environments and complete objectives; however, that experience did not correlate with an increased ability to navigate real, physical environments. An extensive study at
6466-424: Is to move everything to open standards by standardizing the Second Life protocol. Cory Ondrejka , former CTO of Second Life , stated in 2006 that a while after everything has been standardized, both the client and the server will be released as free and open source software. In January 2021, Linden Lab completed the migration of all of its services and databases to AWS servers. In January 2007, OpenSimulator
6588-501: Is treated as a physical object so that it may interact with physical objects in the world. As of 9 July 2014, Second Life simulators use the Havok 2011.2 physics engine for all in-world dynamics. This engine is capable of simulating thousands of physical objects at once. Linden Lab pursues the use of open standards technologies, and uses free and open source software such as Apache , MySQL , Squid and Linux . The plan
6710-436: Is visible to any avatar within a given distance. IMs are used for private conversations, either between two avatars, or among the members of a group, or even between objects and avatars. Unlike chatting, IM communication does not depend on the participants being within a certain distance of each other. As of version 1.18.1.2 (2007-Aug-02), voice chat, both local and IM, was also available. Instant messages may optionally be sent to
6832-456: The BBC ), have all had a presence within Second Life . Virtual goods include buildings, vehicles, devices of all kinds, animations, clothing, skin, hair, jewelry, flora and fauna , and works of art. Services include business management, entertainment, and custom content creation (which can be broken up into the following six categories: building, texturing, scripting, animating, art direction, and
6954-597: The Commodore 64 computer, and running on the Quantum Link service (the precursor to America Online ). In 1996, the city of Helsinki, Finland with Helsinki Telephone Company (since Elisa Group) launched what was called the first online virtual 3D depiction intended to map an entire city. The Virtual Helsinki project was eventually renamed Helsinki Arena 2000 project and parts of the city in modern and historical context were rendered in 3D. In 1999, Whyville .net
7076-792: The Second Life Grid, including both traditional sports and video game–like scenarios. Second Life is used as a platform for education by many institutions, such as colleges, universities, libraries and government entities. Since 2008, the University of San Martin de Porres of Peru has been developing Second Life prototypes of Peruvian archeological buildings, and training teachers for this new paradigm of education. The West Virginia University (WVU) Department of Special Education has used Second Life widely in education, and it provided teaching certification and certificates of degree in seven different distance education programs. WVU started
7198-701: The Second Life economy generated US$ 3,596,674 in economic activity during the month of September 2005, and in September 2006 Second Life was reported to have a GDP of $ 64 million. In 2009, the total size of the Second Life economy grew 65% to US$ 567 million, about 25% of the entire U.S. virtual goods market. Gross resident earnings are US$ 55 million in 2009 – 11% growth over 2008. In 2013, Linden Lab released an info graphic that showed that over 10 years $ 3.2 billion in transactions for virtual goods had exchanged between Second Life residents, with an average of 1.2 million daily transactions. There
7320-804: The open-source project Edusim . They can be a good source of user feedback, the typical paper-based resources have limitations that Virtual Worlds can overcome. Multi-user virtual worlds with easy-to-use affordances for building are useful in project-based learning. For example, Active Worlds is used to support classroom teachers in Virginia Beach City Public Schools, the out-of-school NASA RealWorld-InWorld Engineering Design Challenge, and many after school and in school programs in EDUni-NY. Projects range from tightly scaffolded reflection spaces to open building based on student-centered designs. New York Museums AMNH and NYSci have used
7442-493: The " Linden dollar (L$ )". L$ can be used to buy, sell, rent or trade land or goods and services with other users. The "Linden Dollar" is a closed-loop virtual token for use only within the Second Life platform. Linden Dollars have no monetary value and are not redeemable for monetary value from Linden Lab. A resident with a surplus of Linden Dollars earned via a Second Life business or experiential play can request to refund their Linden Dollar surplus to PayPal. Linden Lab reports that
SECTION 60
#17327908925977564-413: The "beta grid" consisting of a limited number of regions running various releases of unstable test server code. Each full region (an area of 256×256 meters) in the Second Life "grid" runs on a single dedicated core of a multi-core server. Homestead regions share 3 regions per core and Openspace Regions share 4 regions per core, running proprietary software on Debian Linux . These servers run scripts in
7686-599: The DataPortability of avatars across many virtual worlds and MMORPGs. Virtual worlds offer advertisers the potential for virtual advertisements, such as the in-game advertising already found in a number of video games. The geography of virtual worlds can vary widely because the role of geography and space is an important design component over which the developers of virtual worlds have control and may choose to alter. Virtual worlds are, at least superficially, digital instantiations of three-dimensional space. As
7808-556: The Elder , expressed an interest in perceptual illusion. In the twentieth century, the cinematographer Morton Heilig explored the creation of the Sensorama , a theatre experience designed to stimulate the senses of the audience—vision, sound, balance, smell, even touch (via wind)—and so draw them more effectively into the productions. Among the earliest virtual worlds implemented by computers were virtual reality simulators, such as
7930-570: The Interim CEO position. It was announced in October 2010 that Bob Komin, Linden Lab's chief financial officer and chief operating officer, would take over the CEO job for the immediate future. With the platform's failure to continue its high rate of growth after 2009, Linden Lab announced layoffs of 30% of its workforce in 2010. Some 21.3 million accounts were registered by this point, although
8052-658: The Linden Lab 'Official' client, target other platforms or cater to specialist & accessibility needs. The main focus of third party development is exploring new ideas and working with Linden Lab to deliver new functionality. An independent project, libopenmetaverse, offers a function library for interacting with Second Life servers. libopenmetaverse has been used to create non-graphic third party viewers. There are several Alternate Viewers published by Linden Lab used for software testing by volunteers for early access to upcoming projects. Some of these clients only function on
8174-418: The University of California San Diego, where he studied physics. Rosedale's strong coding skills eventually resulted in the creation of a video compression technology that would later be acquired by RealNetworks , where he was made CTO at the age of 27. While at RealNetworks, Rosedale's ambition to create a virtual world was resurrected and recharged by technological advances in computing and his attendance at
8296-429: The University of Washington conducted multiple experiments involving virtual navigation. One experiment had two groups of subjects, the first of which examined maps of a virtual environment, and the second of which navigated the virtual environment. The groups of subjects then completed an objective in the virtual environment. There was little difference between the two groups' performances, and what difference there was, it
8418-480: The Virtually Human , anthropologist Tom Boellstorff notes that the interface of Second Life is designed with the purpose of disconnecting a player's virtual identity from their physical identity in mind. As of 2015 Second Life has made it possible to display one's legal name in the player's profile or as their screen name, but when Boellstorff first published the book in 2008 users were required to select
8540-437: The click of a mouse (Toronto, 2009). Ultimately, virtual worlds are the place to go when real life becomes overbearing or boring. While in real life individuals hesitate to communicate their true opinions, it is easier to do so online because they do not ever have to meet the people they are talking with (Toronto, 2009). Thus, virtual worlds are basically a psychological escape. Another area of research related to virtual worlds
8662-474: The collaborative, creative potential of Second Life . As a result, the initial objective-driven, gaming focus of Second Life was shifted to a more user-created, community-driven experience. Second Life ' s status as a virtual world , a computer game, or a talker , is frequently debated. Unlike traditional computer games, Second Life does not have a designated objective, nor traditional game play mechanics or rules. It can also be argued that Second Life
8784-561: The company did not make public any statistics regarding actual long-term consistent usage and numbers of dormant accounts. Despite speculation as to the actual size of the user base, Second Life continued as a commercial success. In 2015, Second Life users cashed out approximately $ 60,000,000 (60 million US dollars) and Second Life had an estimated GDP of $ 500,000,000 (500 million US dollars), higher than some small countries. Recognizing improvements in computing power and particularly in computer graphics, Linden Lab began work on
8906-456: The current state of this world instance to allow stopping and restarting the virtual world at a later date. (This can be done with some multiplayer environments as well.) The virtual worlds found in video games are often split into discrete levels . Single-player games such as Minecraft have semi-infinite procedurally generated worlds that allow players to optionally create their own world without other players, and then combine skills from
9028-545: The development of online sites with user-generated content in 2008, adding to the media attention. Rosedale accepted the award, although he had announced plans to step down from his position as Linden Lab CEO and to become chairman of Linden Lab 's board of directors instead in March 2008. Rosedale announced Mark Kingdon as the new CEO effective May 15, 2008. In 2010, Kingdon was replaced by Rosedale, who took over as interim CEO. After four months, Rosedale abruptly stepped down from
9150-625: The end of 2017, the active user count had fallen to "between 800,000 and 900,000". In many ways, Second Life is similar to massively multiplayer online role-playing video games ; nevertheless, Linden Lab is emphatic that their creation is not a game: "There is no manufactured conflict, no set objective." The virtual world can be accessed freely via Linden Lab's own client software or via alternative third-party viewers. Second Life users, also called 'residents', create virtual representations of themselves, called avatars , and are able to interact with places, objects and other avatars. They can explore
9272-445: The first decade of the 21st century, has been cited as the first example of the metaverse , a concept which has been taken up by other major corporations such as Facebook in 2021. As a notable precursor (which retains a small and loyal following), it provides several examples of virtual reality social issues and lessons learned. During a 2001 meeting with investors, Rosedale noticed that the participants were particularly responsive to
9394-450: The first virtual world specifically for children was launched with a base in game-based learning and one of the earliest virtual currency-based economies. Shortly after, in 2000, Habbo launched and grew to become one of the most popular and longest running virtual worlds with millions of users around the world. Definitions for a "virtual world" include: There is no generally accepted definition of virtual world, but they do require that
9516-561: The game Blocksworld for iPad, a shared virtual world built of blocks. Rod Humble , appointed CEO in December 2010, announced his departure on Facebook on 24 January 2014, stating that he would be leaving Linden Lab to pursue founding a new company that will "make art, entertainment and unusual things!". In February 2014, Linden Lab announced that its new CEO was Ebbe Altberg, former COO of BranchOut . He died in June 2021 after battling
9638-403: The game to work together with other players and create bigger and more intricate environments. These environments can then be accessed by other players, if the server is available to other players then they may be able to modify parts of it, such as the structure of the environment. At one level, a more or less realistic rendered 3D space like the game world of Halo 3 or Grand Theft Auto V
9760-447: The governing of their environments. Second Life for instance was designed with the expectation being on the residents to establish their own community rules for appropriate behaviour. On the other hand, some virtual worlds such as Habbo enforce clear rules for behaviour, as seen in their terms and conditions. In some instances, virtual worlds do not need established rules of conduct because actions such as ‘killing’ another avatar
9882-687: The grand opening. In September 2007, Publicis Group announced the project of creating a Serbia island as a part of a project Serbia Under Construction. The project is officially supported by Ministry of Diaspora of Serbian Government. It was stated that the island will feature the Nikola Tesla Museum , the Guča Trumpet Festival and the Exit Festival . It was also planned on opening a virtual info terminals of Ministry of Diaspora. On Tuesday, December 4, 2007, Estonia became
10004-409: The hardware, known as "The Rig", which in prototype form was seen as a clunky steel contraption with computer monitors worn on shoulders. That vision changed into the software application Linden World, in which people participated in task-based games and socializing in a three-dimensional online environment. That effort eventually transformed into the better-known, user-centered Second Life . Although he
10126-461: The impairment. Unlike most video games, which are usually navigated using various free-ranging human interface devices (HIDs), virtual worlds are usually navigated (as of 2009) using HIDs which are designed and oriented around flat, 2-dimensional graphical user interfaces ; as most comparatively inexpensive computer mice are manufactured and distributed for 2-dimensional UI navigation, the lack of 3D-capable HID usage among most virtual world users
10248-534: The intellectual property rights to the in-world content they create. The company's transition from scrappy upstart to success is detailed in the book The Making of Second Life written by former employee Wagner James Au. Although many people have assumed that the inspiration for Second Life originated from Rosedale's exposure to Neal Stephenson 's novel Snow Crash , he has suggested that his vision of virtual worlds predates that book and that he conducted some early virtual world experiments during his college years at
10370-495: The market and customers want from new products, which can give them a competitive edge. Competitive edge is crucial in the ruthless world that is today's business. Another use of virtual worlds business is where players can create a gathering place. Many businesses can now be involved in business-to-business commercial activity and will create a specific area within a virtual world to carry out their business. Within this space all relevant information can be held. This can be useful for
10492-511: The medium to support STEM learning experiences for their program participants. Virtual worlds can also be used with virtual learning environments , as in the case of what is done in the Sloodle project, which aims to merge Second Life with Moodle . Linden Lab Linden Research, Inc. , doing business as Linden Lab , is an American technology company that is best known as the developer of Second Life . The company's head office
10614-426: The member's avatar account, and after 45 days that resident will receive a L$ 700 bonus, making it L$ 1,000 for that week. This amount has decreased since the original stipend of L$ 500, which is still paid to older accounts. Certain accounts created during an earlier period may receive L$ 400. This stipend, if changed into USD, means that the actual cost for the benefit of extended tech support for an annual payment of US$ 72
10736-512: The mental and emotional freedom gained by temporarily leaving their disabilities behind and doing, through the medium of their avatars, things as simple and potentially accessible to able, healthy people as walking, running, dancing, sailing, fishing, swimming, surfing, flying, skiing, gardening, exploring and other physical activities which their illnesses or disabilities prevent them from doing in real life. They may also be able to socialize, form friendships and relationships much more easily and avoid
10858-415: The needs and interests of humanists , atheists , agnostics , and freethinkers . One of the most active groups is SL Humanism which has been holding weekly discussion meetings inside Second Life every Sunday since 2006. Virtual world A virtual world (also called a virtual space or spaces ) is a computer-simulated environment which may be populated by many simultaneous users who can create
10980-513: The operating systems Windows , macOS , and most distributions of Linux where the more known ChromeOS has been excluded so far. The viewer renders 3D graphics using OpenGL technology. The viewer source code was released under the GPL in 2007 and moved to the LGPL in 2010. There are now several mature third-party viewer projects, the most popular being Firestorm, that contain features not available in
11102-425: The oversight and protections associated with real-world commerce, and there is potential for fraudulent transactions. One example is that of Ginko Financial , a bank system featured in Second Life where avatars could deposit their real life currency after converted to Linden Dollars for a profit. In July 2007, residents of Second Life crowded around the ATM's in an unsuccessful attempt to withdraw their money. After
11224-421: The popular music and arts festival Burning Man . With the help of a financial windfall that he reaped from his time at RealNetworks, Rosedale formed Linden Lab in 1999. His initial focus was on the development of hardware that would enable computer users to be fully immersed in a 360 degree virtual reality experience. In its earliest form, the company struggled to produce a commercial version of "The Rig", which
11346-571: The position of producer/project funder). L$ can be purchased using US dollars and other local currencies on the LindeX exchange provided by Linden Lab. Customer USD wallets obtained from Linden Dollar sales on the Lindex are most commonly used to pay Second Life ' s own subscription and tier fees; only a relatively small number of users earn enough profit to request a refund to PayPal. According to figures published by Linden Lab, about 64,000 users made
11468-413: The real world. Using virtual worlds gives companies the opportunity to gauge customer reaction and receive feedback. Feedback can be crucial to the development of a project as it will inform the creators exactly what users want. Using virtual worlds as a tool allows companies to test user reaction and give them feedback on products. This can be crucial as it will give the companies an insight as to what
11590-552: The region simulators, though the region simulators act as a proxy for the client, request object data from the asset servers when a new object loads into the simulator. Region simulators areas are commonly known as sims by residents. Each server instance runs a physics simulation to manage the collisions and interactions of all objects in that region. Objects can be nonphysical and non-moving, or actively physical and movable. Complex shapes may be linked together in groups of up to 256 separate primitives. Additionally, each player's avatar
11712-423: The sensory stimuli of the world's fantastic places in order to make themselves more efficient at core tasks in the world, such as killing monsters. However, the geographic component of some worlds may only be a geographic veneer atop an otherwise nonspatial core structure. For instance, while imposing geographic constraints upon users when they quest for items, these constraints may be removed when they sell items in
11834-469: The server and client provide simple digital rights management (DRM) functions. However, Linden Lab changed their terms of service in August 2013 to be able to use user-generated content for any purpose. The new terms of service prevent users from using textures from third-party texture services, as some of them pointed out explicitly. Second Life has an internal economy and closed-loop virtual token called
11956-507: The software is a 3D modeling tool based on simple geometric shapes that allows residents to build virtual objects. There is also a procedural scripting language, Linden Scripting Language, which can be used to add interactivity to objects. Sculpted prims ("sculpties"), 3D mesh , textures for clothing or other objects, animations, and gestures can be created using external software and imported. The Second Life terms of service provide that users retain copyright for any content they create, and
12078-433: The stigma and other obstacles which would normally be attached to their disabilities. This can be much more constructive, emotionally satisfying and mentally fulfilling than passive pastimes such as television watching, playing computer games, reading or more conventional types of internet use. The Starlight Children's Foundation helps hospitalized children (suffering from painful diseases or autism for example) to create
12200-813: The third country to open an embassy in Second Life . In September 2007, Colombia and Serbia opened embassies. As of 2008, North Macedonia and the Philippines have opened embassies in the "Diplomatic Island" of Second Life . In 2008, Albania opened an embassy in the Nova Bay location. SL Israel was inaugurated in January 2008 in an effort to showcase Israel to a global audience, though without any connection to official Israeli diplomatic channels. In 2008, Malta opened an embassy on Second Life . Religious organizations have also begun to open virtual meeting places within Second Life . In early 2007, LifeChurch.tv ,
12322-637: The user so chooses. In March 2006, while speaking at Google TechTalks, Rosedale said: "So, we don't see this as a game. We see it as a platform." Second Life used to offer two main grids: one for adults (18+) and one for teens. In August 2010, Linden Lab closed the teen grid due to operating costs. Since then, users 16 and over can sign up for a free account. Other limited accounts are available for educators who use Second Life with younger students. There are three activity-based classifications, called "Ratings", for sims in Second Life : As of October 2024, live streaming service Twitch lists Second Life as
12444-492: The user, who in turn can manipulate elements of the modeled world and thus experience a degree of presence . Such modeled worlds and their rules may draw from reality or fantasy worlds. Example rules are gravity , topography , locomotion , real-time actions, and communication . Communication between users can range from text, graphical icons, visual gesture, sound, and rarely, forms using touch, voice command, and balance senses . Massively multiplayer online games depict
12566-576: The users of virtual worlds respond to economic stimuli (such as the law of supply and demand) in the same way that people do in the physical world. In fact, there are often very direct corollaries between physical world economic decisions and virtual world economic decisions, such as the decision by prisoners of war in World War II to adopt cigarettes as currency and the adoption of Stones of Jordan as currency in Diablo II . The value of objects in
12688-616: The value of virtual property, even overriding the mandatory EULA which many software companies use to establish that virtual property has no value and/or that users of the virtual world have no legal claim to property therein. Some industry analysts have moreover observed that there is a secondary industry growing behind the virtual worlds, made up by social networks , websites and other projects completely devoted to virtual worlds communities and gamers. Special websites such as GamerDNA , Koinup and others which serve as social networks for virtual worlds users are facing some crucial issues as
12810-429: The virtual world Whyville .net has also been published in the book "Connected Play: Tweens in a Virtual World" Authored by Yasmin B. Kafai, Deborah A. Fields, and Mizuko Ito. Several other research publications now specifically address the use of virtual worlds for education. Other research focused more on adults explores the reasons for indulging and the emotions of virtual world users. Many users seek an escape or
12932-474: The virtual world and Second Life avatar Anshe Chung . By that time, Anshe Chung had become Second Life ' s poster child and symbol for the economic opportunities that the virtual world offers to its residents. At the same time, the service saw a period of exponential growth of its user base. One of the principal developers, Cory Ondrejka , was forced to resign as chief technology officer in December 2007, with Rosedale citing irreconcilable differences in
13054-478: The virtual world has potential to seriously expand the mechanics of one's interaction with real-life interactions. As businesses compete in the real world, they also compete in virtual worlds. As there has been an increase in the buying and selling of products online (e-commerce) this twinned with the rise in the popularity of the internet, has forced businesses to adjust to accommodate the new market. Many companies and organizations now incorporate virtual worlds as
13176-566: The virtual world presents an unreal environment with instant connection and gratification. Online encounters are employed as seemingly fulfilling alternatives to “live person” relationships (Toronto, 2009). When one is ashamed, insecure, lost or just looking for something different and stimulating to engage in, virtual worlds are the perfect environment for its users. A person has unlimited access to an infinite array of opportunities to fulfill every fantasy, grant every wish, or satisfy every desire. He or she can face any fear or conquer any enemy, all at
13298-482: The virtual world, along with the mechanics of trade and wealth acquisition, dictate the relative values of items in the economy. The economy in virtual worlds is typically driven by in-game needs such as equipment, food, or trade goods. Virtual economies like that of Second Life , however, are almost entirely player-produced with very little link to in-game needs. While the relevance of virtual world economics to physical world economics has been questioned, it has been shown
13420-478: The way the company was run. Nevertheless, the platform continued to grow rapidly, and by January 2008, residents spent a total of 28,274,505 hours "inworld" and on average 38,000 residents were logged in at any moment. The maximum concurrency (number of avatars inworld) recorded was set at 88,200 in the first quarter of 2009. Second Life was honored at the Technology & Engineering Emmy Awards for advancing
13542-590: The work of Ivan Sutherland . Such devices are characterized by bulky headsets and other types of sensory input simulation. Contemporary virtual worlds, in particular the multi-user online environments, emerged mostly independently of this research, fueled instead by the gaming industry but drawing on similar inspiration. While classic sensory-imitating virtual reality relies on tricking the perceptual system into experiencing an immersive environment, virtual worlds typically rely on mentally and emotionally engaging content which gives rise to an immersive experience. Maze War
13664-463: The world (known as the grid), meet other residents, socialize, participate in both individual and group activities, build, create, shop, and trade virtual property and services with one another. The platform principally features 3D-based user-generated content. Second Life also has its own virtual currency, the Linden Dollar (L$ ), which is exchangeable with real world currency. Second Life
13786-452: The world be persistent ; in other words, the world must continue to exist even after a user exits the world, and user-made changes to the world should be preserved. While the interaction with other participants is done in real-time, time consistency is not always maintained in online virtual worlds. For example, EverQuest time passes faster than real-time despite using the same calendar and time units to present game time. As virtual world
13908-571: Was Whyville .net, launched in 1999, built by Numedeon inc. which obtained an early patent for its browser-based implementation. Although the social interactions of participants in virtual worlds are often viewed in the context of 3D games, other forms of interaction are common as well, including forums, blogs, wikis, chatrooms, instant messaging, and video-conferences. Communities are born in places which have their own rules, topics, jokes, and even language. Members of such communities can find like-minded people to interact with, whether this be through
14030-452: Was awarded an Emmy for Second Life in the user-generated content and game modification category. The award was given at the 59th annual Technology & Engineering Emmy Awards. Philip Rosedale , chairman of Linden Lab, accepted the award. Although Linden Lab's Second Life platform was not the first online virtual world, it has gained a large amount of attention due to its expanding user base and unique policy that allows participants to own
14152-548: Was established in 2006. Services have been held regularly, making the FUUCSL Congregation one of the longest-running active congregations in Second Life . The Egyptian-owned news website Islam Online has purchased land in Second Life to allow Muslims and non-Muslims alike to perform the ritual of Hajj in virtual reality form, obtaining experience before actually making the pilgrimage to Mecca in person. Second Life also offers several groups that cater to
14274-560: Was familiar with the metaverse of Neal Stephenson 's novel Snow Crash , Rosedale has said that his vision of virtual worlds predates that book, and that he conducted early virtual world experiments during his college years at the University of California, San Diego , where he studied physics. Second Life began to receive significant media attention in 2005 and 2006, including a cover story in BusinessWeek magazine featuring
14396-704: Was founded as an open-source simulator project. The aim of this project is to develop a full open-source server software for Second Life clients. OpenSIM is BSD Licensed and it is written in C# and can run under Mono environment. From 2008, alternative grids began to emerge and many of these allow cross visits from other grids through the hypergrid protocol using OpenSimulator. Second Life residents express themselves creatively through virtual world adaptations of art exhibits, live music, live theater and machinima , and other art forms. A wide variety of recreational activities, both competitive and non-competitive, take place on
14518-405: Was in favor of the map-users. The test subjects, though, were generally unfamiliar with the virtual world interface , likely leading to some impaired navigation, and thus bias in the yielded analysis of the experiments. The study concluded that the interface objects made natural navigation movements impossible, and perhaps less intrusive controls for the virtual environment would reduce the effect of
14640-412: Was realized in prototype form as a clunky steel contraption with several computer monitors that users could wear on their shoulders. That vision soon morphed into the software-based application Linden World, where computer users could participate in task-based games and socialization in a 3D online environment. That effort would eventually transform into the better-known, user-centered Second Life. During
14762-595: Was specifically designed for this type of computer. The first virtual worlds presented on the Internet were communities and chat rooms , some of which evolved into MUDs and MUSHes . The first MUD, known as MUD1 , was released in 1978. The acronym originally stood for Multi-User Dungeon, but later also came to mean Multi-User Dimension and Multi-User Domain. A MUD is a virtual world with many players interacting in real time. The early versions were text-based, offering only limited graphical representation and often using
14884-581: Was the first networked, 3D multi-user first person shooter game. Maze introduced the concept of online players in 1973–1974 as "eyeball 'avatars' chasing each other around in a maze." It was played on ARPANET , or Advanced Research Projects Agency Network, a precursor to the Internet funded by the United States Department of Defense for use in university and research laboratories. The initial game could only be played on an Imlac , as it
#596403