There has been a lot going on on all front SL - the number of users keeps growing fantastically - though it's not clear how many of those become users, and how many are just dropping in for a peek. Regardless, 1 % of 4.4 million is still a lot of people- especially when compared to say the number of people in a program of study at a school, or visiting a mall.
Our campus development is moving slowly and steadily along. We invite you to visit "CPCC Campus" and if you are an educator, and are willing to clearly identify your RL self within your profile, will give you some office space - email di dot vonbriesen at cpcc dot edu if you're interested.
There are several articles i just happened across on BBC:
"Volunteers sign up to build game "
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6422333.stm Is about a company that's asking players to help. Not unlike the move the Linden Labs made in open-sourcing their client recently - not to mention that almost everything WITHIN SL is user-created to begin with.
"Real game characters 'next year'"
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6376479.stm deals with the development of more realistic avatars- that is where they look like real people instead of animations. The best I've ever seen along these lines is the
Last Flight of the Ossyris in
The Animatrix - specifically the fight scene - though i'm sure there are better variants out there - and that is now several years old anyway.
I've prognosticated with colleagues about the future of conveying emotions. Currently we have gestures, and even some minor facial expressions, but by no means the richness of a real conversation. Which begs the question, do you want a real conversation, or do you want people to see what you send (i.e. LOL, even though maybe you're only grinning). So there is future potential for all kinds of expression online, while you may really be sitting there grim-faced, unmoving.
On an even deeper note, we have "Designer hopes for love in games"
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6434471.stm in which the Fable folks go so far as to plan for baby making, and baby development, in the hopes that you'll fall in love with your baby. AI (the movie) anyone? They also have plans for a dog, which can help (or fight) it's owner and is unique. Thing brings us back to the Gilbody principle i spread around- It's two things that make it work- emotional investment and proximity. It'll be interesting to see how this goes.
For a little bit of side drama, and examples of how people get emotionally invested, there was a dialogue from the Islamic Society, which is closely affiliated with the Chebi Mosque developed by the (non-muslim) designer Marino Nov(dang, can't remember rest of last name). So there was a woman who wanted to convert. I advised her to go to a real place of worship and have real witnesses - but somewhere in the mix she ended up at the masjid/mosque, and someone else showed up with guns, and another person protested the presence of the "obscene" guns. From what i gather, his refusal to dump the guns (remember, this is all in the virtual world, folks) she stripped off all her clothes - and offended everyone else by going in naked. Eventually he dumped the guns, and she was banned for persisting in her immodesty. So silly as it seems, there are very real political, social and even religious interactions going on. One person even put forth a suggestion that people be able to have Islamic marriages within SL. I voted against it. There's already an establishe way to "partner" with others, officially, and if you're going to be up to things that are intimate, you need to get that verified in real life first - at least in my version of what God wants.
I bring this up not to bore you with petty politics but as evidence of how involved people get with these things. I was booted out of a private meeting (didn't know it was, and tried to be respectful) by getting zapped a few hundred meters off an island and dropped into the water. I was OFFENDED- really. It hurt my feelings and made me angry. I've seen similar things on chatroom discussions and even forums- but this had a certain immediacy to it- as when you are cut off in traffice, or asked to leave a meeting that you happen upon. It is because of this that this platform is so intriguing- after all, we are working to bring people together over distance, and to replicate experiences for educational purposes. What better way to show racism, sexism, abuse, bullying, or even poor traffic intersection design?
So onward we go!
D.I./Icabad Vallejo
ps: as an aside, to get a sense of how you relate to the current high-schooler/undegrads, as yourself how often you send text messages by phone. A kids a asked yesterday said virtually everyone he knows sends at least 2 messages a day, and some are at it all day - even during class.
CPCC 3D Campus / SLC3
