I've bored friends and colleagues with my stories of discovering the power of MUDS in the early 1990s. I have a massive soft spot for the original virtual worlds (as pictured), but aside from sentimentality there remains a real role for these text-based worlds. Justin Olivetti over at Massively has a great article on MUDs that showcases some of the good ones and the people who … [Read more...] about History with purpose: MUDs and MOOs
The Archive
Rod Humble: unfortunately we’re in The Promised Land
As Linden Lab CEO, Rod Humble has made an impression in his first few months. He very much needed to given the challenges faced, but I'm actually encouraged by the wider view he seems to be taking on the impact virtual environments can have on all of us. Speaking at what I'm assuming is a recent event , Humble covered a fairly wide gamut on games, games as art-forms and the … [Read more...] about Rod Humble: unfortunately we’re in The Promised Land
Virtual fashion mag Second Style calls it a day
Since 2006, Second Style has produced a glossy, high-quality magazine covering fashion in Second Life. The attention to detail has always stood out for me, so it's sad to hear that the magazine's creators have announced they are calling it quits: Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. The downturn in the Second Life economy has been difficult to combat, and our … [Read more...] about Virtual fashion mag Second Style calls it a day
Virtual sex: the futurist perspective
Ross Dawson is an Australian futurist, prolific public speaker and creator of frameworks that assist in understanding trends. I've spoken on virtual worlds at a couple of get-togethers he's organised and he certainly understands the field broadly. He's recently launched Future of Sex, devoted to the future trends in sex. Virtual worlds feature as a key component but the site … [Read more...] about Virtual sex: the futurist perspective
The Watch – virtual worlds in the news
1. Big Think - Learning in Virtual Worlds - not a Child's Play. "Thanks to high speed Internet and flat rate pricing virtual worlds saw a tremendous boost over the past years. This is unsurprisingly true for online games like World of Warcraft but also for virtual worlds like Second Life and Twinity which are now able to deliver more and more realistic graphics and a better … [Read more...] about The Watch – virtual worlds in the news