For the duration of the four-plus years I've been involved with Second Life, I've known Wolfie Rankin. He's been one of the driving forces behind the ABC Island community since its launch back in 2007, and has also been outspoken on a range of issues, including his perspective on furries. For me, he's been an enduring Australian presence in Second Life, so I was more than a … [Read more...] about Departure from Second Life: one story
The Archive
Original content versus fan content
With studios and publishers flinging infringement notices around about fan-based role-playing environments online, it’s worth looking at the situation from another perspective. After all, why not just create new, original theme properties rather than basing role-play environments on popular books, movies and television shows? Why do so when official gaming environments already … [Read more...] about Original content versus fan content
Journal of Virtual Worlds Research Volume 3, Number 1 released
I'm a big fan of the Journal of Virtual Worlds Research - it's not just because they're one of the few journals around devoted to the topic, but it's the variety of articles in each issue. The latest volume is titled The Researcher's Toolbox, so as you'd expect its focus is research methodologies. That said, there's plenty of different topics to sample. I'll showcase the … [Read more...] about Journal of Virtual Worlds Research Volume 3, Number 1 released
The Watch – virtual worlds in the news
1. The Drum (UK) - Psychiatrists drafted in to treat Italian Facebook addicts. "Mamma mia, Italians have emerged have emerged as the world’s biggest social media addicts after a survey by Nielsen indicated that the country has the highest per capita use of Facebook of any nation. Psychologists in the Mediterranean nation have found that addicts are eschewing the real world … [Read more...] about The Watch – virtual worlds in the news
Reader Survey: the results
I'm really pleased to be able to provide the results of our 2010 Reader Survey. A big thanks to the 100+ people who took the time to get involved with the survey. Your input is crucial and is very much appreciated. The survey overall had two purposes: to get feedback on improving what we do and to get a snapshot of some related issues. For the dedicated, I've provided nearly … [Read more...] about Reader Survey: the results