I've been a Second Life resident for well over a year now. In November I finally took the plunge and signed up for World of Warcraft and have been grinding through the early levels. I've reached Level 15 as both a Dwarf Warrior and Human Mage and have reached a little below that as a Night Elf. I feel I've spent enough time to grasp the basics of the game and to at least … [Read more...] about A personal comparison of Second Life and World of Warcraft
Op-ed
Australia and Virtual Worlds – 2008 predictions
It wouldn't be the end of a calendar year without making some predictions for the coming twelve months. Here's a handful of predictions - some are fairly safe, others push the envelope a little: 1. Australia will see its first legal action in regards to a virtual world - Second Life is likely to be the battlefield and it's likely to involve an intellectual property dispute or … [Read more...] about Australia and Virtual Worlds – 2008 predictions
Trends in Virtual Worlds – an interesting perspective
There's an excellent thesis put forward on 20 trends in virtual worlds over the past year. The ones of particular relevance were: 1. "Shedloads of virtual worlds will be launched in 2008" - I think that's a fair bet though how many actually make launch is doubtful. 2. "Teen-focused virtual worlds are huge" - Not surprising really - they're the consumers who have an intrinsic … [Read more...] about Trends in Virtual Worlds – an interesting perspective
Monash Uni: closed island?
In an article published in the Sydney Morning Herald this week, I was a little surprised at a quote attributed to Monash University's Dr Melissa de Zwart: "our area won't be open to the public; you will need to be on an authorised list to get in". I try to avoid real-world comparisons but it's difficult in this case: this is the equivalent of putting a barbed-wire fence across … [Read more...] about Monash Uni: closed island?
Is it a long-term slide?
I've had some interesting comments privately from people about the significant decline on active Australian Second Life users over the past two months. So, I've created a topic on the SLOz forums to delve a bit deeper - why the slump? Wold love to hear your thoughts. … [Read more...] about Is it a long-term slide?