Second Life

by Onder Skall

The BBC covered yesterday what the Herald covered last week- “Project: Top Secret” has launched in an effort to build a user-created MMO. As a trade-off for being a bit late to the party they were able to provide us with an overview of how many signups they’ve received.

At this point there are 20,000 signups, with an expected total of 100,000 by the time they close things off. Numbers like that are sure to attract headhunters trying to fill a quota, but it means a bit more than that. The music industry is notorious for ripping off artists simply because they can - after all, everybody wants to be a star. Now, with this many people vying for a finite number of positions, will the games industry suffer the same fate? Some feel that it has already.

In this same article David Perry is quoted as saying: “We are not doing this for fun; this is a professional game we are trying to make. It’s a business.” So much for doing what you love. There was a time where the difference between a good game and a great game resided solely in the passion of the people behind it. Perhaps those days have passed.

As far as the hope that this was an effort to discover some shining stars or for people to showcase their talent, two other quotes seemed to stand out:

“I hope it will prove to us that consumers are useful“
[…]
“If they deliver zero, we can still ship a title“

Well now, don’t we all feel special?

Meanwhile, over at Wonderland, Alice is just tying things up at GDC and brings us this quote from Eric Zimmerman that just might apply:

“[…] 3 or 4 GDCs ago, we had a change of emphasis. Consoles were where we always wanted to be. The ‘real’ game industry, right? Then there was a huge malaise, encapsulated in a game design keynote given by Warren Spector, and I think he sort of angered a lot of people with this talk about licensed games, and how his dream was to do a, I don’t know what, a Scooby Doo game… I realized that year that, you know what, why are we aspiring to wanting to enter the larger games industry? There’s no way we could do this interesting work that we’re doing now.“

I don’t think there’s any better way to explain why I write about games in Second Life than this.

Onder Skall also writes for Second Life Games

Blog advertising

Any resident can be a metaverse TSA security screener

by Pixeleen Mistral, National Affairs desk

For those who feel the need to examine other residents without their clothes - or their permission - a metaverse virtual strip search is now available. According to the secondtoys production description and the SLexhange page:

SL Nude Mod is an addon for Second Life that hides clothing layers on avatars. The changes are only visible to the person running the modification and do not have any permanent affect on appearances. This is accomplished by running a special proxy on your computer that modifies information coming from Second Life, so your client thinks they are not wearing any clothing textures.

Apparently this mod allows anyone to view avatars in the raw - without waiting for a Post 6 Grrrl photoshoot in the Herald. At L$3500 - or about $13 USD - we suspect there may be some willing buyers. However - the maker has an important caveat:

WARNING: While you do have the right to modify any incoming data to your computer, it may not be within the Terms of Service of Second Life to take pictures of nude avatars and post them, or abuse this addon in any way. As always you are responsible for your own actions both in-world and out; use common sense.

We take this to mean it is fine to look in private - but maybe hold off on publishing the photos.

This all seems a bit like the x-ray backscatter devices being installed in some RL airports and prisons - and scholarly real life journals such as USA Today have expressed privacy concerns. Could similar privacy issues apply to avatars in Second Life?

Of course, in RL only TSA employees and prison guards have access to the x-ray vision equipment - but In the metaverse anyone can be a TSA security screener. This may make a certain amount of sense - anyone can fly at anytime in the metaverse and pre-flight security screenings in SL have been notoriously lax - perhaps we need all the strip search screening we can get?

The metaverse just keeps getting better!

Click here to advertise on the Worlds largest Blog Advertising Network

Blog advertising

Residents pleased with magic wands, school uniforms

by Curious Rousselot, Magical Affairs Department

Wizard Alley now open

Excited students and teachers of the Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry were celebrating Friday as the recently closed Magic Alley re-opened in Oahu as the new Wizard’s Alley. Students, staff, and vendors crowd the new Alley chatting excitedly about the return of their beloved Harry Potter themed sim - and hints about a party today - March 3rd from 4 to 7 PM SL time.

As reported in the Herald, the Harry Potter fan sim Magic Alley was shut down on February 1, 2007 after the stress and effort of maintaining the sim became too much for the owner, Petra Carpenter. Although this came as a shock to many of the students who frequented Magic Alley, the inner circle of developers, builders, and others who helped Petra build the sim were well aware and supportive of her decision. The general consensus was that Petra should not suffer to maintain the sim and all felt she made the right decision despite their personal disappointment at the loss.

Almost immediately a team, lead by Harry Prefect and others who helped with Petra’s Magic Alley, began planning a replacement. With the generous donation of a private island, by Darcy Rutledge, the build began shortly after Magic Alley had closed. Some of the buildings from the original sim had been transplanted along with some new building. The effort and attention to detail to build so much in so short a time shows their dedication and skill.

the Leaky Cauldron

During the down time, there have been a number of concerned students and faculty worrying about what would become of them. Some questioned where, or indeed if, they could still get school uniforms and magic wands. The merchants of Magic Alley had, of course, stores and stalls in other magic/fantasy related sims and RP areas so indeed, the products were available, though a little more difficult to find if you didn’t know where to look. Most, if not all of merchants of Magic Alley are already set-up in the new Wizard’s Alley as they were permitted early entrance to the sim to set-up their shops and wares. Lily Lewellen, one of the merchants said, “I was up all night working on new items and I haven’t gone to sleep yet”.

Excited staff and students were informed that the new sim would open on-time at 8:30 AM Linden time on March 1 - along with some teasers about a bigger Alley and “castle still under construction and a party to celebrate the event Saturday March 3rd from 4 to 7 PM Linden time.

This reporter was unable to attend the initial opening, but Lily Lewellen informed me that, “[there was a] a mad rush of people”.

Cricket Bailey, one of the displaced students said about the new sim, “It’s great, I love it! I can’t wait till the school term starts”.

When I spoke with Lucius Zhukovsky, another of the students said about the new sim, “It is an amazing place” and about The Leaky Cauldron, where we spoke, “this place is rather cosy”.

Hogwarts Express

The joy of the first day was marred a bit at around 5:00 PM when a housekeeping accident resulted in most of the buildings in the Wizard’s Alley part of the sim getting returned to their respective owners. Darcy Ruttledge was quick to react by politely asking everyone to vacate the sim and to call Linden Labs and request a rollback of the island.

The RP sim for Harry Potter fans uses the group “* Hogwarts Reborn *” as the basis to get new entrants started and another group, called “* Houses of Hogwarts Reborn*” to place students into their respective houses. The sim and groups are about role play in the world of Harry Potter as explained by the introduction to the group, “This is the official group for the role play based on the world invented by J.K. Rowling”.

We are told to expect more in this new sim. Efforts were already well under-way for a new castle/school reminiscent of the Hogwarts school from the books by J.K. Rowling and the movies spawned by that series. The plans include a town similar to Hogsmeade, where Hogwarts was located. Who knows what excitement awaits the eager students and teachers of this lovingly crafted sim. Only time will tell how fantastic it will be but the early indicators are very promising.

Create Instant Buzz

Here is an interesting question. Body Doubles is a Second Life company run by Persia Christensen that sells body shapes that supposedly correspond to RL stars along with instructions on how you can make your avi look like the star. From Persia’s promotional literature:

With this body double shape and my avatar suggestions, you too can look like the gorgeous, Scarlett Johansson! Great care has been taken to make this shape look as close to possible as the actual, real-life model.

Now presumably the stars could object to their images being used to sell these products in Second Life, but could they object if it was only the shape that was being sold? Paging Virtually Blind.

More screenshots and details below the fold.

Better update the instructions here. Bald is the new blonde.

Remember when Betty Page seemed kinky. In Second Life she seems positively schoolmarmish.

Noobs find gainful employment modeling Body Double shapes. Here a couple noobs strike a pose as Cameron Diaz and Drew Barrymore.

Yet another noob finds gainful employment.

And of course there are lots more doubles where these came from.

Create Instant Buzz

Get A Life
by Heartun Breaker, syndicated advice columnist.

HEY HEARTUN ~ I was hanging out in Waterhead the other day and someone invited me to join this group called Hot Lesbo Accountants. Well, I’m not a lesbian.. I’m just a dude. Thing is the person who invited me is a dude too!

What the hell is a ‘transgender lesbian?’ ~ STRAIGHT DUDE

DEAR STRAIGHT DUDE ~ You think furries, goreans, scat lovers and privists face derision by others? Try being a male lesbian or transgender lesbian. The first is a guy who looks like a guy but loves girl-on-girl action — the other believes he is a lesbian trapped in a man’s body and wants to be treated as a girl. Either way, both the straight and GayBLT (gay, bi, lesbian, transgender) communities tend to think this guy is a freak. Here’s how a typical transgender lesbian pick-up attempt goes here in Second Life.

TGLdude: Hi! I’m a transgender lesbian!

Lesbian: WTF?

TGLdude: I’m a lesbian trapped in a guy’s body in real life, but here in Second Life I get to be who I really am — a lesbian.

Lesbian: So you’re a guy?

TGLdude: Well, not really. I love women and am grossed out by penises. I’m a lesbian all the time inside.

Lesbian: Go get therapy you freak. You’re a dude who likes women. You are straight!

Second Life makes these kinds of things common. I mean, it is widely believed that half of the women working as strippers, ‘escorts’ and in other aspects of the sex trade are really men pretending to be women. What is the difference between a guy pretending to be a woman so he can make some money, or because he gets off on the illicit sex and one who thinks he is really a woman on the inside? It’s all in the eye of the beholder. But most of the rest of the world sees transgender lesbians and male lesbians as straight guys who are into lesbians.

I write it all down to role playing. At least the guy you talked with was honest, if creepy. ~ HEARTUN BREAKER

How Much Cybering Is Too Much?

HEY HEARTUN ~ How much cybering is too much? ~ HANDY MAN

DEAR HANDY MAN ~ For me, three times a day is the limit. Four is too much. Your mileage may vary.


Now in men, stroking the one-eyed trouser snake too much can result in an over production of sex hormones and neurotransmitters like acetylcholine, dopamine and serotonin.

Too much of those things and your adrenal glands can change your body chemistry. Now, jerkin’ the gerkin is a healthy thing, but too much (while hard to define) can lead to addiction and both psychological and physiological imbalances. Side effects to look for include:

• Feeling tired all the time
• Lower back pain
• Hair loss or thinning
• Pulling the “Semi” (or half-rection)
• Premature ejaculation (by yourself!!)
• Fuzzy vision (not blindness)
• Pain in the balls, taint, nut sack, tail bone or lower tummy

Semen leakage is also a sign that the parasympathetic nerve is weakening from over stimulation. The parasympathetic nerve shuts the ejaculation valve and maintains a strong erection, but it can weaken if you choke your chicken too much.

Experts say men should keep their ejaculation frequency down to two-to-three times per week, but they can have more sexual activity if they learn how to orgasm without ejaculation. Doing so can make your junk work better too.

Some things you can do to improve the quality of your monkey-spanking sessions is to reduce the frequency, eat more soybean products, cut down on the caffeine, snack on more nutty foods like sunflower seeds, drop the red meat and dairy in favor of fruit and veggies.

Drink more water and ditch the soda. And just in case you ever get a real-life girl to honk on your love muscle - eat peaches and cut down on the salt so it tastes better. ~ HEARTUN BREAKER

Spat for Spice Ends Honeymoon

HEY HEARTUN ~ I met this woman in Second life and we were 100 percent compatible. I honestly love her. One night I decided to spice things up by getting naughty and picking a fight with her. It backfired big time! She got really upset. I tried to explain, but she didn’t believe me. When I told her that I love her she really flipped out! (We are both married in real life, to others)

So now she’s muted me and I have no other way of communicating with her. If I can’t get her back I am going to publicly commit Second Life suicide by deleting this account. ~BOBBYBROWN ROMEO

DEAR BOBYBROWN ROMEO ~ Let me get this straight… you intentionally picked a fight with your baby so you could get your rocks off better, didn’t tell her that this was a role play scenario for you, and are surprised that she got hurt and left you?

I don’t know if anything I tell you could possibly make sense to you because if sense were gasoline you wouldn’t have enough gas to ride a pissants motorcycle around the INSIDE of a Cheerio! The phrase “OMG You Are Dumb” was invented for you. Your kind make me sick.

Forget about the SL ’suicide’ and do the real thing if you can’t get this woman back. And about that? Clean up your own messes. I’m here to help people who don’t intentionally bring shit down on themselves. You asshole. ~ HEARTUN BREAKER

If you have a question for “Get A Life” email HeartunBreaker@gmail.com For thrice-weekly updates visit www.heartunbreaker.com or join the SL group “Get A Life” for notices as soon as something posts. We reserve the right to edit submissions for brevity and clarity. No ‘real’ or ‘game’ names will be published without explicit a priori permission.

Blog advertising

It’s bad enough having Fox News excoriate you for not staffing your HQ and calling on you to denounce virtual underage sex brothels, but now there is the problem of Republican griefers. According to an Edwards campaign worker, it was not pretty.

Shortly before midnight (CST) on Monday, February 26, a group of republican Second Life users, some sporting “Bush ‘08″ tags, vandalized the John Edwards Second Life HQ. They plastered the area with Marxist/Lenninist posters and slogans, a feces spewing obsenity, and a photoshopped picture of John in blackface, all the while harrassing visitors with right-wing nonsense and obsenity-laden abuse of Democrats in general and John in particular.

Story is here. The campaign worker says he filed an abuse report with Linden Lab. Um, sure, that’ll work.

Blog advertising

by Kris Dibou, warrior poet/pirate

Bunny the Huntress

Under the cloak of midnight Bunny stirs
Her eyes accustomed to the dark
Awaiting in silence, sleek and edged
Seeking her newbie mark

Swiftly and surely the hunt is done
Her prey no longer in this sim
And on she goes through darkened wood
Tending her business, grim

So beware, oh newbie, lest you fall
In Bunny’s icey glaze
Wear your clothes on open land
And respect our SL ways

Or Bunny the huntress will seek you out
Her vengeance quick and bold
And when you return to the game
Your reception will be cold.

copyright (c) 2007 - Kris Dibou - used by the gracious permission of the author.

Blog advertising