Joystiq

BBC asks: What happened to Second Life?

Justin McElroy — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:59:00 EST

You don't see nearly the amount of coverage of Second Life (or as we call it in these parts, PlayStation Home's creepy, aggressively pornographic uncle) these days as you used to, and BBC did a little digging to find out why. Their discovery? Well, not to put too fine a point on it, but Second Life sucks. It's overly complicated to control, it's full of some truly horrific human beings, there are many better social networking hubs and (perhaps most importantly) companies that sunk a bunch of money into it rarely got their investments back.

What the BBC seems to be implying is that Second Life was largely a media-created phenomenon, with journalists and public figures so smitten by the idea of a virtual world, no one stopped to notice that it was a wretched hive of scum and villainy.

Besides, everybody knows that HiPiHi is where it's at.

BBC asks: What happened to Second Life? originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Second Life citizens spend $1 billion in first life cash

Richard Mitchell — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 23:30:00 EST

Industry Gamers reports that Linden Lab, developer of Second Life, has announced that citizens of the virtual world have exchanged over $1 billion in digital goods and services with one another. Furthermore, said citizens have also logged over one billion hours of their first lives in Second Life. The creators elaborated that the game currently has "the largest virtual economy in the industry" generating $50 million per month in user-to-user transactions.

Linden Lab drops some other Second Life statistics, including the fact that over 250,000 virtual goods are created every day, 1,250 text messages are sent every second and that the world now occupies 2 billion square meters of virtual land. According to Linden Lab, that's roughly the size of Rhode Island.

It's not stopping there either, as CEO Mark Kingdon notes that the company is "positioned for reinvigorating [its] growth in 2010 with a range of strategic initiatives that will enhance the experience for existing Residents and propel [its] expansion with new users." We're not sure exactly what's planned for Second Life, though we hear cataclysms are all the rage these days.

Second Life citizens spend $1 billion in first life cash originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 23 Sep 2009 23:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Architect's Journal ranks top 10 gaming worlds

Ben Gilbert — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 09:00:00 EST

Before you start furiously clicking through the source link to see where on the list of Architect's Journal's "Top 10" gaming worlds Second Life falls, we're just going to tell you upfront that it's number seven. That's three full spots ahead of the (apparently) FAT-inspired Super Mario World! Outrageous, we know, we know.

The list is rounded out by some rather ... interesting choices -- from Jet Set Willy's house to Halo's ring world, and everything in between, which are all discussed in highfalutin terms that we simply can't wrap our heads around. "Gemutlich?" "Miminalism" (note: not "minimalism")? We're sticking with the video games, thank you very much.

[Via Kotaku]

Architect's Journal ranks top 10 gaming worlds originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 25 Jun 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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FTC investigating explicit content in virtual worlds

Griffin McElroy — Tue, 12 May 2009 03:00:00 EST

Online gaming news site Virtual Worlds recently had the opportunity to sit down with a couple of FTC attorneys who are currently investigating adult content in virtual worlds. The FTC is apparently working on a report for Congress (which is due in December), spawned by an inflammatory report on Second Life's "rape rooms" from Illinois' Rep. Mark Kirk. Thankfully, according to Virtual Worlds, the FTC is "on a fact-finding mission, not a witch hunt."

Coincidentally, this news comes on the heels of an announcement from Second Life's creators, Linden Lab. The virtual world will soon see a massive redistricting in order to separate the game's adult content from its all-ages content. To put it simply, Linden Lab will soon be creating an "adult content continent" that minors won't be able to access. May we suggest the name "Creepyvania" for this brave new landmass?

[Via GamePolitics]

FTC investigating explicit content in virtual worlds originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 12 May 2009 03:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Reuters closes Second Life bureau, opens mysterious island lair

JC Fletcher — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 21:00:00 EST

The Reuters news service has just announced the closure of its bureau inside Second Life. The post announcing the closure is actually the first (and now only) activity on the secondlife.reuters.com site since September 30, when the only remaining reporter, Eric Krangel, left the site for another job. This news was posted under the account of Adam Pasick, who hasn't posted on the site since May 2008. We suppose that just having everyone leave wasn't an official shutdown of the site, just an effective one.

However, that's not the end of Reuters' virtual machinations. The company may have just closed its virtual space, but another island owned by parent company Thomson Scientific is now being rebranded with Thomson Reuters logos. If only Reuters had someone on the scene to keep us updated about Reuters.

[Via Massively]

Reuters closes Second Life bureau, opens mysterious island lair originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 03 Mar 2009 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LGJ: Regulating Virtual Currency

Mark Methenitis — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 12:45:00 EST

Filed under: Features

Each week Mark Methenitis contributes Law of the Game on Joystiq ("LGJ"), a column on legal issues as they relate to video games:

We're seeing quite the economic turbulence in the United States as of late, and financial problems lead to two things: 1) further regulations on the issues that caused the problem; and 2) people seeking out new sources to exploit to make a quick buck. Plenty of people have written article upon article about all of the various economic tools that have been exploited to bring us to this point. I, however, would like to talk about one of those potentially exploitable areas people may move toward, that being the currencies that exist in virtual worlds and MMO games. I figure it's only a matter of time before what I'm about to describe occurs in one manner or another, which could very easily turn the tide of regulatory scorn from Wall Street to Azeroth or Second Life.

I guess the best place to start is from something I hope most people are familiar with on a basic level: insider trading. In short, insider trading is when people with non-public information trade stocks to their benefit. It's regulated as a combination of a breach of fiduciary duty to the company or a misappropriation of information. In short, it's an unethical way to profit from inside information, and generally frowned upon (though some economists disagree with regulating insider trading). But insider trading is about stocks and securities, so where am I going with this?

Continue reading LGJ: Regulating Virtual Currency

LGJ: Regulating Virtual Currency originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 12 Dec 2008 12:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google Lively is dead ... ly

Alexander Sliwinski — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 11:10:00 EST

Filed under: PC, Sony PlayStation 3

A mere four and a half months after the project's birth, Google is pulling the plug on its Second Life clone, Lively. The internet giant announced that it will shut down the program at the end of December, leaving all those in need of a virtual sex outlet crawling back to Second Life.

We're glad that Sony realized how virtual worlds like Lively were played out years ago and cut its losses before going too far. Oh, did we say Sony? We meant Google. Yeah.

[Via Massively]

Google Lively is dead ... ly originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 20 Nov 2008 11:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Second Life affair grounds for real-life divorce

Griffin McElroy — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: PC, Online

Amy Taylor and David Pollard, a British couple who, until recently, had spent three years together in marital bliss, are both avid Second Life players. So avid, in fact, that their nuptials were delivered in the game's virtual world in addition to, you know, the real one. Unfortunately, digi-Amy caught digi-David in a compromising position with a digi-prostitute shortly after the wedding, leading these two fully grown adults to file for an untimely digi-divorce. However, they remained married in real life, which likely led to a few awkward conversations over brunch.

Digi-David seemed to prove his fidelity by passing a "honeytrap" test later ordered by digi-Amy, in which a buxom digi-Private Eye attempted, and ultimately failed, to seduce his avatar. Unfortunately, digi-Amy recently walked in on digi-David and another avatar, who were conversing with "genuine affection". In response, real-life-Amy filed for real-life-divorce from real-life-David.

This report has been fairly sensationalied by the mainstream media over the past few days -- some outlets state that Taylor's divorce lawyer had already seen a Second Life-related seperation earlier that week, while some mention that Taylor has found love once again, this time in World of Warcraft. Regardless of the veracity of these questionable accounts, the news of couple's split due to online infidelity seems to be as true as it is infinitely depressing.

Second Life affair grounds for real-life divorce originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 16 Nov 2008 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nintendo Island shows up in Second Life

JC Fletcher — Fri, 02 May 2008 12:45:00 EST

Filed under: News

Either Nintendo just bought a large lot of "fake estate" (as opposed to real estate, which exists in the real world) in the ultimate non-game, Second Life, or someone who really loves Nintendo is up to something. A mysterious island has appeared in-world called "Nintendo Island." It's currently closed to the public (and devoid of structures), so we can't tell what Nintendo (or whoever) is up to on the island.

If this is Nintendo's doing, they could be setting up a giant advertising initiative on the island, with videos of stuff like Brain Age and Cooking Guide. Second Life residents are probably a good audience for Nintendo to attract -- they've proven that they're willing to spend a lot of money on things that are vaguely game-like.

[Via Massively]

Nintendo Island shows up in Second Life originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 02 May 2008 12:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung brings Second Life to smartphones

Scott Jon Siegel — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Portable, MMO, Mobile

For every story we post about Second Life's various troubles, there's always another story about one company or another arriving late to the SL bandwagon. So, following up our news of Phillip Rosedale's resignation as CEO, we have word that Samsung will be including technology to run Second Life on its line of smartphones.

The technology is being shown off at the CTIA wireless event this week in Las Vegas, and will allow users to access the 3D world of Second Life, as well as communicate with in-game avatars via text and SMS. The application is due to launch on Samsung phones running Softboard software in the second half of this year. Huzzah?

[Via GayGamer]

Samsung brings Second Life to smartphones originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 02 Apr 2008 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Law of the Game on Joystiq: MMOIRS

Mark Methenitis — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Features

Each week Mark Methenitis contributes Law of the Game on Joystiq, a column on legal issues as they relate to video games:

First, I'd like to apologize to all of the aspiring beaurocrats out there. This is not an announcement post for World of Taxcraft -- I hope I haven't ruined your favorite time of the year: tax season. Yes, with April Fools' behind us there are no distractions left to cling to. We're headed into the big tax crunch and that dreaded day, April 15. So what do taxes have to do with gamers, other than the fact that we probably pay them and are either reveling in our refund or frantically finishing 1040s right now? Well, looming on the horizon is a concept that may strike fear into the hearts of Azeroth: taxing the virtual world.

The virtual taxation concept isn't a new one. I discussed it in 2005, Prof. Bryan Camp wrote about it at length in 2007, and Dan Miller and the Joint Economic Committee are working on a report on the topic right now. At this point, it seems to be more of a 'when' rather than an 'if' we will start seeing taxation applied to the virtual realm. The US government is bent on spending an almost impossible amount of money, and this is yet another way to earn some revenue. What is more curious is how exactly the idea of virtual taxation can be applied, given the methodology behind the US income tax system. Tax law can get rather complex, so this column will try to keep things as elementary as possible.

Continue reading Law of the Game on Joystiq: MMOIRS

Law of the Game on Joystiq: MMOIRS originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 02 Apr 2008 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Second Life CEO stepping down, remaining active in development

Alexander Sliwinski — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 16:35:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, PC, Business

Linden Lab's CEO Philip Rosedale, the man behind Second Life, told Reuters today that he'll be stepping down from his position and the company will seek someone with more management expertise to replace him. Rosedale will become chairman of the Linden Lab board when a successor is found and he'll stay active at the company in product development and strategy.

Rosedale's replacement will be tasked with regaining the momentum that Second Life once had when it was the hip thing for academics and business journalists to write and talk about. Although nothing is expected to be announced in the next year, Bill Gurley of Bechmark Capital believes the company could go public "at some point in the future."

[Via Massively, GameDaily]

Second Life CEO stepping down, remaining active in development originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 14 Mar 2008 16:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Law of the Game on Joystiq: Call the cops, he stole my Cloudsong!

Mark Methenitis — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Features

Each week Mark Methenitis contributes Law of the Game on Joystiq, a column on legal issues as they relate to video games:

Everyone remembers the now classic "You Stole My Cloudsong!" recording (warning: NSFW). What's less funny, if you're a MMORPG player, is that theft is a real occurrence in MMO worlds. So what happens if someone steals your hard earned gold or items? Do you have any recourse? According to the cops in Minnesota, the answer is no. However, a more progressive look at the issue would suggest that protection for your virtual assets is certainly coming, if it doesn't exist already. In fact, in China, a recent case declared that seizure of virtual assets had actual value with actual recourse. It's an issue that is often discussed at sites like VirtuallyBlind, TerraNova, and (shameless plug in 3-2-1) Law of the Game, among others. Of course, simply lumping in digital theft with ordinary theft is far more complex than one might think.

The baseline question that needs to be answered is: What is theft? According to Black's Law Dictionary (7th Ed.), theft is "the felonious taking and removing of another's personal property with the intent of depriving the true owner of it; larceny." Simple enough, but going back into the common law, many jurisdictions traditionally limited larceny (the root of theft) to tangible personal property. It's only more modern interpretations, especially in the US, that include intangible property in the grander concept of "theft." However, even assuming you can include intangibles in "theft," there are much bigger problems with trying to apply this concept to in-game theft.

Continue reading Law of the Game on Joystiq: Call the cops, he stole my Cloudsong!

Law of the Game on Joystiq: Call the cops, he stole my Cloudsong! originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 06 Feb 2008 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MMO film Second Skin gets trailer

Justin McElroy — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 16:30:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, MMO

We're getting mixed signals from this new trailer from the upcoming film about MMOs, Second Skin. On the one hand, it seems like an exaltation of the incredible phenomenon of virtual communities, but we're also getting the vibe that we may be asked to feel sympathy for MMO addicts, something we're not inclined to do. If the film manages to walk that line successfully though, it may just be required viewing.

The team behind it has its fingers crossed for a SXSW showing, which could lead to theatrical or cable distribution, so hopefully we'll be able to judge it in full soon. You can learn more about the film, as well as see a higher-quality version of the trailer, on the official site.

MMO film Second Skin gets trailer originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 29 Jan 2008 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Economic woes extend to Second Life

Kyle Orland — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: PC, Online, MMO

Everywhere you look, it seems there's news of some real life business jumping into the virtual world of Second Life. Car companies, HR firms, clothing makers; you name it, it was being sold on the virtual frontier. But, as PRI's Marketplace reported earlier this week, many businesses are having trouble turning their virtual storefronts into real money.

Despite the relatively low overhead costs of operating a Second Life business, companies like Starwood Hotels, AOL and Wells Fargo have been leaving their digital outposts in recent months. The problem of marketing to avatars was effectively summarized by reporter Janet Babin as "too many 7-foot-tall winged creatures flying around with no need for American Apparel's cotton T-shirts."

Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal is covering a Second Life banking scandal that could rival the sub-prime mortgage crisis for SL citizens. It seems some questionable banking schemes has led Linden Labs to shut down over a dozen virtual banks, causing a run on funds over the past few weeks. Makes us glad we kept our Linden Dollars under the virtual mattress.

Read - Business exodus on Marketplace
Read - Banking scandal on Wall Street Journal

Economic woes extend to Second Life originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 25 Jan 2008 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Second Life is 8th "most effective" TV product placement

Christopher Grant — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 20:28:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, PC, MMO

Though not in the upper echelons of the list, dominated by mega-brands like, uh, Tyson chicken and Sue Bee Honey, Second Life did manage to place eighth in The Hollywood Reporter's list of "Most effective placements on TV in 2007." How did the virtual world earn such an honorable distinction? Remember that guest appearance on NBC's popular sitcom The Office? Curiously, as pointed out by kids at Massively, Second Life made a far more prominent appearance on CSI: NY but that episode didn't earn the honor.

Of course, we question how "effective" Second Life's placement really is in terms of prodding people into playing it. We're quite content with the little entertainment it provides within other forms of entertainment, thank you very much.

[Via Massively]

Second Life is 8th "most effective" TV product placement originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 31 Dec 2007 20:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Second Life Insider Week In Review: 10/22 - 10/28

Akela Talamasca — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 10:06:00 EST

Filed under: MMO

This is the weekly roundup of the best articles from the past week's events on Second Life Insider.

Daniel Terdiman's Entrepreneur's Guide to SL
How do the successful companies do it? Find out with this book!
Six of the best for copyright violators
The latest copyright violations in SL
The Ed Wood Machinima Festival
Some machinima is so bad it's good -- and these are the ones we want!
New Species of Sunfish and Albatross Discovered
Not the RL organic kind, but these wonderful new vehicles from Cube3
CSI:NY airs episode featuring Second Life - impressions
One Insider's take on how the CSI:NY episode fared
Exclusive preview of Real Life game
This is so Meta it's scary!
Dilbert Creator Scott Adams Comes to Second Life
Scott Adams signs copies of his new book in SL
CSI game - first thoughts
You've seen the episode; what is the game like?
Avatars Across Worlds: Nay, No, Feh
Not everyone thinks we need standards for virtual world interoperability
LL to Help the Library of Congress Preserve Videogames
Finally, a little respect for videogames, from an unlikely, but welcome source

Second Life Insider Week In Review: 10/22 - 10/28 originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 30 Oct 2007 10:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Second Life featured in tonight's 'The Office'

Scott Jon Siegel — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 13:57:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, PC, Online

When virtual worlds hit mainstream culture, they hit hard. First, it was a recent episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, featuring a fictional game called "Another YOUniverse" (we know, we know). Then, it was last night's CSI: New York, which had a criminal investigation taking part inside Second Life.

Now, it's NBC's The Office, featuring video games prominently in an episode for the second time as the annoying beet farmer / paper salesman Dwight K. Schrute explores Second Life amidst the other office hijinks.

While we're still a tad burnt out from previous bursts of Second Life hype, we're curious to see how The Office cast members interact with the world. The episode airs tonight at 9/8c on NBC.

[Via SL Insider]

Second Life featured in tonight's 'The Office' originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 25 Oct 2007 13:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Second Life Insider Week In Review: 10/15 - 10/21

Akela Talamasca — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 14:33:00 EST

This is the weekly roundup of the best articles from the past week's events on Second Life Insider.

Crazy New CSI:NY Commercial
The first commercial was promising, but this one...
Movable Life wants your work
Always read the fine print!
Thursday's Fictions
A surreal dance fantasy film gets the Second Life treatment
Beware! He Walks Among Us!
A member of the Chartered Institute of Taxation enters SL, ready to answer questions
Hamlet's Top 5 Highlights from the VW Conf
Hamlet Au, embedded SL reporter, gives his top 5 highlights of the Virtual Worlds Conference
VW Conf Fallout: Microsoft Getting Into the Biz?
Is Microsoft ready to provide its own virtual world?
Armani Screws Up
Armani's new SL shop fails for lack of, well, everything
Renaud on virtual world interoperability - relax and be patient
The Chief Architect of Networked Virtual Environments for the Cisco Technology Center advises patience
Second Life Avatars Controlled by the Human Brain
An amazing step forward in controller technology
NBC's The Office to feature Second Life
The Office comes to SL

Second Life Insider Week In Review: 10/15 - 10/21 originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 22 Oct 2007 14:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Second Life Insider Weekly Roundup

Akela Talamasca — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: MMO

Hello friends and neighbors! Here are the latest and greatest stories from that bastion of embedded reporting, Second Life Insider!

I Am Legend Gameplay: In Depth
Get a tour of the new Warner Bros. movie tie-in game
Machinima Festival UK Winners - SL takes 3!
We bring you the winners of the Machinima Festival UK
What To Do About Megaprims
Aimee Weber provides reasons why Megaprims are no big deal
Celebrate Roma's 1 Year Anniversary!
Roma, the Roman-themed sim, celebrates 1 year of existence
PODball!
Cube3, makers of the new PODz vehicles, present a new game
Ever Wondered What SL is Like If You're Colourblind?
Download an app to simulate colorblindness
Linden Lab and IBM Collaboration on Virtual Standards
IBM and LL decide to manage the future of virtual spaces
ESC launch sanctioned new viewer to tie in with CSI:NY in SL
ESC's new SL viewer to coincide with SCI: NY SL episode

Second Life Insider Weekly Roundup originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 15 Oct 2007 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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