SecondLife: The Lost Aesthetic (Or The Eyesore of Rampant Consumerism)

That's pretty much it.

If I didn't insist on browsing the forums and blogs and keeping tabs on "what's going on" in SL, I'd be living the same sort of "blissful artist conclave" life beta people did.

While it does seem that we lost a little "something" going from small-town to bustling metropolis, I'm not entirely sure it's all bad.

Back when there were perhaps 1000-2000 people playing, the grid was so much smaller; nothing north or east of Slate, south of Federal, or west of Ahern. You could see all the new builds in one day.

While you could in fact drop in on almost anyone you saw on the map and have a decent conversation, it had a very "small town" atmosphere, with all its plusses and negatives.

After 1.2, that feeling eroded and disappeared. It was weird... the culture of SL went from artist-centric to commercialist-centric almost overnight.

So now we have a world that's absolutely huge, new stuff is being poured out every day. It's a creative zeitgeist, the same quality of output you'd see on Everything2.com, Livejournal, Blogger, Wikipedia, or DeviantArt. Some good, some bad.

this post isn't making any sense... basically, don't give up. The feeling of overwhelming commercial sadness ebbs and flows. If it becomes too much, take a break. Don't leave, though.

LF

you know.. i see stuff like this.. and for 2 years we've maintained Perry as 100% forested and non-commercial (there isn't a single vendor in the sim), Lusk has our *three* wooden-styled vendors, the rest is all residential and parkland. Recently developed 7000m2 of Olive to be the same.

But it's funny, I see threads like this and that gets forgotten, while people come by and tell us that we're "wasting all that land".

Sure, the 'big tree' could be more intricate, but it's kind of become a symbol in itself.

dunno. Not noticed on one hand, told it's a "waste" on the other.. bleh

Come to Eldamar.... a quiet, forested, elven retreat.

Here's a prescription to go to Fallingwater's flowershop and play with the flowers until you feel better.

I see a lot of holes that haven't been filled.

I see more divisiveness than there could be, people who'd benefit from each other's company and communication in collaborating—but instead they choose to wage wars of words. Sometimes over petty misunderstandings, sometimes over things which both sides could work together to solve, but choose not to. Which often sucks, because this means I tend to have friends fighting each other.

More bridges being built... literally and figuratively. A club that is popular and is a paragon of topnotch architecture, and on top of that, is run by nice people. Malls that are spacious and frequented often and neighbor-friendly. We can have it. We've had it before, we'll have it again. But not enough for me. I am insatiable.

I sit in camping chairs, I rhetorize with the intelligentsia, I play Tringo, I goof off in sandboxes, I get involved in technical discussions about the future of SL, I hang around and chat in circles, I post on the SL Forums, I take a lot of pictures...

O, speaking of, I'd like to take some time to talk about Stella Costello. Some of you may have seen her artistry in the sandboxes of Second Life, and I've grown to appreciate it increasingly over the last few weeks. She is a pleasure to converse with too. When Stella makes something, I truely feel that it is a beautiful external representation, a shared dream, of something she holds dear within.

These views are merely my own, but when I visited Stella's place in the snow, I became un-cold. My imagination grew wild, naively wondering what it'd be like if she did a "Stella take" on what is often complained about in SL. A Stella mall, a Stella club, or even a Stella casino. It wouldn't be the end of complaints, nor is that the point. This, however, would be the beautiful blossoming of a child of love born from parents who've found hate to be redundant and useless.

Example of what she's done:



Come visit @ Cortina (35, 12) if you'd like to see it in 3D.

Some quick thoughts:

Leaving SL because of the negativity is a personal choice, and one I don't feel I have the right to criticize. Change is difficult and criticism is tough, particularly if the criticism seems unfounded and cruel.

The artists who are able to handle the negativity, who continue to improve and refine their skills and portfolios, these are the ones who will be in a prime position to grab the attention, the jobs, the prestige that will come with the next great stage in SL's growth (if Linden Lab is able to take it that far). The creative types who have a substantial SL history behind them will be the ones that outsiders look to when making their initial forays into the "3D Web."

My personal take on Bedazzled and the Wells Fargo project is that Bedazzled really doesn't give a shit about Second Life culture. Accusations of favoritism, FICism, and creative elitism are like water off a duck's back to them. Their collective eyes are on the prize, a prize which does not exist in the tiny, insular world of SL, but instead in the real world, where (if only we can survive that long) our future audiences and income sources work and play.

If you as an artist are struggling with SL culture, remind yourself how small that culture really is, how demonstrably transient it is, and that there is a gigantic world out there just waiting to be wowed by something cool and new.

When the Lindens first opened a portal to this world it was a virtual wasteland. A world laid waste thirty five years ago by a colossal disaster that changed everything for everyone here that day.

When I found my way back here in February of 2004, the region I first purchased land in (Rodeo) was empty. The Linden auctions were just beginning then and it quickly filled with many landowners--all doing their own thing. There were a few store's there as well including Planet Mars' Tat Shack and Briana Dawson's space age looking store.

Over time, as people moved on, the character of the area began to change. I began planting trees everywhere I could and as the years have gone by the Forest of Kahruvel has filled Rodeo and spread to the surrounding regions of Stinson, Cowell, Noyo, Davenport and Bodega. It's very existence has drawn like-minded people to it and allowed it to continue.

Spark.. fire... adding fuel to the fire... forest fire? Well, I hope it continues spreading without going up in flames.

There is a reason that it is here. The Phyneas Jack Memorial Trust. And, it seems, enough people who agree with that reason and want to support it:

CHARTER
To protect what remains of the great forest that used to stretch from present day Abbotts to Bolinas and south to Mavericks, to replant as much of the old forest as possible and to preserve for study any ruins or artifacts found there.

It's a simple reason. Flexible. Very open-ended and no particular timeline to it. Hopefully it can change with the times and adapt to whatever the world throws at it.

At the beginning of this year Champie Jack and I began excavating what was left of an ancient village in the Cowell region. It was buried thousands of years ago by an eruption from the volcano in Pomponio. Another example of nature wiping the slate clean I suppose. There were remnants of some docks, buildings and an old stone bridge buried beneath urtahra that we have been using as a starting point for reconstruction. To help fund the efforts I've begun to look at leasing out buildings that have been restored. This is something that my family and I, as officers of the trust, have debated at length and have decided might be necessary to continue the work in our charter. I think it's a good decision and I look forward to striking a working balance between preserving the forest, rebuilding the village and making it all sustainable.

There are many different roads to arriving at one's destination. Some are not as easy to travel as others. My way was to acquire forest land bit by bit as it became available around me. After almost two years it has become quite large. I suppose that one could bid on whole regions in the auctions now or purchase islands...but that is a large outlay of cash up front.

And then how do you manage the monthly Linden tier? The only reason that life can exist here again is because of the Lindens' Grid. Each section of The Grid is able to maintain a habitable envrionment... just barely... and it requires a huge amount of energy and equipment to do it. My family and I were fortunate to arrive back here at just the right time to acquire some of our old land holdings. My grandparents were quite upset that they had to buy back their own land. But we got a toe hold and have begun to rebuild what had been lost. The help from others.. many I think who felt drawn to these places for whatever reason.. has been very appreciated.

If there is a reason for something, and enough support behind it, then it becomes possible. That support can come in many forms. Some may have deep pockets, some may inspire others and some may just be looking for profit. Whatever the reason--if it works, then whatever it is will remain. If it doesn't then it will become, at best, a beloved memory or simply fade into oblivion.

Others have brought up the fact that not everything here is permanent. Sometimes even designed to be temporary. I think everything has it's place and that this world is going to be large enough for any form of expression -- permanent or transitory. What will survive and what won't? What will have support and what will be ignored? What are people passionate about?

For my family and I, it's the forest. It's a symbol of what was here thirty five years ago... a link back to a different place and time. A hope that we can find out what happened then to all the places and people we knew. And it's also a beginning. A place to help anchor this world as people begin to rediscover it and all the secrets it has held for far too long.

My advice? Do something to make it better. Complain when things don't work right. Let people know when they've dropped the ball and give them praise when they do things right. It's the people here, literally, that make this world interesting and a place that one might want to stick around in. Let folks know, by word or deed, that you support what they do. Enjoy the process of living your second life, rather than the end goal... it could all be gone in an instant.

you could always build a HUGE wall to block out all of the negativity

Well I know what happened. LL decided to only recogize certian ppl or certain groups of ppl and premote those ppl they recognized. PPL like me who spent 6k US trying to get several projects off the ground that were 1) fun 2) interesting 3) non commercial never saw our projects even mentioned in a blurb by LL. Even tho some of those projects were picked up by other media. For me it left me with one single question: "If you build something fantastic for the community to enjoy what the hell does it matter if no one ever hear about it or sees it."

I for one just stopped builiding for the enjoyment of others. Because frankly it was just pissing away rl money.

Others too have been lost in the shuffle perhaps they did not or could not afford sim(s) wide projects but that does not lessen their contribution or efforts.

I probably should of invited every linden to my group too. pfft.

Do I sound bitter? Well I am, I had hoped to bring something good and creative to SL, little did I know it was never wanted as it was not a commercial venture. Projects with zero monitary value are apparently at least that is the message I am getting from LL "worthless".

I have no interest in wasting even more money on my pipe dreams. I now build them in bryce and 3d max.

Mar

I've been back to the Grand Canyon 26 times. I've hiked it, camped it, climbed it, rafted it, partied in it, etc., and it's beauty and "creativity" never stopped entertaining me. I know many, many people who feel the same way about the GC and other "landmarks".

There are a handful of places in SL that remind me a little bit of that feeling. I guess what you're saying, maybe accidently, is that the problem with SL is the people who come here. Because very, very few worthwhile people would ever blow off the Grand Canyon, the Canadian Rockies, the National Art Gallery, or the Chrysler Building so thoughtlessly.

Like the other guy said, I've met two wonderful builders since I've been in SL. Both quit last month because of the attitudes described in this thread.

<outrage mode=apoplectic>Desmond, I forbid you to take off your clothes for money!</outrage>

There's no rule that says casinos and clubs have to be eyesores. In real life, some clubs have beautiful internal design. It should only be better in SL where there's no worry about drunken vandals.



Buh... buh......

Umm, you knew it had zero monetary value. Were you expecting LL to give it some for you? I agree with your point - that the need to make money is a bad thing for people who just want to make beautiful builds for the sake of making things beautiful - but I'm surprised you feel cheated when you knew in advance you weren't asking for any income.

Had nothing to do with income, had to do with letting ppl know about the beautiful build. We tried everything to get the word out but in the advertizing section we were burried under CUM fook me contests, XXX tringo, etc. We tried to just let ppl know, one visit never saw them again.

LL used to advertize in world Huge events that were taking place that were not for profit. Unfortunatly there was no profit in that for them and they stopped the global annoucements.

All I ask is that they take the time NOW to look around their own world and let ppl know about the creative and interesting builds. Shit really well known builders never got the kudos they deserved. So when creative content goes out the door yes I will blame LL for not taking the time to find out what is in their own world and letting ppl know about the "fun". That won't happen, no profit in it. Yes I find that sad and yes it made me bitter twords their world, no imagination.

I never did it for the money but in the end I would tell others not to do as I did. There is no point in building anything amazing if no one ever sees it. = waste of time and money.

It's nice to know our work is appreciated.

However, those sims are more or less a special case, since the land is subsidized. Games1 and Games2 are sims held under terms of the Game Development Competition, subsidized by Linden Lab until what should be August of 2006.

This was done more or less on purpose, so the sims might stay beautiful. Due to the fact the land is specifically zoned, however...

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In the long run, the assumption of beauty in Second Life is basically lost.

One reason is the fact many residents aren't talented or retained enough to make a beautiful build. This spikes the demand for cheap housing and skin solutions, as newer residents come in and ply their hands at what Second Life has to offer.


The other problem is largely systemic. Second Life has a very steep learning curve, moreso because its building system doesn't cross over easily with other fields of art.

It is geared, instead, toward a cheap "middle man" solution to building. Primitives are, if nothing else, primitive. Learning to use them in a creative fashion takes a fair deal of practice, even for people with previous experience in 3D modelling.

As a result, "prim art" does not sell as much as it probably would and should. Add to this several permissions issues, and decent builders often get turned off by the system.

This problem extends to two-dimensional art and sounds as well. Given the high rate of "I stole it from the internets," art is not appreciated nearly as much aside from (stolen) work of world-renowned people.



Now apply this problem to holding land in Second Life. Suppose you've rented a sim and are paying $195 a month (!) in tier.

Your first priority is to recoup your expenses. A build on its own does not support this venture, barring exceptions like the Game Dev Contest. Rarely, donations might pay tier for a few months. Then people become bored.



What now? The answer most people come up with: open a shop or club.

For some, greed takes over. One shop quickly spirals into several shops. Before you know it, the sim is one big dance mall. Not a bad thing by itself. But Second Life, as one large mall or club scene?

A few builders, on the other hand, are happy just recouping their expenses, plus a little profit. But given the reach of most artistic-driven ventures, this is difficult.

As Michi mentioned in the past, Lusk is able to recoup on their avatar sales. This is more or less moot, given the drive of their customers and how their business scales to the limitations of Second Life. Other areas, like Chinatown or Numbakulla, are less lucky and ultimately relied on club dynamics and donations, respectively.





As with the rest of the internet, a great build won't do much for you in the face of potentially high overhead costs. JibJab originally gave their content for free, high quality Flash animations with a hilarious political bent. When interviewed, the owners said they had made maybe $25 in donations total.

Their ultimate decision? Sell their content.



Case in point: "Selling" the build counts, up to covering your expenses. What you do after that depends on your goals for the land.

Heh, well this can be narrowed down to a few simple things:

1. Introduction to Telehubs.
2. Introduction to Prim Limits.
3. Bugs.

Case in point: The introduction to the telehubs scattered everyone, and no one was willing to explore and get to know everybody as they once did. They created the lag monster uberfilled eyesore malls that caught you when you tried to fly around (so no point in exploring right?) Also another reason, where as the prim limits were expected, however, they stifled creativity. Textures simply cannot do the job as a normal prim could. Last but not least: Bugs. Some reappear after updates and fixes, the constant change of not being consistant with the building tools, and not to mention, prim drift. Heh. The list goes on.

The only reason I'm still here, there's simply not an alternative place to go.

Einsman - I know that the introduction of prim limits was not a restriction for everyone because I have myself as an example. For me it was liberating to be able to have a reliable number of prims to use, and I've used more prims not less since the change. For me the change removed a disincentive to buy land and start a project. Also, not all the uses of unlimited prims were so creative, such as storing them beneath the floorboards

But I'm not trying to dispute your overall point. And recently I was trying to think of which changes have really effected me since I got to SL, as one of the people who just does stuff that interests him and gives it away. The two things I came up with were prims being tied to parcel size and telehubs. I definitely agree with you about telehubs.

Thank you to all who've pointed me to where the beauty still lives in SL. I've visited Lauk's Nest, Chaos, and Eldamar as well as Nexus Prime-not mentioned, but well worth the visit-and I've got all the LMs in a sightseeing folder now so I can show others. Thanks again and if you have anymore suggestions please post them here so that everyone can see.


-Kiamat Dusk
...wandering...