NY TIMES Article - Neverland, Abbotts, SimCast -

From tomorrow's NY Times Technology Section - you're reading it here first!

Congrats to the Neverland Team, Abbotts Aerodrome (high five!), and the SimCast folks!

SL Life is just getting warmed up!

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Do-It-Yourselfers Buy Into This Virtual World
By STEPHEN TOTILO

Published: November 11, 2004


iN late summer, an armed airborne mechanical moose patrolled the skies of the online virtual world of Second Life. Its intended foe was a gold-armored man who would eventually set ablaze the moose owner's virtual headquarters, a replica of the German Reichstag. This was unconventional warfare even by the standards of massively multiplayer online games, where conflict is common.


What stood out was the ingenuity of the tools and the tactics, all designed and put in place not by a game programmer but by the players themselves. It is just one example of the creative freedom in Second Life, the most unpredictable of online worlds.

Second Life is the scrappy frontier of online games. It is a program of unusual freedoms and such undefined goals that many users call it a video game only for lack of a better term. And since its launch in mid-2003, it has tested the possibilities and limits of unfettered creative freedom.

There are no inherent goals, no monsters to kill, no skills to learn; there is essentially no grand design. The developers on the 25-person team at Linden Lab, based in San Francisco, create the game's virtual terrain and provide basic programming for users to walk or fly their humanoid avatars through this world.

Everything else - the buildings, the clothes, the animation that lets people dance the tango and the 48-acre replica of Peter Pan's London and Neverland, opening this week - is the handiwork of the users, who manipulate in-game design tools to build, animate and otherwise give purpose to the world.

It is also the only online game that officially supports third-party services that convert game money to dollars, encouraging its users to try to turn a profit.

"The only limit to the game is your own imagination," said Karen Huffman, a Georgia native who is one of Second Life's premier clothing designers. She created the costumes for the Peter Pan project.

But the no-limits nature of Second Life has raised some questions for its founders and citizens regarding the allure of unrestrained freedom.

Discussing the Reichstag conflict, a veteran creator of several online worlds, Randy Farmer, who last year consulted for Second Life and is still a fan of the project, said, "Do we want people to be able to firebomb Disneyland?"

The question has an obvious answer in real life. But in Second Life, even antisocial behavior (with a few limits) can advertise the potential of unlimited creativity. Now the question is whether a world defined by such freedom can go mainstream.

A tour through the game's ever growing landmass is a testament to the ingenuity of its mostly peaceful users. Some have built shops and casinos. In one sector someone constructed an extravagant airport where users can purchase the ability to skydive. In another, a series of rooms designed by James Cook, a physician affiliated with the University of California, Davis, lets visitors experience the visual and aural sensations of schizophrenia.

Philip Rosedale, Second Life's founder and a former chief technical officer for RealNetworks, said he had not foreseen most of this. But that lack of design was the design.

He had wanted to build a world of collaborative construction. He had been taken with the idea that many small variables could create a nuanced entity. He and Cory Ondrejka, Linden Lab's vice president for product development, prepared to build their world by studying the growth of a forest fire.

Mr. Rosedale said he was heartened by the 20 percent monthly growth in the game's population. Still, at 15,000 users, Second Life is tiny compared with City of Heroes, this year's most eagerly received massively multiplayer online game, which has more than 150,000 users, according to the game's publisher, NCsoft.

Mr. Rosedale predicts that Second Life can attract a million users in three years, pointing not just to the enthusiasm of his current users but to the $8 million of financing secured last month from the venture firm Benchmark Capital and the founder of eBay, Pierre Omidyar.

One concern, however, is that the program's ballyhooed freedom has proved more effective in drawing customers with an appetite for construction rather than those who - conditioned by video games, TV programs and movies made for them - simply like to consume.

"We don't think the message for a million people is to come and build your own world starting from bricks," Mr. Rosedale said.

So when Nanci Schenkein, 51, of West Orange, N.J., approached Linden Lab with an idea to recreate parts of early-20th-century London and Neverland in the game, Mr. Rosedale agreed to waive the standard rental fee for her temporary use of 48 virtual acres. The hope was that large-scale attractions, which the uncreative masses could simply experience, would draw interest.


The free rent was a significant offer. Second Life (whose game software, available for the PC and the Macintosh, is available as a download at lindenlab.com) charges a one-time fee of $10 for those who enter its virtual borders and want to explore the lively world regularly. Linden Lab generates monthly fees from visitors who rent land, a necessity for builders, whose in-game materials are free but whose creations remain permanent only on land they rent.

The Neverland project's 48 acres would have cost $3,000 at the start and $600 a month after that. As part of the deal, Ms. Schenkein agreed to forgo any profit from the project.

In early October Ms. Schenkein enlisted a far-flung group of 25 people, including a charity worker from Idaho and a night clerk at a hotel in France, to assemble a replica of parts of London and Peter Pan's Neverland. They have created what Mr. Rosedale called a movie on rails.

Neverland represents a growing effort to balance the freedom of the world with some reliably structured experiences. For some Second Life citizens, the motivation to strike that balance stems not so much from attracting visitors as from a frustration with the shape the virtual world has taken.

Michael Parchomenko, 38, of Chicago, was dismayed that so much of Second Life simply emulated reality. So he enlisted two fellow citizens, Nick Brittain and Hugh Perkins, to help create something impossible on earth: a volcano that launches people into a field engineered for treasure hunting and medieval armed combat. In other words, on 32 acres of Second Life land, which costs $400 a month to rent, they built a video game.

Mr. Parchomenko said he planned to open his game, SimCast, to the general Second Life public in a few weeks. He is optimistic. But he, too, has discovered that creative freedom can snap back like a rubber band.

The fact that his game must technically allow its users to build objects on his plot of land has led him to worry that spoilsports can invade with virtual jumbo jets or a flood of boxes. "That's not fun when you're trying to keep a tight ship on a medieval theme setting," he said.

Freedom isn't simple. But Mr. Rosedale can't help but be enthusiastic. "If you take human beings and give them less ways to express themselves, generally their behavior becomes more base," he said.

He then considered the opposite. "Second Life almost unquestionably has more opportunity for self-expression," he said. "And, indeed, this is why we think it's competitive with and in many ways better than real life."

end --

They also show the avalon.GO-GO car in the top right hand corner

Cool artical.

"Mr. Rosedale predicts that Second Life can attract a million users in three years, pointing not just to the enthusiasm of his current users but to the $8 million of financing secured last month from the venture firm Benchmark Capital and the founder of eBay, Pierre Omidyar."


OMG!

Where will everyone sit at Stage 4?

*applauds wildly*

*runs away to prepare for the influx of new people*

Great article! Thanks for sharing, Merwan!

Wow, 1 million users in 3 years.....that's crazy! Anyone like to guess how large the world will be then?

Dude.
We would need 30 to 35 *thousand* sims to accomodate one... million... users.
What's that, the largest cluster ever?
Quick, someone buy stock in LL's colo!

I dont know; but this means LL is planning advertising.

*faints*

Wow!

Excellent work to the person(s) who sent the press release. Or perhaps they also have an embedded reporter.

Great article! What I love most about it is that it's weighted more towards the player contributions than the platform. That's a really positive thing. A lot of the press has been "come make money" or "come play the real estate market." Now, finally, we have one that's "come see the amazing things the community has built" Yay! Mad props to everyone involved.

That is f%$king exciting! woot!

Excellent points, Chip! I agree totally.

Yeah, check out the positions open on Linden Lab's site; I think the PR and marketing ones are new:
http://lindenlab.com/employment.php

Actually the reporter was here interviewing all of us for quite awhile... He came in as a player and had a terrific time.
Thanks to ALL of Spellbound for cooperating as always... Fey and I wish that each and every person was mentioned by name !

Well, if I am going to be mentioned in a newspaper, at least it isn't the police blotter

Caught ya!

Heheh

*rubs hands together* I'ma gonna be real busy tomorrow, but Friday I'll be around hosting SL Basics if they're needed--and I imagine SL will be packed from this media frenzy!

"So when Nanci Schenkein, 51, of West Orange, N.J., approached Linden Lab with an idea to recreate parts of early-20th-century London and Neverland in the game, Mr. Rosedale agreed to waive the standard rental fee for her temporary use of 48 virtual acres. The hope was that large-scale attractions, which the uncreative masses could simply experience, would draw interest.


The free rent was a significant offer. Second Life (whose game software, available for the PC and the Macintosh, is available as a download at lindenlab.com) charges a one-time fee of $10 for those who enter its virtual borders and want to explore the lively world regularly. Linden Lab generates monthly fees from visitors who rent land, a necessity for builders, whose in-game materials are free but whose creations remain permanent only on land they rent.

The Neverland project's 48 acres would have cost $3,000 at the start and $600 a month after that. As part of the deal, Ms. Schenkein agreed to forgo any profit from the project."

Thats kewl for neverland, realy I think its excellent! Also congrats to everyone who was mentioned.

But...

I would like to know why they aren't waiving the fee for all big projects?

Catherine, according to details in this post from Haney, this is something the Lindens are just experimenting with. They seem to be reserving the right to do this sort of thing for other groups if it proves successful.

Kewl Bean Beryl thanks

Catherine
Thanks for our good wishes. I hope that you will come to our project and enjoy. Please let me refer you to last weeks announcement by the Lindens

/3/b4/26390/1.html

Fey and I did approach the Lindens with this idea about supporting large scale events, and actually it was more than only just recently. Now we hope that more groups will have a turn to do as we have done. All new ideas have to begin somewhere & this one began with the Spellbound concept of a large scale fantasy.
We presented a cohesive plan, were willing to fund the project ourselves, (other than land) we get no money, no dwell and can sell no merchandise. Everything is offered to our guests free of charge. This is a pretty amazing offer when you realize that we are offering over 20 avs and costumes, bicycles, weapons etc. In addition, you can come and spend hours having a really terrific time. Everyone involved in the project has put aside their other work in SL to bring this to life for all.
I think that inferring a blanket policy of just funding all large scale projects is taking everythig we have worked so hard for and making it seem pretty unimportant. This was not our first project by a long shot. We have done large scale (full sim) projects before. In addition, we do so many large scale social events. We have the support and good wishes of other people within SL who do the same kind of work as ourselves. They feel we have broken new ground and opened the doors for them to get support as well.

Lets all rejoice this wonderful opportunity and hope that we have done a good enough job that they will keep the program up

yes I read the articles very kewl idea. See that is what I get for having my head focused on prims too much. lol I realy have to get out more

The only reason I said anything was I know the Lindens have said no to other groups looking for support.

I fully support Neverland I think its fantastic that so many ppl gave so much of themselves, truely a selfless act. Admirable!

Take to ya soon;

Cat

Thats fantastic, congratulations!!!!!

I am beside myself nearly speachless even. I keep saying "fantastic" over and over again. I was honored to go see a sneak peek of Neverland and well I think that was several hours ago. ( i am still there lol) I am in awe of the fantasitc layer upon layer of suprizes, builds, av's and things that will knock the socks off of anyone who see's Neverland.

I cannot praise the ppl who created this wonderous place enough. The scripts the music, the immersive affect it will have on ppl. I have never seen a build of this magnitude in SL and dare I say it; I pray it doesn't go away anytime soon.

Fantastic! Everyone should rush to Neverland when it opens and see one of the greatest builds EVER in SL. If you can't get in keep trying!

Neverland is for me a dream come true, it's one of the things I always imagined SL could accomplish. It reminds me that there still are selfless ppl who are still creating for the enjoyment of others. They ask for nothing in return. So much talent and imagination, so much work and determination. This project inspried me and gave me hope. For this I am forever grateful. They gave me more than a nice build you see, they proved beyond any doubts I had that in SL if you dream it you can more than build it you can become a part of your dream.

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!

Catherine Cotton

Cat hugz them all tightly!

Why thankies!

Wonderful article! It really captured the essence of the creative freedom we have here in SL. If I would have read that article, and not already heard of SL, I would have come running!

And I was gifted with a sneak preview of neverland last night. What can I say? Stunning! Wonderous! Fantastic! The details, the activities, the soundtrack, the visual feast, the wonderful costumes and other totally free items everywhere. It is really remarkable. The team that put that together really deserve a loud and extended round of applause! It really showcases what is possible and what SL should and can be. Worlds within worlds, art in virtual space...

As to 3 millions users. Damn..that would be wild.

I explored a little bit this morning. Simply amazing work! So much detail. I can't say enough good things about it and I'll definitely be back. I only saw a little bit of it.