USAToday/CyberSpeak Review of SL and There

This guy doesn't write the best review, kinda hard to follow, SL comes off somewhat negativly in it, not greatly, but theres alot of somewhat negative comments he makes about SL. But it still gets three out of four stars.

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/columnist/edwardbaig/2003-11-11-baig_x.htm

I was especially interested in seeing the ratio of men to women and average age of players in SL and There listed in this article.

I can't help but think that for some players who need more help (hand-holding?) at the beginning of their SL experience, a one-on-one buddy system (like There has) or even an NPC who could guide them through the game for a bit would result in a higher retention rate. Baig's comments about SL being more difficult to negotiate (evidenced by his avatar getting stuck in the ceiling and not knowing how to get down) and "harder to learn and break into" demonstrate this. It also seems to be a recurring theme in media reviews of SL.

Ditto on that idea Beyrl about some form of buddy program or NPC guide for new players..that was one of the very few things I did like when I tried There..(very breifly ..just could not take much more lol). New players are assigned a guide..or any player who wants to gain There points or whatever they are called can assist a new player for an incentive. I try to hang around the newbie area in Ahern at least once or twice a day and assist new people as they come in. Another thing I feel may help retain new players is schedule events and tours at various hours of the day, most events are later in the afternoon maybe some earlier events and tours hosted by Linden staff or Residents on the east coast or europe.

Hrm. I'm not sure if the writer was positive in any regards to either game. I will say this, after reading this article, my opinion of There has gone down a bit.