What does SL mean to you? What future do you envision for SL?

As the title says there are a few questions I have for ya all about how you see SL.

1) What does SL mean to/for you?

2) What do you see as SL in say 5 years.

3) What would ya like to see SL evolve into in say 5 years? (different from #2)

4) What keeps ya glued to SL?

5) What brought you into SL?

after a few replies I'll give my answers

1) Sl is a way to creativly express my self. Before I would paint, draw, sew, ect ect. Now sl is my primary creative outlet.

2) Hmmmm, i couldnt say, i can only say what i'd hope hehe.

3) Hopefully, a vast world (many many many sims) with amazing graphics, better sond controls, and a bunch of people basically doing the same stuff they are now

4) Well personally every once and a while i gotta step back from sl for a few weeks, cause sometimes you just run out of ideas. But the reason i keep coming back is because i see something irl, in a magizine, or in a movie that i know i could build/make in sl.

5) I found sl on mpogd.com. At first i figured it was a the sims kinda game, but better. It was soo laggy in beta, i had a p3 and 512mb ram, and i think my draw distance was up all the way. I got stuck in a sharp cut of land, that was in the water, and didnt know how to fly yet, lol, so logged off. Thinking to myself ACK! i dunno if i can play that game :/. Played a few more times, and then my old computer spazzed out. the motherboard fried. So had to get a new comp, which took 2 weeks to arive. When I finally got it sl worked great, (p4 768mb, yay! lol). Started building and meating people. The first person I talked to was jennifer linden, she was so nice to me, when i was such a big newb hehe. Wait, im telling my whole sl life here, ok i guess ill stop. But I guess what brought me to SL was the idea of being able to build anything

1) SL, to me, is a sort of utopia where I'm cared for and known. It's a place where I actually stand a chance of making a name for myself... I always hope for the day that someone will come up to me IW, and know about me. That'd be cool.

2) Everything it is, and more, with more (creative) people, and more events.

3) I'd like to see SL evolve into still existing, for one. Something that even those who are not part of it know about. Maybe by then, my friends will actually be able to come IW with me. Oh, and we need a SL convention damnit!

4) The people, mostly... I just feel cared about, and that's something that is often lacking in RL. Plus, I love expressing myself in random ways.

5) I found SL through the TV show "Portal" on G4 (sadly, I don't think there are many portalites left IW). It looked so amazing to me, and so unique. The first thing I ever saw from it was the boardwalk (please don't make it go boom, pleasepleaseplease!!!). That was probably what really got me into SL; the prospect of being able to make anything I want, and seeing that things like the boardwalk had been created. When I first joined, I was completely terified, as I had never really been a part of a MMOG. What made me stay? Kerstin's lotto, and the trivia before...

All I can say is I hope you weren't a brilliant painter, sketch or fiber artist or SL is robbing the rest of the world of your creative skills! <grin> I wonder how much FL art is being diverted by SL? Is Eddie Escher busy building a virtual sculpture at the expense of an analog version that might some day of been displayed at the Whitney? What tragic abortions of artistic works is SL responsible for? The world may never know...
<grin>

1) Its a world where i am free to create and not be so limited like other games. I'm the type who likes to play games for just fun. I don't care about goals, or points(though the leader boards make it look like i do ) I like to have my own unique things, Its rare when i buy stuff in SL, i'll usually just make my own just to have it as my own.

2) In 5 years i think SL will be a pretty well known name by then, even more than the Sims. And be famous for how unique it is and all of the cool poeple in it . We will have tens of thousands of players, with a huge amount of sims.

3) Heh, To play SL you strap yourself into a virtual reality suit and your movement moves your av anyway you like. There will be crouds of people everywhere. And absolutly no lag! There will also be a sim dedicated to the Hippo with big hippo shrines and sacrafice events.

4) Everything it is!

5) I was a very bored and sad little girl. I was stuck on RTCW repeating the same thing over and over again trying to get better and faster each day for my clan. And i made some anime music videos. I longed for some freedom, for a place i could relax and let my imagination run wild. It seemed like fate that day led me to gamespot.com to look for games to beta test. I never usually go to gamespot or look for games to beta test. But i did and i saw SL there. At 1st i thought "hah, this will be one of those too good to be true games" I've run into a few of those before. When i signed up, i thought about it everyday, and researched on it reading the second opinion newsletter. I got very excited. I checked my email everyday till i finally got the invitation to get in. And it took off from there. Now i spend hours in my room on my computer everyday. My parents are getting very worried about me . But tis all well worth it

3. What would I like to see SL evolve into? One word: HOLODECK!

1) What does SL mean to/for you?

An amazing creative outlet and an addiction that I'll have to quit eventually, b/c it's seriously cutting into my real life.


2) What do you see as SL in say 5 years.

In 5 years, if SL is still around, it will have millions of players. And fifty new sims with wackier names than the existing ones.


3) What would ya like to see SL evolve into in say 5 years? (different from #2)

In 5 years, I'd like to see SL with a new holographic interface. Oh and a taste interface. You've seen some cool avatars, but what do they *taste* like?

Oh, and someone will have added more realistic gestures to the avatars, because... hands on hips? What is that? Nobody does that except maybe Superman.


4) What keeps ya glued to SL?

Rubber cement. I've been stuck here for weeks. Ran out of food days ago... someone help!

5) What brought you into SL?

Several months ago, I saw a review of SL online (can't remember where), and I *knew* that I wanted to try it. I've had my fill of FPS games and I'm not very good at roleplaying or strategy. But the thought of building and exploring a virtual landscape sounded too good to be true.

I finally signed up when I saw an ad on Wired.com.

1: A lot more than it should.

2: Everything we want it to be and more.

3: Holodeck.

4: Anything and everything. (Except things that I don't like )

5: www.betawatcher.com I saw pictures and said "Looks like a place to just sorta sit down and relax at." After a couple of days I realized that this was the one thing I'd always invisioned as "The game of my dreams". AKA: "If you could make a game, what would you make?" Second Life was my answer.

1) What does SL mean to/for you?
It's an escape from the dull life of a stay at home mom, a place to be creative and interact with many different people.

2) What do you see as SL in say 5 years.
Will SL become even more immersive through advanced technology? I suspect there is a good chance it will. I also think it will grow in size and population.

3) What would ya like to see SL evolve into in say 5 years? (different from #2)
I'd like to see SL retain the community feel it has now, but with more people and land. I think advanced technology could make for a more immersive experience, as well, but I'm not sure that's completely a good thing.

4) What keeps ya glued to SL?
Stuff to do, people to talk to, Senso to play.

5) What brought you into SL?
I heard about SL through Gwydeon Nomad on the There forums. Buying a lifetime SL membership was an obvious choice for me.

1) What does SL mean to/for you?
Fun place to play with & create 3d objects and meet nice people.

2) What do you see as SL in say 5 years.
New video cards, fatter internet connections and 64 bit servers means sims so fast and free of lag client speed rivals first person shooters like doom 4 and size of the world dwarves any mmorpg to date. Linden Labs gets so rich they buy microsoft and announce an xbox version will soon be released. Activision licenses a few private sims for the massively multiplayer version of doom 5.

3) What would ya like to see SL evolve into in say 5 years?
More: people, builds, scripts, sims, permanent fixtures, events, parties, contests.
Less: tax on things that you don't buy or sell, should only be taxed when you buy&sell items|land.

4) What keeps ya glued to SL?
No strife = FUN. SL is super fun.

5) What brought you into SL?
Bored of all the foul language, trash talk, blame and whining in FPS like RTCW.

Ok I guess it's time for me to answer

1) What does SL mean to/for you?

SL means to me as a good solid network of friends ment to me back in school. But SL is different. There is some remove from the social biases and discrimination that exist in RL. It doesn't matter here what/who you are, what neighborhood you grew up in, what ancestry you have, how rich you or family is etc....

2) What do you see as SL in say 5 years.

What I see SL being in 5 years? Lets start with how I see it now. I see SL now as a Beta for a grander idea dream that Phil has. (dunno if Phil actually has the same view, but this is what it would be for me )

I see SL being the new wave of internet communication, yahoo and msn messenger have nothing on SL. IRC is a joke.
I feel that in 5 years LL will be branching out to different areas of possabilities for SL usage. I see servers being leased out/ or software leased out for coorporate use for meetings worldwide, I see classrooms in schools (kids to adults) being taught worldwide in an SL environment.
As far as its interface evolution, hard to say, the computer market is ever changing. I think we will have 3d holographic interfaces in 5 years maybe, but not quite holodeck capabilities.

3) What would ya like to see SL evolve into in say 5 years? (different from #2)

Pretty much everything in my #2 answer and then some. I'd love to see a holodeck or matrix type interface. I envision a synapse interface helmet that we wear that intercepts our brain signals b4 they get to our sensory input/outputs in our body. kinda like the matrix "plugin" but less physically intrusive. Where we actually live in SL.

But that is dreamin right thats the nature of #3

4) What keeps ya glued to SL?

Definatly have to agree with most here, its the people. I have never seen such a cool bunch in any online environment.
Also the scripting and 3d modeling keeps me here. RL has limits to be able to be creative, that SL far surpasses.
Not to mention I have gained RL knowledge from SL activities.
I came to SL not knowing a lick of programming or 3d modeling. Now look at me .

5) What brought you into SL?

I was with the mother of my son at a prenatal doctor's appointment and while the we were endlessly waiting for the doctor to show I was reading Time magizine. I saw the article on SL and was amazed. I always wanted a virtual reality game that mirrored RL, but never found one. Then I saw that article and was like "Thats it!" So when we got home I signed up and impatiently waited for the acceptance into the beta.
But when I got it I was like no way, me accepted? hehe it took a week for me to actually sign in lol.

I got into SL because Jake Cellardoor, an RL friend of mine, was an enthusiastic and early beta tester. I can't tell you how much fun it is to go out to lunch in RL and gossip about the latest SL controversy or fret about neighborhood politics.

I like Second Life because it's such pure and engrossing play. I'm working on a long term writing project in RL and after a day of intense concentration I find that my usual diversions -- movies, books, exercise -- often are not sufficient to get my head out of the book. I really do need to stop thinking about the project for awhile so I can go back to it fresh the next day, and I'm finding SL does that -- perhaps too well!

The thing which makes SL so appealing is the very quality that often disorients folks coming in from other online environments -- the open-ended, endlessly creative possibilities afforded by building, scripting, and social interaction.

In five years time I see myself interacting online with family members in other cities -- all my tech-mad nephews, surely, but other relatives too, ones who maybe wouldn't be gamers or even heavy computer users but would be able to participate because of advances in hardware and UI. As for what SL will be like, I think that gradually this virtual community will start blending into RL. This will happen in obvious technical ways -- VR interfaces, 3D output devices, the ability to import 3D objects created in other programs -- but also in more subtle, perhaps psychological ways. So that when I try to explain to someone about SL, they won't look at me like I'm a crack addict and deserving of pity -- they'll understand that what I'm doing is participating in a giant open-ended novel that is being simultaneously written by thousands of people all over the world.

1) What does SL mean to/for you?

Sl is my main escape from the (often depressing) daily grind.
I love getting an idea in RL, then getting home and trying to build and impliment it in SL. Most don't work (like my amazing exploding Jenga game) but others do (top secret until they are fnished har har).
In short, SL is the game (nay, experience) I've been waiting for since I got into 3D graphics in the eighties.

2) What do you see as SL in say 5 years.

The defaco standard in virtual interaction and building. Knowing how fast PC and internet technology is progressing, I wouldnt be suprised if we do email/browsing/ftp etc inside the SL environment in five years time.

3) What would ya like to see SL evolve into in say 5 years? (different from #2)

I have to say, the thought of being able to actualy work in SL for a living, getting paid in real money by companies all over the globe for my 3D skills. The company I work for works with dozens of companies worldwide, so really I'd just be swapping my office for a jolly large monitor! (of course, I mean holographic projection matrix hehe)

4) What keeps ya glued to SL?

Insomnia (j/k)

5) What brought you into SL?

I saw an article on a website (can't remember what site I'm afraid) when it was in beta. I must have sent a dozen emails to the Lindens, which got more and more 'begging', asking if I could join, but it was US only.
The day it launched, I realised my old credit card had expired, and I had to wait a week for a new one. Longest week of my life lol!


You do have a big point there Bhodi, which I became immediately aware of when my weekly backups started including less and less 3dsMax and Photoshop work, and my sketch books started gathering dust! I have now found the right balance, although sometimes it can be very hard to say "no, can't play SL tonight, I have to do X instead".
But don't worry about the sculptures... I don't make many in RL! And anyhow, half the things I make in SL couldnt possibly work in RL anyway lol! (latest sculpture included)

A couple of tangential remarks:



Of course, it's possible that some day in the future, the Whitney will be displaying virtual art.

Regarding the various speculations about SL becoming a new mode of Internet interaction, a replacement for the web, etc.: I would love to see this. That is (obviously) the scenario envisioned in _Snow Crash_. The biggest obstacle, I think, is that SL is proprietary. Based on what we've seen in online services in the past, I believe that a public standard like HTML/http, where anyone could host a virtual world and anyone else could visit without paying a subscription fee, is more likely to succeed.

(I'm sure that the Lindens have already thought long and hard about this matter.)

1) What does SL mean to/for you?
fun way to be creative and learn scripting

2) What do you see as SL in say 5 years.
haven't thought that far

3) What would ya like to see SL evolve into in say 5 years? (different from #2)
NO PRIM LIMITS
NO LAG
NO SERVER IS FULL messages when you try to create something - especially annoying when you have a small plot of land, maybe 4 objects and can't try anything else

4) What keeps ya glued to SL?
the possibilities

5) What brought you into SL?
seeing the small review in Computer Games Nov 2003 issue. They rated the major online games and had a 6 pages of smaller online games. this one caught my eye and I liked the idea on the webpage.

(1) For me SL is a _very_interesting_ project to work on. Developing the technology is both challenging and incredibly rewarding.

(2,3) In 5 years I both expect and hope that SL will make significant progress toward photo-realism, with dynamic shadows, volumetric fog, and light scattering. Also: impeccable physics with quantum/approximation effects only visible at about 0.5 cm or less, fully dynamic weather, and animals. All that in a world of 20000 servers or more.

(4) What keeps me glued to SL are the challenges of the project, my workaholic tendencies, the rest of the SL dev team, and the enthused people who enjoy SL every day.

(5) Philip had some ideas.

Yay! I was wondering if a Linden would post on this thread! Nice one Andrew

Ooooh nice one Andrew. I would REALLY like volumetric fog!

Also working mirrors would be wicked cool.




I'm working on Animals myself, but I think that SL could be much more supportive of animal life.