Temporary Themed Sims

I thought Burning Life was probably the single best event in SL since I started last December. It was great the amount of creativity and work that went into projects people knew would disapear in a week.

The format and brevity was a perfect match for the Burning Man concept it mirrored. I was wondering though what other people thought about expanding the concept to other events and/or holidays.

I mean have sims that only show up for a week, limit how much land you can buy, don't charge you taxes for that land, and everything is gone in a week. Could have holiday ones (haloween, 'winter holidays', easter/passover), or match real world events (concerts, elections, expos) or just be a made up theme.

I don't think there should always be one going, but one a month give or take would be great I think. I put it in feature suggestions because I can't think of any way to do it player run right now. After 1.1 features it might be more possible, I don't know.

I'd be all for this! I would love to have sims like that.

maybe surrounding holidays? How about a Halloween set? Same deal, 2.. one mature and one not.

love it!

sounds like a great idea ...... would be alot of fun

Who decides which holidays "warrant" this? You've already thrown out the standard Christian religious holidays. What about holidays for those who are non-christians? Do we do this for the summer/winter equinox? autumn/spring solstice? Ramadan? How about the atheists and agnostics, what themed sim-level events to they get to participate in?

Do we do 4th of July? Cinco de Mayo? VE day? VP day? Most countries in the world have their version of an "independence day" or country birthday celebration.

My point is, in order to do this and not slight any group, you'd basically have to have several (more than 2, if SL grows) sims that were permanently set up, were available for ANY event the landowner(s) wanted to commemorate, and each plot was on a wipe timer, instead of the entire sim.

And then, of course, you have the whole problem with a Pagan member celebrating Yule on the plot right next to a Christian member's Christmas build, during the same timeframe.

How about Hanukuh? (sp) If I'm not mistaken (I might be, I'm not Jewish), the "holiday" lasts for longer than the 1-week "wipe timer" would allow the build to exist. Fasching, Mardis Gras, these are all holidays that have durations longer than a week.

Grim verbalized my concerns much better than I could.

Burning Life got around this by *not* being a holiday, just a festival with no religious connotations.

I like Grims slant on it as well. Burning Life was great fun, but something like that too often might take the novelty away from it and diminish its impact.

I would be all up for Halloween. And, possibly a New Years party. I cant really think of any other appropriate times.

Not being a Christian, but loving traditions of all sorts when they lead to getting together with friends, gift-giving, and celebrating, I'd LOVE to see more temporary sims set aside for events and holidays.

SL is not a part of the government, so the Lindens should feel free to set up whatever celebrations they feel like. Personally I think it would be great to see a winter holiday with a snow-covered sim, and so many Christmas decorations you'd think we were in Japan!

This isn't college either, so frankly being a little politically incorrect isn't going to get you flunked out. There's probably not enough people to generate enthusiasm for every holiday on the calendar, but there just might be in a year or two.

In the meantime, I'd vote for a Halloween sim, and a Christmas or winter sim, Chinese New Year, Mardi Gras, and of course SL Anniversary/4th of July and Burning Man.

We've GOT to have a Mardi Gras festival!!!

Awesome! I think that would be wonderful. Look again at holidays. Many of the holidays are celebrated at similar times of the year because the religions just graft their ceremonies on to the ceremonies of previous religiions. Mid-winter is celebrated in some fashion in many many religions, and i think it would be eye-opening and refreshing to have a mid-winter festival and people can celebrate whatever gets their groove on from paganism to baby Jesus to Santa.

What made the Burning Life festival so fun was that we saw many different interpretations. I would love to break Christmas out of the grip of the Retail Lords and see a Second Life put its own psychadelic spin on it!

Ama, I think this is a good idea. I'm sure there lots of people who didn't get a chance to participate in Burning Life, that don't want to wait another year! Besides different themes will appeal to different people. Some people may be turned off by Burning Man, but be excited by a Renaissance Faire or New Years, etc.

I say, let's try it

yea my suggestion by no means meant every holiday or any specific holiday.

I'd vote for ones that would spur creativity such as Mardi Gras or Halloween.

However its done, if it is done, it shouldnt be too often and the dates should be spread through the year. Maybe, say... once a quarter or even less.

Well, how about a "Festival of Lights", that covers the varying period of Chanukah, Christmas and Kwanzaa (this year from 20 December to 7 January). That way we can certainly share our traditions without giving any primacy. Halloween and Mardi Gras are events which may have their roots in religion, but have been secularized to the point that everyone can feel free to celebrate.

For me, the whole purpose of environments like SL is to have LESS division in humanity... I can't see how allowing specific religions/faiths/cultures/governments their own specific sectioned time will lead to anything but unnescessary (sp?) complications and conflicts. I like the idea of themed sims don't get me wrong. I think the best way to do this would be to wipe the sim by seasons. Four times a year, and let whoever wants to put up whatever display they want within that season in the sim. I think that would keep color and diversity running while allowing everyone to voice themselves, and preventing alienation.
Just my two cents
-Spider

There's some planning going on for themed sims which are somewhere between Burning Life and the "regular" SL. Expect to see more info soon.

As some other posters have suggested - I can't wait to see Halloween in SL this year. I hope all you ghosts, goblins, witches and ghouls are starting to design your costumes.