2. USC runs a project about virtual worlds and public diplomacy and it is their Second Life simulator that this build is placed upon. The build is reached via a "World of City Building" bridge. Displays on the bridge include a discussion of city building game concepts, history, status, WOC concept, diplomacy and city building, city building and virtual reality, and the purpose of the demonstration build.
3. Visitors are welcome and there is exhibit space for other Worlds of SL projects and associations as well. Contact Sitearm Madonna.
USC C4 Demonstration Build and World of City Building Bridge
Welcome to USC Annenberg Island and the Public Diplomacy and Virtual Worlds Center. Our sponsors are the University of Southern California Center on Public Diplomacy and the Annenberg Foundation. Our goals are to explore how virtual worlds can be used as effective tools to bridge cultural gaps, to foster new ways to resolve conflict, and to learn and teach new skills in communicating with each other to build a better world. What you see before you is an evolving USC presence in Second Life to explore the intersection of virtual worlds and public diplomacy. We seek to show that virtual reality is a powerful place to promote cooperation. We respect skepticism but applaud action!
A “City Building Game” is a computer game where players act as overall planner and leader to grow and manage a simulated city, looking at the city from a point-of-view high in the sky. City building games differ from other computer and video game titles in that game goals focus on building a strong economy and high quality of life. City building games include options for complex interactions with other cities, including diplomacy (cooperative trade, exploitive trade) and war (economic build up, invasion, defense). Although military options are included in city building games, a key difference from typical war games is that economic strength and public satisfaction conditions MUST be maintained or war cannot be supported.
Some city building game players have been inspired by the Second Life Virtual World Platform to design “on paper” a persistent online virtual world where players interact with each other through cities they have built and their computer citizens. Players would like to BE selected citizens within their three dimensional builds. A name for this concept is the “World of City Building” Game (WOC). Here you see a demonstration build of a Roman City modeled on the Caesar IV city building game to be released this year (2006). While neither Caesar IV nor Second Life are architected to be a WOC type game, this demonstration shows that it IS possible for city building gamers to become citizens in their own builds.