Via Blue’s News I see that Gaming Steve has posted an interview with Spore creator Will Wright. He also provides an accompanying podcast which includes part 1 of a behind-the-scenes interview with the gaming pioneer. Cool. Something to listen to while I work. You can also find a link to the demo video hosted over on GDCTV.
Tag Archives: #virtualworlds
Redefining Brain Dump
File this one in the “too good to pass up” folder. Excerpted from a CNN article:
By 2020 Pearson also predicted the creation of a “virtual world” of immersive computer-generated environments in which we will spend increasing amounts of time, socializing and doing business.
He said: “When technology gives you a life-size 3D image and the links to your nervous system allow you to shake hands, it’s like being in the other person’s office. It’s impossible to believe that won’t be the normal way of communicating.”
That’s actually not what the CNN article is about. But it’s the part you’ll want if the other prediction bears fruit. Guess the next question is: Will this virtual world be another Eden or will it be a Deathmatch Level? Read “Brain downloads ‘possible by 2050’” here.
Hmmmm. Maybe it’ll be more like the set of an Ed Wood flick?
Hype Can Be a Bad Thing
Via the MIT AdLab, Forbes is carrying their own article about advertising in online gaming. From the article:
Lost in the talk this week of the new videogames from Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo is that these consoles will provide an ideal platform for advertisers.
…
Realism is key to many games, and real life is a place where ads and commercial products crop up all the time.
I wonder if that demographic they keep citing and which by now some of us probably have memorized (“18 to 34 year old males with disposable incomes who are increasingly less likely to watch TV”) puts off some corporations – especially those who are neither in the electronics industry nor aware of the particular advantages available to them in this new arena. More importantly, when are they going to start asking where the women are? It’s not like there are no females in games or virtual worlds. I mean, one look at the crap on TV and they can’t believe women are sitting there watching that stuff.
Thiel On Virtual Money
Via Jerry Paffendorf’s SL Future Salon blog entry, comes word that IT Conversations has a 2004 talk posted on their site by PayPal co-founder and former CEO Peter Thiel. The topic: Virtual Money.
Since the bridge between design, virtual product, and personal manufacturing will be largely built as a result of some kind of monetary incentive, it’s perhaps appropriate to begin considering the different avenues by which this incentive will arrive. It’s an issue that’s currently near and dear to me. Even though I’m not particularly interested in money, one still has to pay for this stuff, so I’ll be giving it a listen soon.
Parisi Speaks
Nice couple pages over on C|Net about the (re-)emergence of web 3D in an interview with vr pioneer Tony Parisi. Good article. The only issue I have is this quote from Mr. Parisi:
The bulk of the interface design will come from (the) gaming community, with additional innovation through these proprietary 3D chat worlds. But in most of these chat rooms, there’s nothing to do! You see someone’s avatar, and they’re picking their nose. It’s a piece of glitz attached to text chat. In an application like “Everquest,” you have exactly the same environment design and you’re there to do something. There has to be a purpose.
There is no real “purpose” in Second Life either other than what people who sign on bring to it, yet they somehow either manage to find things to do or not – just like most people do in real life. The assumption that people want to do more doesn’t really jive with what I’m discovering. Not everyone wants to spend their evenings slaying dragons or mining virtual gold or, for that matter, creating virtual content or managing virtual property; alot of people just chat about real life issues. So in that way, these 3D interfaces are more like teleconferencing than gaming. Now that the technology is here, we might discover that most people would rather just talk than fire their BFG’s at each other.
I also wonder if Parisi is aware of the serious discussion going on about open-sourcing Second Life. I mean, how can Linden Labs not be aware of the open source solutions beginning to invade their space… one of the people behind Croquet is giving a virtual talk inside Second Life! Interesting times. Now excuse me while I load Maya and work on a nose-picking animation.