New poll: what do you think of Second Life?
by Volker Weber
I was never really interested in Second Life. So I never registered and all of my experience is second hand. What do you think of Second Life?
- Great potential, here to stay
- Hype, will quickly fade away
- Don't know
And here are the results:
Comments
#2 Hype
Marketing for 2nd life is acceptable, but solution is too proprietary. and the problem still not existing ;-)
Rephrase the question in "What do you think of Virtual Worlds?" and I have an answer. Second Life is just one product of one little company, so I think it will stay, but the potential is however limited.
CB Radio.
You forgot the option "Don't care" :-)
#2.b) Hype - HAS ALREADY faded away
Charles, I have learned that fewer options lead to better poll results. That is why I "forget" options in all polls and leave it to the comments to complain about them. :-)
SL is past it's peak .. beside that, it looks like a game from the early nineties, graphicswise. IMHO.. :-) Their PR machinery is royal, tho.
Conceptually great in certain areas, currently lacking due to platform limitations (of SL).
But you cannot provide a tailored option for each of us so will have to select "Great Potential here to stay" - but will need a better platform to achieve that. (Oh yes you want us to click the option - not go on about it ;) )
I don't care, but I picked #2. I created an account, wandered around and left. I don't see what the point is. It's like WoW without the graphics or the adventure or fun...or like MS Flight Simulator. I don't go online to wander around and talk to people...I can do that in real life. If I'm in a virtual world, there better be dragons or rocket launchers or something.
I don't have enough time for my first life, so I guess that puts me in the "Don't Know" category.
Scott: Very well put. I hat 100% the same experience :-)
As Martin mentioned considering virtual worlds rather than just Second Life, I went with option 1.
I'm not quite sure the current potential of Second Life is huge, but there certainly is potential. 100% agree with Steve on the platform issues, and with Richard on the real life issues!
Its interesting to see that the comments from an IT literate audience are not particularly positive.....
"Firmensterben in Second Life" Artikel in der österreichischen Zeitung "Der Standard".
Virtual worlds are clearly here to stay. Maybe not SL, maybe not in this form, but it's a humble beginning.
From my beliefs I deduce: We, gifted with the same virtues that are usually accredited to something called 'God', have been, and will carry on, creating worlds with ever more detail.
From pragmatism I would think: Once virtualization reaches a good enough detail and interactivity comparable to the reality we currently inhabit, people will have no trouble to meet in some SL-like space. I would think the required level of technology will be reached before we can teleport beings from A to B. Or, if you can hold a meeting effectively in a virtual world, you save travel costs, CO2 emissions, etc.
Volker Kächele and Martin Hiegl and both spot on.
I've spent a good bit of time there. I've done some development, have a few friends, and thus can speak with some knowledge about it.
To wit - It is a giant, very high bandwidth, very pretty chatroom with the added bonus of playing "Dress-Up". I have three daughters. I know the game of dress up when I see it.
That said, it also can be interesting, fun, and as a platform for learning what we'll need to know about virtual worlds to make the next big thing it can be very valuable.
I enjoy wasting time there sometimes in the same way other people enjoy wasting time in WOW or Everquest, etc. Don't mistake it for any real value though.
I see Second Life sort of like the way "The Source" can be compared to the global internet. Its a first step non consumer oriented use of the technology in a new way. What this technology ultimately evolves into won't be much like it, but it will have its roots in things like that.
Well Andrew, what's so bad about "wasting time"? I hope you also enjoy "wasting time" and not making "any real value" (whatever this is) sometimes without SecondLife. ;-)
On the other hand I've seen some things some people would call "real value" created in Second Life and therefore I'm not quite sure where's the difference in living without participation in a virtual world and living participating in one. What I mean: it's like almost every tool ... you can play games with it or you can use it for "real value", if you have the context.
I'm sure the future won't need any screens and no real mouse or keyboard for that matter. Virtual Worlds (Second Life) and the Wii-concept are two examples for the first steps into the 3-dimensional internet. Welcome to the Matrix ;-)
Martin,
I see nothing wrong with wasting time. I just don't see the value in trying to talk yourself into thinking it has business value in any direct sense.
I also think most of the businesses that tried missed the point. I've ranted on a few occasions that a virtual store isn't the point any more than cool virtual buildings. SL is a chat room. It's about people. Success there will need to be based on staffing it full of interesting people.
