Reuters Pulls Out of Second Life, Army Heads In

A little over two years ago, Reuters made headlines by setting up a reporter as a go-between for Second Life and the real world. Now, they've evidently decided that the buzz is no longer there, so they've ended the virtual-reporting experiment. The reporter, Eric Krangel, offered his own take on the situation, and what he thinks Linden Labs could do to make Second Life a better place. Whether or not the advice is taken, the US Army has decided to carve out its own presence in the virtual world by setting up a pair of islands that will function as recruiting tools. An article at Massively suggests that interest in Second Life is still high among a variety of organizations, saying, "at present it appears that more businesses are coming in than going out."

Comments

Second Life?..

[Sparton]

And strangely, I still don't know anyone that uses Second Life.

And for that matter, I'm fairly certain there's a lot of people I know that don't even know what Second Life is.

Re:Second Life?..

[v1]

a lot of people I know that don't even know what Second Life is

Count me in. I assume it's a followup of some sort to Half Life?

Re:Second Life?..

[cliffy2000]

And for that matter, I'm fairly certain there's a lot of people I know that don't even know what Second Life is.

Actually, there's a lot of people I know that don't even know what a first life is.

Re:Second Life?..

[Kneo24]

Isn't it that game where you use real life money to buy virtual items, like a couch, house, or a virtual whore so you can ruin your marriage?

Re:Second Life?..

[buswolley]

I tried Second-Life, then I discovered that it was Boring-Life.

Re:Second Life?..

[A nonymous Coward]

I know people who aren't even conceived yet. I meet millions of them every day.

Re:Second Life?..

[extrasolar]

Count me in. I assume it's a followup of some sort to Half Life?

Not at all. It's the reciprequel.

Sorry, I know. But sometimes, if it's a math joke, it doesn't matter how lame it is.

Re:Second Life?..

[mjwx]

Actually, there's a lot of people I know that don't even know what a first life is.

Otherwise known as WOW subscribers.

Actually,

[michfreak]

My university uses Second Life quite often to advertise. I'm currently involved in setting up a few little modules for our virtual campus that will run alternatives to real-world programs, like an RA training area, a fake Greek are for training on running a legal party, and a freshman orientation area that teaches them the code of conduct. The university is very excited about it, and expect lots of people to use these locations in the future. Of course, I think it's all a bunch of crap, but hey, I get to pass the class if I do this.

Re:Actually,

[ultranova]

The brass here also thinks SL might be big some day, and that distance education will happen via SL. I think they're bonkers and should be focusing on video-phone type software instead.

If you think about it for a moment, SL (and virtual worlds in general) is a video-phone type software. Oh sure, it will probably go belly-up eventually, just like early attempts at something usually do; but it still pays to experiment with virtual worlds now that they're still in their infancy. It's better to get your beginner mistakes done with when there's still relatively few people watching, and you can blame it on flaky technology ;).

Virtual worlds, from Worlds of Warcraft to Habbo Hotel, are a rising trend. We humans are a social species and as such find talking to people rewarding. Slashdot itself is a testament to that: the articles are simply an excuse to get the discussion started. Virtual worlds are chat clients with more or less chrome and shiny bits bolted on; of course they are popular. And those shiny bits make it possible to appeal to other human drives too, such as desire for sex (SL) or power (WoW), so they are going to get ever more popular.

The only things missing is a general, open protocol allowing multiple compatible clients, and a decentralized (P2P) server, which can be ran without big bucks. Once those bits are filled in, we'll get a cyberspace.

I use Second Life

[Anonymous Coward]

I signed up over 2 years looking for an enhanced chat room. SL allows me to create the atmosphere I used to describe to people in chats. I now own a Coffee House and a Mall and make about $60 US per month. Not bad for my $72 annual fee, most of which I get back in the weekly stipend.

I think it's probably hard at this point to sell First Life products via SL, it is common that people bring their skills and personalities in. The $$ now is made by people selling virtual land and products.

Second Life's growth is almost EXACTLY like the growth of the internet. CompuServe, AOL, et al were closed systems that were slow and very limited. Companies came in and out trying to find out if there was any point to the experiment. Geeks ruled. Later on, artists and educators, and yes, the PORN industry, made the WWW more interesting and useful.

I could go on and on... the parallels are all there.

Re:I use Second Life

[QuantumG]

uh huh. I went through university in the late 90s, significantly after the peak of MUDing. The MUD playership was something like 100% of the first years and dropped off to something like 50% by third year. From what my younger friends tell me, that's still the case. MUDs are a fundamentally different kind of time wasting to WoW and other MMOs. They've always been popular, and they always will be.

Been "playing" for a few years now

[LurkingOnSlashdot]

It was really cool for about half a year at the beginning as I built all kinds of things, but then I just fell away from it and now only occasionally check in to see what's new. The game really has progressed since when I started.

Gone are all the casino's, pedophilia sex areas and ad farms. The place seems a lot less populated now as well. I never see anyone in my neighborhood anymore.