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Second Life Mine Simulation Receives an Emmy Nomination
An anonymous reader writes "The Virtual Mine, an interactive simulation set in the virtual world of Second Life designed to examine the effects of mountaintop coal mining, has been nominated for an Emmy Award for new approaches to news and documentary programming. From the article: 'The Virtual Mine allows visitors to take a closer look at the challenges of balancing the environment, power demands, and economic interests by inviting them to take part in a story as it unfolds through a series of three games. While it was created with educators and students in mind, the games can be played in groups or by individuals alike.'"
... if they used Minecraft.
Working...
...someone did something remotely interesting/useful with Second Life. Congrats to them.
Insert Sig Here
They should have simulated their server load on Second Life, as well...
Do any of the simulations let you decide how to rip apart the township where you're mining?
You know like send out two different letters to townspeople in order to play them against the local township that's seeking to put regulations on your drilling? Maybe imply that if the people who hold mineral rights don't get a huge chunk of cash from your business they can sue the township board?
Maybe refuse to meet with the township and just turn their own people against each other just so you can drill without local permission?
Because after reading about Mount Pleasant in Pennsylvania, I really have to wonder where someone gets that particular skill to be such a ruthless asshole.
My work here is dung.
The virtual mine homepage is here.
In the video (spoiler alert!), after players accomplish the three stages of the challenge (extracting coal, 'conserving energy' by turning off electric devices in town (including stoplights??), and constructing alternative energy devices, they go to the town square for a celebratory country ho-down. No joke.
A video game got nominated for an Emmy. Say it isn't an art form now.
Er, vocode it....
Crap.
Am I the only one who thought "landmines" when reading the title?
All the world's a CPU, and all the men and women merely AI agents
I live solely for the moment that something barely intersects with mining on Slashdot. Mining forums? That's for chumps. I spread Rock's word on the very website that is rife with unbelievers.
Either that's the case OR -- and stay with me here -- I heard the very recent This American Life on NPR, got online to read up on it myself and somehow recalled that brief investigation when I read this in the article:
It was created to to educate, explore, and examine our nation’s struggle with mountain top removal coal mines, coal fired power production, and alternative energies ...
And I thought I might relay this very recent dispute to the readers.
That last possibility is just far too absurd though.
I apologize for trying to remind everyone about the present and ongoing human factor in mining -- even non-mountain top destroying mining.
My work here is dung.
I know IBM got all excited about Second Life for the same reason, but really, what is the benefit of this over, say, Skype?
Granted, I'm happy you've gone with something which is nominally open source, but I use Skype only as an example. Why do you need an entire 3D world to share your 2D slides and chat?
Don't thank God, thank a doctor!
Yes, that would have been a hoot for the Emmy board. *sssSSHHH* "...My CAT 5230!"
I believe in the cake.
You mean there are still people who play that who aren't 50+ year old house wives? Since when? I seem to remember reading not too long ago how the average SL user only stays logged in for a very short period of time, something like 5-10 minutes.
"I hope you know how very lucky you are to know me, because I am so incredibly incredible."
How about "The Incredibly Dangerous Process of Drift-Mining: Strip-Mining's More Eco-Friendly Cousin" and "Daily Life Without The Electricity that Coal Fire Plants Produce"?
SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
There were four options.
For some reason I heard that in Patrick Stewart's voice. "There were FOUR options!"
They say a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, but it's not one half so bad as a lot of ignorance. - Terry Pratchett
Form an away team! Number one, you have the bridge.
Having just hit my 5th year in SL yesterday, what we call a "Rezday" I really ought to respond.
It's not 50+ year old women....it's 25-35 year old women. :-) They're probably the biggest subgroup of users now, and drive the SL economy, and everyone knows it.
The report you saw probably dealt with the amount of time a new user stays after first logging in, the retention rate is low, in part because SL is very complex and there's not really any handholding quest givers like WoW has, so newbies are overwhelmed. If they're lucky, they'll run into a friendly oldbie who can give them pointers, or have come in with the help of a friend. If they make it over what some of us call "The Hump" then they tend to have long sessions, probably averaging and hour and a half to two hours. But the real heavy users can probably doing the equivalent of "serious but not hardcore" WoW hours.
It was just nominated. That doesn't mean it's going to get one.
as the software engineer behind the project, i'd be happy to answer any nerd-questions you might have. for example - the code was around 7000 lines of LSL.
It might also have something to do with having crap for gfx that would have been subpar even 10 years ago. If they want to be even remotely serious about gaining new audience they should invest in a graphics engine upgrade. I can forgive sloppy graphics if it has great gameplay, and even sloppy gameplay if it has great graphics, but having the worst of both and it will go no where.
Actually they are about to release 3d model import as a new feature, along with improved lighting and shadows, so yes, they are upgrading the graphics.
It might also have something to do with having crap for gfx that would have been subpar even 10 years ago.
That's hyperbole, since one of the biggest selling games of 2001 was Diablo II, #1 was the original version of the Sims, neither of which match SL graphically. When was the last time you used SL anyway? You do know it looks the way it does because EVERYTHING is dynamic and can change at a moments notice, there's no "fixed assets" like in a traditinal game. It isn't like Tribes or something where shotgun wielding Power Armor clad grunt #1 looks exactly like shotgun wielding power armor wearing grunt #221
I can forgive sloppy graphics if it has great gameplay, and even sloppy gameplay if it has great graphics, but having the worst of both and it will go no where.
SL isn't a game, it's a virtual sandbox environment. It shouldn't be compared to games, at all