Carol H Tucker Passionate about knowledge management and organizational development, expert in loan servicing, virtual world denizen and community facilitator, and a DISNEY fan
Contact Me Subscribe to this blog
beladona Memorial Be warned:in this very rich environment where you can immerse yourself so completely, your emotions will become engaged -- and not everyone is cognizant of that. Among the many excellent features of SL, there is no auto-return on hearts, so be wary of where your's wanders...
Second Life is not a game, but if it was, it would be classified as a “sandbox game” – no stated goal, no story supplied by LL to pursue. Of course, Second Life isn’t the only sandbox that relies on user-generated content to keep users coming back – Minecraft has rocketed to preeminence by doing just that, and some people have created pretty stunning works. And both of them do it “in world” as part of an immersive experience without users having to buy and learn third party programs for creation, and unsupported by the owners of the world in which they are creating.
As a matter of fact? The only thing LL does provide in SL are tools, about 95% of the existing content has been totally user-created, with the exception of certain designated Linden areas. Far from supplying support, they charge and charge heavily for the ability to create – without paying for land tier, you don’t have space for your prims, and the more that you want the higher the prices are. As a result, there are many sims that fade away – even ones that are touted on LL’s own destination guide. One of my personal favorites was the Pot Healer Adventure on Numbakulla Island, a MYST-based labor of love that took about ten hours to do correctly if you wanted to solve all the puzzles, with a stunningly complex visual environment, that faded into history when the owner could no longer justify spending $300+ every single month out of their own pockets to keep it going. And on a personal level, I have watched the dwindling of the Five Islands as folks are pinched by economic realities – just recently we lost Piper’s Point, and beladona’s beach had to downsize dramatically because of the monthly fees. But I digress….
My point is that user content is not superfluous to the enjoyment of the world, or the robustness of the marketplace in and around that world. It is, and should be in my not so humble opinion, a prime consideration for anyone who wants to build a platform that engages folks into a level of commitment where they are actually living there and becoming residents. Otherwise? It is a place to wander through, to visit, and it will not be compelling for any longer than it takes to explore what is there, live the story, and get to the end of a game.
----------------------> [User created content takes this and makes it into things like this]
CEOExpress
----------------------> 
