New World Notes

WATCH: Learning Virtual World Community Building Lessons from Palia, the Popular Cozy MMO

After blogging about Palia's design mechanics for growing community earlier this month, and Dr. Ruth Diaz's thoughts on them, I got a chance to join Dr. Diaz on an embedded journey into Palia. Watch our tour above! Though you won't hear me speaking due to a technical glitch, I'm interviewing Dr. Diaz as she explores the world, with our core focus being: What Palia features should open non-MMO virtual worlds learn and try to emulate? 

To that question, Dr. Diaz points to the Flow Tree Grove ritual (at around 52 minutes in), where players on the same server meet to harvest these magic-infused trees.

"The Flow Tree Grove Ritual is the most impressive feature in many ways," she tells me. "It takes building a generous culture in the rest of the app, during the rest of the time people play, to make that a regular phenomena, work."

As she notes during the video, Palia players have come up with their own social principles around how to harvest these trees so that they may be shared: "[Palia development studio Singularity 6] have designed this game so cooperatively, that the community has built their own collective rule on how to enjoy something together with delayed gratification."

She even thinks the harvest ritual has become core to MMO's long-term success. "It's like a fruit of the whole Palia tree," as she puts it. "If this gets toxic their game is going under."

For myself, I was impressed by the cooking game (around 18 minutes in) where players are rewarded for working together to cook a single recipe within a certain time frame. That in itself encourages cooperation and community, and then at the end -- well, everyone knows the most fun and the best conversations at a house party happen in the kitchen.

More about that on her blog, such as how Palia's narrative informs the user community building:

SLCreator Survey: What OTHER Questions Should I Ask Besides These?

I'm starting to prepare my much-anticipated report on the state of the Second Life economy for 2025 -- a follow-up to this report from last year -- and it will include an anonymous survey sent to SL merchants.

Below are the questions I'm planning to ask. Are there other burning queries I should include?

Cajsa's Choices: Easter Season SL Screenshots -- Silly, Sacred, and Sweet

Cajsa Lilliehook covers the best in virtual world screenshot art and digital painting

While browsing all the Happy Easter pictures of friends and relatives with their kids hunting for eggs and the laden tables of Easter dinners, I thought it was a good idea to see what Second Life residents had to offer. Second Life Easter was much more interesting, if I do say so myself. Leonorah Beverly’s “Happy Easter” is not quite in sync with the usual pastel sweetness you usually see, but that makes it interesting. I love that she takes such a departure from the expected. It is a fun picture. 

For more of Second Life Easter, click here:

Top 6 Posts Including: New Massive Virtual World Tech, Visiting a Mysterious Sexy Bot Island & a Huge Majority of SLers Call for Regulation of Gen AI

• On my Patreon: Linden Lab’s Mysteriously Abandoned Islands of Bot Bedrooms in Second Life. UPDATE: Linden Lab Replies, Calls Bot Islands "Low-Key Test"
• WATCH: Can Second Life Grow Without Being Marketed as a Game?
• Compare/Contrast: Sims 4 Speed Build vs. Meta's "Faster" Gen AI Tools
• Flat World Rising: PMR's Cardboard Avatars Top Seller on SL Marketplace, First Flat Town Shopping Event Starts This Weekend
• SL Marketplace Survey: Over 85% Want New Regulations of AI-Made Content; Majority Want Mandatory "Contains AI" Tag
• Watch: Quark Multiplayer Promises Massively Scaled Virtual Worlds

WATCH: Can Second Life Grow Without Being Marketed as a Game?

Bumped up for weekend watching and discussions. Originally published on my Patreon

SL YouTuber Prisqua Newall and Hari Sutherland (author of Second Life's first coffee table book) recently invited me to have this fun debate (watch above!) about ideas for growing the user base of our favorite virtual world. We touch on a number of strategies, variations of which have been tried before (including themed welcome areas).

Somewhat hilariously, we end up agreeing on one that hasn't yet been tried: Pay people to join Second Life. Or more specifically, give YouTube/Twitch/TikTok etc. influencers an affiliate cash reward for getting their followers to become SLers over a certain period of time. There's already a number of influencers who stream SL along with other virtual worlds. (One, Carmen King, has over 1 million followers.) Their fan bases already have an incentive to join them in-world for fun events, and because their stock in trade is live video, they can help these new users get over the various tech/UX hurdles they'll inevitably come across. So it's definitely worth trying!

My own focus is on presenting/marketing Second Life as a sandbox sim game, to go after the people who already play similar virtual worlds/sandbox games. As you can see by the adamant viewer comments in the YouTube video, the term "game" rubs many the wrong way.

"[We’re] still debating what Second Life actually is," as Prisqua puts it. "And judging by the comments on my channel, people are really offended by it being called a game … like, passionately so."

It's totally fine that many (if not most) users refuse to call Second Life a game. I suspect we're dealing with an unbridgeable generation gap, not of age, but experience -- those who grew up with online games already know they're also a special kind of social/community space where real relationships are fostered and formed. Those who did not tend to see games as being trivial or kids stuff and definitely not worth their time, so take personal umbrage when Second Life is branded as one.

All that to one side, the fact remains: By refusing to market/present Second Life as a kind of sandbox simulation game, Linden Lab is giving up on the easy opportunity to grow the user base by many millions of users who are already intimately familiar with similar products, i.e. gamers. (Second Life still not being on Steam being the most obvious example of that sin of omission.)  

Anyway, here's Prisqua and Hari's takeaways from this chat:

Cajsa's Choices: SL Flickr Artist Favorites from a Creator Called Infinity

Cajsa Lilliehook covers the best in virtual world screenshot art and digital painting

∞ (yes the infinity sign) is a new-to-me account whom I discovered in Vyka Coy’s favorites in this third, and last, leg of the FaVes Game. She is  someone who documents her life in Second Life. Her stream has no other purpose other than showing her friends, her home, her travels, and sharing her joys. Sometimes it seems that we are all taking pictures with a secondary purpose from vendor ads to blogging features to art projects. ∞ is taking pictures for the fun of it, sharing her life with us. I love this picture. The bike is so romantic with the stack of books and gathering of flowers. She’s taking a break, looking at the traffic on the river. I can’t wait to see who is in her Favorites. 

So who is next? To see, click here:

Compare/Contrast: Sims 4 Speed Build vs. Meta's "Faster" Gen AI Tools

I've asked this before, but here I go again: What's the point of prompt-based world building, when we already have many multiple 3D building tools which are user-friendly, feature-rich, and, well, fun? This point must be repeated, since Meta is currently promising we can build faster and smarter with GenAI Tools in Meta Horizon Worlds:

Today, we’re excited to follow up on that commitment by expanding access to the desktop editor and its GenAI tools into the UK and Canada in addition to the US. These tools dramatically reduce development time from weeks to as little as hours; accelerating the ability of creators to translate their visions into high-fidelity worlds that users love.

Watch the demo above. It makes me wonder if anyone at Meta has ever watched a speedbuild video before. Because here's one from a Sims 4 user who's not only building about as fast and with the same quality output, but enjoyably chatting as she does:

Flat World Rising: PMR's Cardboard Avatars Top Seller on SL Marketplace, First Flat Town Shopping Event Starts This Weekend

Flat town pic courtesy Novel Events

The cardboard avatars of Salt Pepper have already evolved from an April Fool's prank into a social phenomenon; now, I can report they're also an economic powerhouse in Second Life. The PMR and accessory skin have been among the top ten selling items on the Marketplace since last weekend (see below), their lo-fi displays a refreshing contrast to the super model avatar upgrades which usually dominate the economy. (And culture.)

Even more notable, PMR creator Salt Pepper tells me, the cardboard avatars continue to be popular even though she's no longer offering them for free. Now priced at L$555 (about $2 USD), Salt tells me she's sold well over 2000 copies over the last few days.

Just as notable: PMR is having its first sales event/hunt this weekend, starting April 19th at 3PM SLT, inevitably dubbed: Flat-Out Fun.

Hosted by Novel Events (follow on Facebook for updates), it comes with its own flat paper-based town in Second Life, quickly created by Alice Tartaglia:

What Specialized Virtual Worlds Should the Virtual Worlds Museum Track?

I'm still working with Julian Reyes and his Virtual Worlds Museum to compile the most comprehensive list of virtual worlds online. Now that we've compiled this list of sunsetted virtual worlds, we're updating our next category: Specialized. 

In our definition, Specialized virtual worlds fall roughly into this category:  

Virtual worlds primarily created for Education/Training, Meetings, or other Enterprise use cases -- or social worlds with limited access due to narrow usage or limited platform / geographic availability, or other barriers to entry.

So for example, Breakroom falls in the Enterprise category, while ZEPETO falls in the latter category, as it's a social virtual world that's mobile only, and mainly used/marketed to a South Korean user base.

See the (mostly) whole list below. We're also adding open source virtual worlds to this category, but that'll be in the next edition.  

Cajsa's Choices: Playing the SL Flickr Fave Game to Find New Follows

Cajsa Lilliehook covers the best in virtual world screenshot art and digital painting

Tabitha Schnyder is a new-to-me discovery in Wind Moonstone’s favorites. I ended with Wind in yesterday’s column with the first installment of the Faves Game. Tabitha is a fashion blogger. I like this picture of her. The wet hair is a nice touch. When I began in Second Life, swimming pools, lakes, and oceans had this uncanny ability to keep your hair dry. It was kind of like the rain in Oregon in which you can walk about for an hour without getting wet.  

Now who will I find in Tabitha’s faves?

For more of the FAVES game, click here:

SL Marketplace Survey: Over 85% Want New Regulations of AI-Made Content; Majority Want Mandatory "Contains AI" Tag

Here's the results of last week's Gen AI survey, which I took in the run-up to Second Life's official "AI & the Future of Our Virtual Community" town hall happening this Friday.

The results are pretty unambiguous: A massive majority of over 85% surveyed want some kind of regulation against gen AI-made content in the SL Marketplace, with a majority (54%) choosing this option as the one they agree with most: REQUIRE merchants tag their content as having "No AI" or "Contains AI". (Presumably this would be self-enforcing by the user community)

I reached out to Linden Lab for their commentary on these regulatory options, and they told me they'll include these survey results in their upcoming AI town hall. I'm told the event will probably not include any new announcements, and is more of a user feedback session -- and, well, this survey is that. 

Given the heat and controversy over the topic, I'm actually somewhat surprised that was the most preferred option. By contrast, only 1 in 4 chose the most draconian option: BAN all Marketplace content that contains generative AI, enforced by Linden Lab staff (23.8% chose that). Maybe few chose this for technical reasons: my impression is it would be highly difficult if not an impractical lost cause to scan content for suspicious signs of gen AI, which is probably why few respondents chose this option.

It's also in keeping with the community's values around player choice. As an anonymous reader put it somewhat sardonically:

Watch: Quark Multiplayer Promises Massively Scaled Virtual Worlds

Quark Multiplayer is a new networking engine showing off the ability to deploy worlds/experiences with thousands (and thousands) of concurrent users in the same space. Coming soon to an SDK for Unity and Unreal, you can apply for Early Access here.

It's a project from new-ish UK start-up MetaGravity, I'm not too familiar with the team, but I like what they're trying to accomplish. And the site has more technical background on what they're building:

Cajsa's Choices: SL Artist Claire Vuissent & Two of Her Own Favorites

Cajsa Lilliehook covers the best in virtual world screenshot art and digital painting

Claire Vuissent’s self-portrait of herself as a photographer made me smile. I love her work and have since someone recommended I follow her back in 2023.

I often look at people’s Flickr faves to find new people to follow and thought it’s been a long while since I played my Faves game where I hop from one person’s faves to the next. If you want to play, too, the only rule is you keep looking at their faves until you find someone who is new to you. So whom did I find among Claire’s faves? 

For new-to-me faves from Claire, click here:

Photorealistic Bodies Turned the Culture of Second Life Into a Gross Mirror of Exactly What Should Be Left in RL (Comment of the Week)

Good conversation on the post about making realistic mesh humans SL's main default avatar type. 

Reflecting on their own experience, Ghost Bird writes:

This drove me away from SL. The focus on photorealistic bodies turned the culture into a gross mirror of exactly what should be left in RL: misogyny, racism, classism, sexualisation and, ironically, materialism. Abstract, whimsical avatars and spaces obviously aren't free from bad behaviour, but I am convinced stylisation helps and photorealism hurts when it comes to socialising and community-building in virtual spaces.

I just visited the official Second Life homepage and was surprised to see it totally cramped with realistic mesh humans -- specifically attractive males/females in their 20s (as above) like a crew roadtripping to Coachella. (I.E., highly privileged people from California and/or who can afford thousands of dollars to travel there and attend Coachella.) Used to be there would be a smattering/token appearance of non-humans on the SL website but I'm not even seeing any of those at the moment. 

 Luther Weymann argues a large part of the SL community has not bothered upgrading anyway:

Top 6 Posts Including: Early Look at GTA-esque Metaverse Platform HELIX, the Problem With Photorealistic Human Avatars, and the Rise of Cardboard Ones in Second Life

• Here's How Making Realistic Mesh Humans SL's Main Default Avatar Type Has Hurt Second Life
• Watch: Sneak Preview of HELIX, Upcoming Metaverse Platform Gunning for Grand Theft Auto's Huge Mod Community
• Survey: How Should Linden Lab Regulate Generative AI in Second Life's Online Marketplace?
• inZOI's UGC Canvas Already Full of IP-Infringing Content -- Including Sims 4!
• Cajsa's Choices: Mr. G Creates Deceptively Simple Images That Pack Incredible Power
• BREAKING: Project Mesh Revolution's Cardboard Avatars Evolve from April Fool's Prank into Genuine Second Life Social Phenomenon

Here's How Making Realistic Mesh Humans SL's Main Default Avatar Type Has Hurt Second Life

Image by Susanne Drechsler

Since the flat avatars of Project Mesh Revolution have provoked quite a lot of buzz -- but also, a fair amount of anger from SLers who were expecting a standard mesh body -- here's an apropos excerpt from Making a Metaverse That Matters.

While many people in the virtual world industry buy the myth that ultra-realistic human avatars should be the end goal, my reporting about what they did to Second Life suggests otherwise. Here's the excerpt:

Myth: Photo-realistic human avatars and world graphics are the Metaverse’s end goal

This is a favorite myth among metaverse advocates who consult or work for companies producing 3D graphics cards, 3D development software, and 3D engines.

There is actually no proven relationship whatsoever between the popularity of a metaverse platform and photo-realistic graphics. Despite this, a wealth of metaverse startups and platforms frequently announce new plans to roll out ever more realistic environmental graphics, and ever more eerily human-like avatars.

The very most popular platforms, Minecraft and Roblox, are intentionally low-fi, immersive through their physics and responsiveness. Their whimsical avatars are similarly abstract. 

Why this is likely relates to their core user base: People in their teens and pre-teens, who are often still uncomfortable and unsure about their own real life identity and appearance. This seems even more acute for teen girls and young women, still negotiating the social expectations and judgements around their real life presentation; presenting them with a lifelike avatar to customize is effectively asking them to take even more social expectations and judgements. 

We also have something of an opposite proof point.

At launch, Second Life avatars were human by default but not realistic. The internal prim creation tools encouraged the construction of avatar attachments (robot helmets, furry tails, etc.), which led to a wide variety of avatar types and environments to explore.  

The arrival of mesh in Second Life in 2010 -- high resolution 3D files created in offline software and then uploaded into the virtual world -- greatly changed this dynamic: 

Watch: Sneak Preview of HELIX, Upcoming Metaverse Platform Gunning for Grand Theft Auto's Huge Mod Community

Originally published on my Patreon

HELIX is an upcoming metaverse platform powered by Unreal 5 that I've been tracking for quite awhile, and the folks at developer Hypersonic Laboratories just sent me this video showing off its many features. Some highlights that jumped out at me:

• You can build a map as large as Manhattan. (Which they already did, on 1:1 scale.)

• Sandbox mode enables SL/Minecraft-style, live multi-player building.

• Highly customizable avatars including animal/monster/anime/etc. options. (Though the video unfortunately only shows off various dudebros.)

The overall vibe is very much GTA Online-meets-metaverse platform, and that's by design:

While more mainstream gamers are super excited by the highly anticipated but long-delayed release of GTA VI, the modding community has been building on GTA V in impressive ways. FiveM, an astoundingly popular modification of the game created by community developers, usually attracts more players than the official GTA Online on Steam.  

In fact, Hypersonic is actively reaching out to GTA modders to help build the HELIX creator community -- and is even signing up creators who've been dissed by Rockstar along the way. From the official announcement they also sent me:

Survey: How Should Linden Lab Regulate Generative AI in Second Life's Online Marketplace?

As controversy over Generative AI content in Second Life continues, here's a survey on how Linden Lab should deal with the subject in the online Marketplace. Choose the option you support MOST (or disagree with the least).

In one option, creators have a choice of tagging their content as having "no AI" and use that as a selling point. (And since it's a voluntary option, creators could still use gen AI and fib about it -- and risk getting called out on it by the community.)   

In another option, creators must label their content as either having "No AI" or "Contains AI".

In still another option, gen AI is banned outright, and Marketplace users can flag suspect content for investigation by Linden Lab, with various penalties if it's confirmed to have AI.

Cajsa's Choices: Gorgeously High Contrast Black & White SL Photos by Squeeze

Cajsa Lilliehook covers the best in virtual world screenshot art and digital painting

Squeeze’s untitled picture fascinated me. It seems like a crown of thorns but is it blowing apart or coming together? Her face is downcast so perhaps it is assembling on her head. Either way, it is a fascinating concept. Her stream is dominated by black and white, though there are some color pictures, too. There are several gorgeous headshots, some as striking as this and other beautiful ones. 

For more of Squeeeze’s work, click here:

inZOI's UGC Canvas Already Full of IP-Infringing Content -- Including Sims 4!

Update, 10:35pm: To add some more background to this, IP brand lawyers have historically gone after users who've uploaded virtual world UGC recreations of their brand/copyrighted material as here and also here.

Since its March 27th Early Access launch on Steam, life simulator/UGC platform inZOI from KRAFTON is already a solid hit, selling an estimated 750,000-1.5 million copies.* The UGC side is also highly active, with thousands of users uploading content to inZOI's user-to-user creator platform Canvas, where players can upload and download content created with the game's studio tools. (Tutorial for doing that yourself after the break.)

As virtual world blogger Alicia Chenaux just noticed, Canvas is already crawling with IP-infringing content:

Yeah, Second Life designers are 100% going to end up with their creations ripped and put into the InZoi Canvas thing. (Canvas is like their TS4 style gallery where you can download custom content.) I already see a lot of Sims 4 items. And a TON of IP stuff. lol Like, I opened up Canvas and immediately saw Miu Miu bags, Burberry clothes, Fendi, Vuitton, etc. So that's a thing.

I just opened up Canvas and can also confirm that, yes, that's a thing. (Sims 4 content in the screengrab above; I searched for some well-known SL brands, but so far, nothing there I can see.)

I'm somewhat surprised popular IP brand names aren't automatically filtered out in the Canvas upload process, but inZOI's fan content guidelines does warn, "As a creator, it’s your sole responsibility to obtain permission from any third party whose IP you plan to use for your Content." I assume that means if a lawyer from Burberry or whoever sends KRAFTON a nastygram, KRAFTON is passing it on to the user who uploaded Burberry content.   

I hope the brand owners don't sicc lawyers on inZOI creators, and instead see this as a great grassroots marketing opportunity. Then again, I doubt Electronic Arts is happy to see its Sims brand -- a direct if now-lagging competitor to inZOI -- being co-opted on Canvas. Anyway, I've reached out to Krafton for an official comment on the topic.   

That aside, watch the Canvas tutorial below. It's quite an impressive and growing UGC platform already, which will help insure inZOI's popularity.

Listen: Making a Metaverse That Matters Isn't About Replacing Reality, But Offering a Better Way of Being Together Online (Legal4Tech Podcast)

Here's a fun interview I did recently with Legal4Tech, a podcast/news site exploring the regulatory issues around technology, especially from an European Union perspective. My favorite highlight is getting into the question, "Is the Metaverse meant to replace reality?" Because my answer is, roughly, No, it's meant to replace the toxic crap on TikTok, X, Facebook/Instagram, etc. that make us feel bad about ourselves and each other. Hope you give it a listen!

Cajsa's Choices: Mr. G Creates Deceptively Simple Images That Pack Incredible Power

Cajsa Lilliehook covers the best in virtual world screenshot art and digital painting

Known as Mr. G. takes deceptively simple pictures. There are few elements, usually his avatar and a relatively barren landscape of sand, rocks, and sometimes ocean. He eschews the bucolic, tamed landscapes of pastures and cottage gardens.  In his work, the landscape is vast and powerful. His avatar is often quite small in the distance. 

In “What Do You Want From Me?”, he’s closer to the viewer and yet still you sense the power of the land. The wind batters and blows his clothing about. There is this constant in his work, appreciating the awesome power of the land. There is no sense that he is out to conquer the land, but just to see and acknowledge it like a man on a pilgrimage. 

For more of his work on the wild side of SL, click here:

BREAKING: Project Mesh Revolution's Cardboard Avatars Evolve from April Fool's Prank into Genuine Second Life Social Phenomenon

Originally published on my Patreon

Longtime SLer Ciaran Astral was in a hopping club last Sunday when they realized an unexpected thing: Though surrounded by upwards of one hundred avatars, they were dancing and socializing in a space free from lag. (Watch above!)

"It was amazing," as they recall it now. "I remember saying to someone, 'Holy crap there's this many people, and I have 150fps."

But it wasn't just a matter of feeling liberated from lag:

"It reminded me of the old days of Second Life," Ciaran tells me. "Loads of people making silly fun stuff and either giving it away for free or just charging a tiny amount for it -- makers coming together to create a community event, a sort of 'DIY it, let's have fun' atmosphere." (Ciaran created the cardboard club, of course.)

All this was possible, because everyone in the club was outfitted in the new Project Mesh Revolution mesh avatars -- low poly cardboard cutouts that began as an April Fool's prank, but have quickly become a genuine Second Life phenomenon:

"Lots of people made their own mods or clothes; what was cool to see was looking around at everyone, almost nobody had the same outfits/looks. Which, considering these 'Bodies' came out less than a week ago (at the time), is quite a testament to the creative power of the Second Life userbase."

And I do mean "phenomenon": Since becoming available early last week, roughly 1 in 5 of the entire Second Life user base has gotten themselves copies of the PMR avatars:

Is This Updated List of Sunsetted Virtual Worlds Missing Any Titles?

Above: Cloud Party before being acquired and shuttered by Yahoo!

Thanks to everyone, especially VR legend Jacki Morie, for helping update this list of sunsetted virtual worlds that I'm compiling with Julian Reyes and the Virtual Worlds Museum. Based on that feedback, we're adding these three to the VWM's exhibit:

Barbie Girls  - 2007 to 2011

Browser-based virtual world based on the Barbie IP where players could customize their own room and avatar, and communicate with each through pre-selected phrases. Discontinued by Mattel, with the company directing players to enjoy Barbe-themed avatars on Stardoll.

WorldsAway - 1995 to 1998

A 2.5D world developed by a subsidiary of Fujitsu and first launched on CompuServe, users had customizable avatars and rentable, customizable homes called "turfs". Acquired in 1998 and rebranded as VZones. Reference.

Cloud Party - 2012 to 2014

Browser-based virtual world backed with funding by Second Life co-founder Cory Ondrejka, developed by ex-Cryptic Studios CTO Bruce Rogers, with robust creation tools. Acquired by Yahoo! In 2014 and taken offline. Reference.

I'm a bit embarrassed for missing Cloud Party from the first draft, especially as I was the first person to blog about it!

See the rest of the sunsetted worlds documented here or below. Now that we have our final (or near-final) list, we'll be moving on to Specialized virtual worlds, especially those for Education/Training, Meetings, and Enterprise. Check for that next week!

Second Life Creators Contribute Pics to "Hands Off" Anti-Trump/Musk March, Including This Literal Face-Eating Leopard on a Cybertruck

Cajsa Lilliehook covers the best in virtual world screenshot art and digital painting

Alsatian Kidd brings the viral “Leopards ate my face” meme to literal life in Second Life, with a Cybertruck added for good measure. After the “Hands Off” anti-Trump/Musk marches across the country this weekend, I was curious if Second Lifers were showing their concerns in their pictures. There were not as many pictures as I anticipated, probably because we are being habituated to ineptitude and corruption. But not all are exhausted by outrage and for Alsatian, there is a strong, consistent commitment to resistance.

What are some other Second Life folks up to in the wake of "Hands Off"?  Click here for more: