New World Notes

New World Newsfeed: No Known Australian Government Plans To Censor Second Life, Says Linden Lab

I've been deeply skeptical over recent rumors and half-coherent speculations that the Australian government plans to imminently ban Second Life from that country. After just receiving word from a Linden Lab spokesperson, I'm inclined to permanently file it in the nonsense bin:

"Linden Lab has received no indications from the Australian government that it plans to block Second Life and will keep our community apprised of any developments on that front," the Linden message reads. "In the meantime, we want to assure Australian Residents that Second Life remains accessible and functioning in your region."

This is not all that surprising: there's a number of Australian organizations, including several universities, with an official presence in Second Life, there's been several SL-based fundraisers to benefit various Australian non-profit causes (like this one), and coming soon, a feature film starring several of Australia's top actors which depicts Second Life in a positive/neutral manner, all helping to make it unlikely Second Life would thoughtlessly get classified without any further debate as a mere video game to be regulated under the country's existing laws. What is surprising (and disappointing) is how quickly and how far this rumor has spread already.

Image credit: Roadshow Films, from the upcoming Beautiful Kate, dialog embellished by Hamlet.

* Roughly translated (according to this Australian slang dictionary): "I am quite surprised to learn the information about Second Life censorship is cursed nonsense."

Alien Behavior: How Moral Panic Over Second Life Policies Confuse the Unitiated

Here's a fascinating example of user behavior, virtual world management policy, and moral panic all colliding together in an amusing if somewhat irksome way. Back in 2007, after some widely publicized cases of simulated pedophilia (or what's sometimes called "age play") were discovered in Second Life, the Lindens issued a policy forbidding the behavior (even among consenting adults), with a threat to ban violators from SL. While applauded by most of the community, this policy has also caused numerous landowners to employ draconian measures to prevent any perception that age play is tolerated on their property. This often means ejecting from their land not just sexual ageplayers from their property, but avatars who even seem underage, for totally non-erotic reasons -- women in "Gothic Lolita" fashion, for example, or adult Residents seeking to recapture an innocent childhood through roleplay. Or as we saw last weekend, even avatars under 4'9", spotted and then chased off a nude beach -- even if they happen to be squat green aliens without genitals. (See screenshot.)

Normally, long-time SLers would read about this instance of misapplied Community Standards policing with tickled annoyance, or affectionate frustration, or maybe both. But the thing is, last weekend the above screenshot wound up on the front page of Digg.com with 2500+ votes. (Which in my experience, roughly translates into several hundred thousand page views, if not more.) Unsurprisingly, the overwhelming reaction there, from readers who know nothing of this backstory, is confusion and contempt. And in this way, moral panic over a totally reasonable policy has led nearly half a million people to conclude Second Life is rampant with green alien discrimination. (And all the strangeness that seems to suggest.) Image source.

Open Forum: What Topics Do You Want To Talk About This Week?

This week, I want to experiment with posting an Open Forum thread every day, as a way of building up the NWN reader community, and our collective awareness of Second Life, OpenSim, and other immersive virtual worlds. With that in mind, what specific topics in those broad categories are you most passionate about discussing? (Making this, yes, an open forum on open forums.)

The Hidden Armies of Second Life

By one estimate from a leading member, roleplayers in the various Second Life military clans range in the several thousands, and count a couple dozen affiliations. (Some allied, others at a tentative truce, but many in fierce blood feuds.) Despite those relatively low numbers, the high attention to detail and the culture that's evolved around it is deep, detailed, and passionate. Via Nexii Malthus, here's a well-produced machinima from MJ Katsu that depicts one the leading militaries, Ordo Imperialis. Also: looks a bit like something Leni Riefenstahl would make, if the Axis was largely comprised of furries.

Second Life Tut Moves to OpenSim

After launching last April in Second Life, where it was acclaimed by educators, NWN partner Rezzable is moving their King Tut virtual exhibit to OpenSimulator, where it's being re-launched with new features. To access it, you need to create an account on Heritage Key, Rezzable's new Web 2.0-powered ancient history portal. (The specific OpenSim viewer they're using is Imprudence.) "I guess this will be one of the first major projects to target the general public using OpenSim," Rezzable CEO RightAsRain Rimbaud muses. I believe that's the case, too. Will be interesting to watch how it develops as an immersive metaverse experience wholly separate from Second Life. See for yourself by going here.

Second Life Is What Twitter Isn't: Unique, Sticky, Profitable

"Twitter is what Second Life wasn't," marketer Chris Abraham argued recently in Advertising Age, seeking to quell anxiety that the current media hype about Twitter means that it's inevitably destined to suffer the backlash Second Life did in 2007. Unlike Twitter, Abraham notes, Second Life is not "light, cheap, and open". That is, it requires a large client install, has relatively demanding hardware/broadband specs, and isn't readily interoperable between the web and most other applications.

Those are all valid points, but Anderson's assessment greatly misunderstands Second Life overall -- and in doing so, understates the potential pitfalls Twitter faces now in at least three ways:

Top Five Things To Know About SL/OpenSim From Last Week

Rumors of Australian censorship of Second Life have been greatly exaggerated. Supporters (and relatives) of Iran's dissenters gather in SL and create an embodied version of their Internet support community. OpenSim adds a social network. Meanwhile, the Portuguese Presidency sets up in SL, while on the other end of the Portuguese-speaking world, Brazil loses a major SL portal. Also: セカンドライフのイラン人住民が抗議デモ中にSLから消えた

Open Forum: What's the Coolest Second Life Content You've Seen Lately?

An item, a place, an event, a game, a performance, anything Second Life-related: what's the Second Life content that's thrilled and impressed you most lately? Or as ArminasX Saiman calls it, the in-world wonder that causes a "Reset" click, reviving your excitement for being in-world?

Weekend Machinima: Tribe Islands' Endless Summer

Tribe Islands - A Thriving Second Live Community from Drift on Vimeo

Here's some fun and facile machinima viewing for the Summer: created by Ariella Languish, it's a tribute to the community of Tribe Islands (Kai Island, Cougar Caye, and Cape Shore), and the tropical paradise fun they've created there. Even if the beer commercial-esque visuals aren't necessarily to your taste, you'll admire Ms. Languish's great editing and inventive camerawork. Hat tip: Epredator.

Koinup Has Group Hosting SL6B Content/Recommendations

If you're looking for more a place to upload and view screenshots and video from Second Life's Six Birthday installations, virtual world social network Koinup (an NWN partner) has a group devoted to exactly that.

With 133+ works already there, it's also a good resource for finding SL6B content you might have missed otherwise: just scroll through a display of SL6B works, filtered according to the best-rated, and click the SLurl beneath the image.

Koinup also has a SL6B site of its own, by the way, showing off photos of the winners in their latest avatar beauty contest. [Direct SLurl telport at this link{.