When Second Life reached the apex of hype backlash, two major criticisms of the virtual world stood out most: It wasn't a friendly or inviting place to corporate sponsors, and its sexual content would drive the mainstream away. So it's uniquely ironic news that There, the 3D virtual world, yesterday announced it was closing, a victim of the recession. (I.E., lack of revenue.) It was consciously positioned as the corporate-friendly, PG-rated alternative to Second Life, a strategy evident even in CEO Michael Wilson's closing announcement:
[N]ames like Coca-Cola, CosmoGirl, Bebe, K-SWISS, and SPIN all brought their own products and influence to the world, which in turn made it an even more interesting place for people to be. We believe that all of this together made a world which was, well, like "real life", with just the right level of unreality thrown in. Standards for speech, interaction, avatar dress, and even the amount of "blood and gore" were pretty much what you'd expect in the real world, and we believe that it's one of the many things which made There special, accessible, and attractive to people from all over the United States and the world -- not just the privileged with high-end machines and broadband connections.
I think it's fair to say the last remark is a veiled slam at Second Life (several others pockmark the text), but perhaps some bitterness isn't surprising at this point. Second Life still has a considerable amount of adult content (albeit cordoned off), has little if any corporate advertising sites, yet still remains extremely profitable for its holding company, Linden Lab. (And in an even more ironic twist, makes much of its revenue from universities, corporations, and government organizations which maintain a presence in SL.)
What's this closing mean for the Second Life user community?
In 2004, when There hit its first economic hardship, Second Life saw a large influx of There users, and as a way of welcoming them, the Lindens added a new surname: Thereian. Wonder if we'll see history repeat itself in 2010.
In any event, the system attracted a lot of talented and cool people, most particularly my friend Betsy Book, and I'm sad to see them out of work, especially in economically dark times like these. Fortunately, it's a good time for social gaming and casual virtual worlds, and my bet is most of them will wind up in better gigs soon. (More analysis from Daniel Terdiman at CNET.)
Hat tip: Nyoko Salome and Nalates Urriah. (Apologies to Gertrude Stein. Or for that matter, Oakland.)
There was simply boring. Let's face it. Without sex, high end content creation, or some other activity to do, virtual reality in its current manifestations is not going to hold on to large audiences for an extended period. I am actually beginning to think that Blue Mars might not make it now because of the lack of usage- no one seems to be there except bots. I put on money on Second Life for making it long term.
Posted by: Eddi Haskell | Wednesday, March 03, 2010 at 05:08 AM
I never made it to There because last I checked they didn't have a Mac option. But judging by the CNET analysis, I don't think I'd ascribe SL's survival to the naughty bits that There didn't have, but the fact that their business model led to steady profitability instead of the usual Burn Through Venture Capital While We Wait For Something Amazing To Happen that seems to be distressingly common in the Internet world. (You'd think we'd have learned something from the dot-com collapse. Apparently not.)
Posted by: CyFishy Traveler | Wednesday, March 03, 2010 at 05:14 AM
I don't think a really strong parallel can be drawn between SL and There. There had noobish avatars. But then I can't see the pull of IMVU either so what do I know?
Personally I don't think just trying to have a foothold in Facebook is going to make any difference at all in the quest to bring the reality factor to SL. It will take something a lot more eye opening.
As for adult content in SL? I don't think that policy is all that rigidly enforced. I'd be careful about assuring people the segmentation is complete.
One thing is certain. The recession is not getting better and eventually people will have to make hard choices. When they do LL might suffer the same fate as There. Not much anyone can do about it really.
Posted by: Ann Otoole | Wednesday, March 03, 2010 at 05:14 AM
Do we have any more info on this story?
Is it still possible to create a There account just to check it out before it goes away?
Also, do we know when the closing date is?
Posted by: LittleLostLinden | Wednesday, March 03, 2010 at 06:04 AM
I keep wondering if the "casual" virtual worlds can add enough immersive new features to grow from "the bottom up" into something interesting.
That will be worth watching, because I agree with "Eddi" (Mrs. Cleaver! Eddi's here again!). Without something to do for those who don't build or roleplay,and without at least a whiff of naughtiness, my guess is that 3D VWs won't catch on with a mass audience. I'd just add "and without an intuitive UI and helpful/fun first hour" to Mr. Haskell's list. That does not mean LL won't make money off us.
At the Herald we often joke about an apocalyptic "blingtard exodus" from SL, triggered by some LL change in the client. I've seen instead a slow attrition; I've known many purely social users who have quit, bored by the latest dance-party or shopping excursion.
Posted by: Ignatius Onomatopoeia | Wednesday, March 03, 2010 at 06:05 AM
Just found out. It appears March 9th is the closing date.
http://www.prod.there.com/info/announcement
I tried to create an account today but couldn't. Anyone else able to create an account today? I really want to check it out before it leaves.
Posted by: LittleLostLinden | Wednesday, March 03, 2010 at 06:07 AM
I'm not one to triple post often, should have read the whole thing:
"We're very sorry to announce that There.com will be closing to the public at 11:59 PM on March 9th, 2010.
We'll be closing registration, billing, and member program upgrades immediately.
Developer submissions are closed effectively immediately.
Rental processing will be stopped, so no more rent will be collected for neighborhoods, lots, or There homes.
Paintgun refills will be free."
Posted by: LittleLostLinden | Wednesday, March 03, 2010 at 06:11 AM
>>I think it's fair to say the last remark is a veiled slam at Second Life...
http://www-uxsup.csx.cam.ac.uk/~fanf2/hermes/doc/talks/2004-02-ukuug/crybaby.png
>>but perhaps some bitterness isn't surprising at this point. Second Life still has a considerable amount of adult content (albeit cordoned off), has little if any corporate advertising sites, yet still remains extremely profitable for its holding company, Linden Lab.
http://leeyuhjin.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/smug2.jpg
Posted by: Two Worlds | Wednesday, March 03, 2010 at 07:15 AM
Any virtual world dependant on corporate patronage/sponsorship will suffer when the markets head south.
Any virtual world dependant on government/academic patronage will suffer when the Neo-Anarchist party is ascendant and enacting its usual schemes to cripple the public sector.
A virtual world that places intense focus on community building and creating a sense of investment on the part of its residents will weather adversity that crushes other worlds.
I'm sorry to see any VW fold at this point... if for no better reason than the Lab needs competition to keep them from getting stagnant and complacent. I wish the There team the very best in their future endeavors.
Posted by: Arcadia Codesmith | Wednesday, March 03, 2010 at 08:32 AM
I'm sorry about There, too. It seemed like a great place for kids to chat and hang out---the pre-teen-grid but too big for Club Penguin set doesn't have very many opportunities.
Posted by: Doreen Garrigus | Wednesday, March 03, 2010 at 09:28 AM
I feel so sorry for all the members of There. It must be heart-breaking for them to lose the place they love. Let's hope we can welcome some of them to join us in Secondlife.
Posted by: Hitomi Tiponi | Wednesday, March 03, 2010 at 01:33 PM
My condolences to the fans of There.com on the loss of their community.
And where are there bots in Blue Mars? I have never seen one. And what sort of bots are they? Like NPCs? Or do you mean the boids? Like the birds and turtles?
Posted by: Fogwoman Gray | Wednesday, March 03, 2010 at 02:07 PM
If it was truly Mars in Blue Mars then they would be sexbots. With three boobs.
Posted by: Two Worlds | Wednesday, March 03, 2010 at 02:53 PM
Such a shame. I wasn't a member of there, but as a member of many sites, I have a lot of sympathy towards those members.
I found an article about There alternatives. I don't know how useful it will be to those users.
http://www.theredotcom.com/
I agree with what Arcadia said a few posts before me. Really a shame to see another VR disappear with the recession. Good wishes to all the There members and team.
Posted by: Sasha | Wednesday, March 03, 2010 at 07:44 PM
A significant number of Myst-Uru fans participated in THERE. Some of the areas they built won awards. Many feel they had a positive effect on THERE.
Those builds will cleaned up and referenced for a Sunday 'Good-bye' party. For details see: http://mystonline.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=326977#326977
SL residents can contact members of the D'ni Refugees group for more information.
Posted by: Nalates Urriah | Friday, March 05, 2010 at 10:54 AM
All this talk about There and SL, and everybody forgets about the oldest one of all, ActiveWorlds... Yes, it's still around, and they've even stepped up to offer a 6 month free account for displaced There users.
We've been around since '95, and aren't going anywhere anytime soon. Best of all, once you're logged on al the objects and land to build are completely free for anyone, and anything you build remains as long as the servers.
With a free 6 month account there's no reason to not come over and check us out, so c'mon down!
www.activeworlds.com
Posted by: Tsu from AW | Monday, March 15, 2010 at 09:40 AM
I found this post very interesting, thanks for sharing it.
Posted by: William Brown | Monday, August 06, 2018 at 10:43 AM