Svarga, Artificial Ecosystem Island, Is Back in Second Life! (Updated: It Was Purchased From Creator By Linden Lab)

Svarga, the island utopia that's also an innovative artificial ecosystem, is now back in Second Life. First created in 2006 by a UK programmer known in SL as Laukosargas Svarog, last August it disappeared from the grid without much warning. But now it's returned intact, with its randomly wandering rainclouds and bees and birds and plant life. I took the screenshot above last weekend, and now you can visit too: Direct SLurl teleport to Svarga at this link.

There is some mystery why it's back now. Last year after it had gone offline, Ms. Svarog told me she'd sold it to Linden Lab, though she's still currently listed as the owner. (I'm checking with the Lindens for confirmation.) For now, be sure to visit the place Philip Linden often describes as coming to close to his original vision for Second Life.

Thanks to Lukas Mensing and everyone else who pinged me on this!

Update, 2:40PM: Just got word from company PR rep Peter Linden: "Yes, Linden Lab purchased Svarga for much the same reason as we recently announced the Linden Endowment for the Arts: to provide a way for this high-quality experience to live on in the ever-changing world of Second Life."

Comments

[zam]

Made for some pennies.
Sold for some Dollars.
GOMed to raise Millions.

The New Economy at work.

[Galena Qi]

Svarga never actually disappeared from the grid. It remained on the map but was unreachable. And it is missing a few elements of the original - the dragon in the moat, the sound circle... I'm curious if this is a case of the Lab bending their ownership rules to preserve one of the archetypal sims of SL. It would be wonderful if they would keep it indefinitely as historical site.

[Ann Otoole]

Hopefully people will not start complaining about this after people vociferously called for these type of virtual philanthropic actions.

[Ciaran Laval]

Not all of us were following that meme Ann, I'm not at all comfortable with this sort of action.

[brinda Allen]

While "rescuing" Svarga could have some enthics/favoritism issues, I feel there comes a time when the history of Secondlife's quality builds need to be preserved.

Being prejudiced, I want to believe that my estate should qualify for preservation in perpetuity... In reality I know better. My estate isn't such a place as Svarga and few places in Secondlife are.

As we all know, well done builds disappear every day...Let's preserve the history in an attempt to give a legacy for those yet to log in.

[Eshi Otawara]

If LL likes Svarga that much- more power to Svarog and Linden Lab! There's no creator on the grid who would not like to have their creation bought off by the company who invented the tools. I wish LL would buy my stuff too (I could use the money) but, of course, I do not expect it. If anyone rants against this - I will consider it childish envy because that is exactly what it is. There are many talented people in SL, and we cannot all get same things from Second Life, nor can we have the same successes. Also, as we all know De Gustibus Non Est Disputandum - so I hope no illuminated righteous will start advocating for their friends build. Power to LL for this one.

[Loraan Fierrens]

Well, I'm pleased to see this has happened. Not everything can be preserved this way, of course, which will naturally raise of what "deserves" to be preserved and who gets to decide. Just my opinion, of course, but Svarga is rare gem and well worth being preserved by the Linden version of the National Trust. It was actually one of the first stops for me when the early version of Windlight came out... it was a perfect place to experiment with different atmospheric effects.

[Eshi Otawara]

This is not about "what deserves to be preserved" and if anyone seriously raises that question they are silly. LL bought Svarga, they apparently did so because they felt they wanted to keep it. Nothing wrong with that. Now - if they had posted a public contest about choosing a variety of creations that would be chosen according to some criteria by a worthy assembly of art experts or a public vote- ant then (let's imagine) they chose an entire body of multidisciplinary work of only ONE creator- that would be crap. But they did not. I see this as LL being a client to Svarog. And there's nothing wrong with that.

[Bettina Tizzy]

I have *always* regretted that I didn't do a feature blogpost about Svarga and a profile on its creator on Not Possible IRL (NPIRL). I never got around to it because I expected it to be there forever - much like the real world's greatest landmarks - and kept hoping for an opportunity to discuss it with Laukosargas Svarog, who by then was hardly ever in world.

Svarga is personally and MONUMENTALLY important to me. It was the proof of concept of what virtual worlds could and can be. Surreal, artificially intelligent, complex and yet instantly fathomable, generator of wonder, and filled with secrets, it was a gift to the universe, not just the metaverse, but it needed the Second Life platform (then) to exist.

Like Ann and Eshi, I will frown mightily on anyone who chides or berates this gesture on the part of Linden Lab.

Bravo! Brava! Whoever was behind this at the Lab, I thank you from the bottom of my pixelated heart.

[Ignatius Onomatopoeia]

Not a chide in sight. I am just delighted...delighted at this news.

My students got over their cynical "SL is creepy" whenever I sent them to Svarga on a machine good enough to render it properly. One said to me "so this is what it's all about."

I'll second what Bettina just said. Svarga made many of us dream of what is, to drop a phrase, NPIRL.

[Doran]

Having this sim back is a treat and since no-one stepped up to take it on then good on LL for purchasing it. If they have purchased it for SL heritage reasons I just hope like in RL, they keep it that way and honour the vision of the creator. Svarga as a SIM is virtual Art and should be maintained that way. To not do that would be a lack of respect towards the vision of the creator.

[FlipperPA Peregrine]

I'm glad to see Svarga back. I think most people remember visiting Svarga for the first time as a moment where the full potential of SL's creation tools were revealed. Remember, this was done before sculpties, which makes it all the more impressive.

I'm wondering if some of the gaps (such as the sound circle) exist because certain items were created by content creators other than Laukosargas. I remember Robbie Dingo had some items there, particularly the drum circle, which may have been the case for some of the other items.

[ColeMarie Soleil]

YAY FOR SVARGA!
First music box I ever wrote was for this sim XD
I love this place and I'm glad they brought it back I misssssssssssssssssssssssed it... Good move LL XD

[ziki questi]

It is great to see Svarga back. I've been there all the time the past couple days, inhaling the air like it's some kind of drug. I talked at length with my friend Lukas Mensing today, who was a close friend of Lauk and was once owner of Lauk's Nest. (Lukas has been away from SL for about a year, so his return coincidentally coincided with the reopening of Svarga.) It's his hope that Svarga can be restored to its previous condition, but it's not certain this is entirely attainable. A number of things are missing (and are being looked for), including the ambipod. About 30% of the old ecosystem is operating. Lukas isn't certain what the long-term LL plans for Svarga are (good to see that note from Pete Linden, and I'm sure Lukas shared what he knew with Wagner), but over the past couple days I've seen several Lindens popping in and out of the sim, and tons of visitors. (Interestingly, most of the visitors are more than 1000 days old, so clearly the sim has nostalgic power!) Post on my own blog about Svarga (if I'm allowed here lol): http://zikiquesti.blogspot.com/2010/03/svarga-returns.html :)

[Arcadian Vanalten]

Yay!!! Best news I've had all day (and I really needed the smile it brought). There will, of course, be those who can and will find fault with it, but there's always gonna be SOMEONE mad about anything you do. The capacity for whining is truly an infinite variable in both worlds, I fear.

This is not a subsidy of property Lauks continues to own; they bought it fair and square. I would find it hard to justify claims that someone does not have the right to sell their own unique creation to a buyer they find acceptable or that the buyer does not have the right to purchase said intellectual property from a willing seller.

As for me, I'm so logging in tonight. It'll be like going back home; it was a much beloved part of my early SL. And I've never actually gotten to see it in WL; by the time I got a computer capable of high-end graphics (I kinda overdid it, actually XD), Svarga was gone. Really looking forward to this experience.

Now, fun new question: Will they tweak it any to reflect new developments that didn't exist when it was first designed? Like WL itself, or sculpties? Or should they? I'm kinda split on this; I think of what Lauks could have done had she had access to sculpties and my mind boggles. THen, I think the place is already a work of art as is and think, "Why gild the lily?"

[nOm Jookerie]

Would be nice to see the another separate Alife ecosystem area restored as well. The one that was once called terminus and then was at second nature or something.

I was very sad when that went. Might not have been as beautiful or as mass appeal as svarga, but was very interesting from an Alife perspective.