Is Blocksworld from Linden Lab a World You Want to Play?

Blocksworld from Linden Lab is available for free in the iOS store right now, and here's the trailer:

And here's the press release to go with it. An excerpt:

Blocksworld is a lighthearted build-and-play system for kids and grownups alike that brings the imaginative play of toy blocks to your iPad's touch-screen, allowing you to bring your digital creations to life. Snap together colorful 3D blocks to create anything you can imagine - from crazy characters to cars, space rockets, animals, robots, planes, monsters, and much more - and then bring your creations to life and play with them! Simple drag-and-drop controls make it easy to add interactivity and animations to anything you make. Tap “Play” and get ready to smile as your creations walk and talk, jump, drive, fly, shoot lasers, fire rockets, or even explode.

Like Second Life, you know, but for kids.

Download, play, discuss.

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Comments

[Eddi Haskell]

I don't want to play it but if I were 5 it looks like fun. It is a like a virtual Lego, with your characters coming to life. There is absolutely NO way I would let a 5 year old surf the web unsupervised, so something like this would best be served by a special pad device for kiddies, one that you can wipe food and drool off of. Not sure if it will work as a web site.

[Ezra]

The tutorials are simple and nice and effective in teaching you how everything works in short order.

The kinematics tied to touch like being able to fling things around is fun. In general the app embraces the clumsiness of the physics and etc. moreso than tries to cover it up. It's as clumsy as LEGO which makes it a point moreso than a downside.

At present there's too few stuff to be too creative. Even the real money store doesn't have a lot in the way of textures to make things look different.

What I like the most is the visual scripting. It's the one thing I think that could be taken from Blocksworld and immediately improve something like Second Life a ton. Buttons can be dragged and dropped onto the UI and attached to creations that respond in some way, like jumping or talking. It's simple because Blocksworld is simple but really interesting all the same.

Between this, Creatorsverse and Patterns, I think this one has more potential. But you know, there's the whole problem of being 1 of hundreds of thousands of apps in the AppStore, and in a category dominated by Minecraft Pocket Edition. Those are BlocksWorld biggest problem moreso than how good it is.

[Adeon Writer]

No, I don't really want to play it...

But it's a pity you can do a few things in there you can't even do in Second Life. I'd kill for making animated critters walking around with fluid animations like you see in that video.

[2013]

haha.. No!

[Orca Flotta]

As a five y/o in the year 2013 I'd might give it a go and it would keep me amused for 10 minutes. Nice.

But as a 5 y/o in 1971 I had far better things to do. Like playing with real LEGO or go outside and get dirty and explore the woods or the beach.

And as a 47 y/o in 2013 I have SL to let out my inner 21 y/o.

So, sorry, this is not for me ;)

[Kim Anubis]

I can build better things with the tools in SL so this game doesn't attract me. However, I think games like Blocksworld, Minecraft, or even Spore are stepping stones that will lead more people from games into virtual worlds with content creation, and uses for them. So yay for Blocksworld -- maybe the children using it today will be NWN commenters themselves a decade from now.

[Mike]

Off topic but what the (pun intended) hell.

Pope Francis I Asserts Jurisdiction Over Virtual Reality

Doesn't specifically names SL, but interesting read anyway.

[sparky]

No, I wouldn't play it because:

A) I don't run IOS.

B) There's too many other more engaging things to play.

[MT's Ldy]

I updated Blockworld for my grandson. When he try's to play, it just goes to a blank gray screen.