Second Life's New Starter Avatars Aren't Ideal for Newbies, But They Are a Gift to Virtual Photographers

Janine "Iris Ophelia" Hawkins' ongoing review of gaming and virtual world style

When I mentioned how many Second Life users are absolutely enamoured with the mesh zombie avatars added to the SL Library in my piece last week, I wasn't exaggerating. They're certainly my favorites from the bunch, and more than a few virtual world photographers have been using these Materials-enabled undead as models in their work. Magissa Denver's "The Walking Dead" (above) is one of the better examples so far, putting the female zombie in the unlikely role of a post-apoc pin-up. It's not a particularly complex image between the model, the backdrop, and the touch of grass along the bottom, but it's still hauntingly effective. While I don't think mesh bodies are a good starting point for new players, it's hard not to appreciate the work that went into this ghoulish gal, and the mileage that more experienced SL users may be able to get out of her and her friends.

If you've seen any outstanding shots of the new mesh avatars, don't hesitate to share them in the comments below! 

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Iris Ophelia (@bleatingheart, Janine Hawkins IRL) has been featured in the New York Times, and has spoken about SL-based design at the Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan and with pop culture/fashion maven Johanna Blakley.</

Comments

[Hitomi Tiponi]

I tried out a few of the new avatars, and I was also really impressed with the zombies and werewolf, and the vampires are reasonable. Sadly the humans just don't match up in quality terms and with the wide range of clothes available for humans now put out of reach of new users (until they figure out why they don't fit) I can't help but feel that LL should have stuck to non-humans for the new mesh starter avatars.

[Pussycat Catnap]

I don't see why a mesh avatar is NOT good for newbies.

If they come in expecting high, they won't settle for low - and content creators will need to up their game.

When the old models that look so sad now came out, even though I was brutal in criticizing them, I still felt they were better than about half f what was common in SL at the time.

And the result?

Things improved... Now they look sad and cheap... Content creators had to improve to sell above them.

Its just a shame this time around that the human avatars are not getting the same reception, and... other issues...

[Carl Metropolitan]

The new mesh starter avatars are not good for new users because:
1) the base mesh avatar are inferior in quality to similar avatars made by in-world creators,
2) the mesh clothing for the new mesh avatars does not appear to support either standard sizing nor is it fitted mesh; This means most of the mesh clothing can only be used on the avatar that it was created for,
3) in order for new users to customize their look further from their initial mesh avatars, they have to step back and start over with a traditional avatar,
4) changes to avatar shape do not appear to be supported in the new mesh avatars,
5) there is no training provided to explain to new users much of the much of the mesh clothing in available in SL--as well as all of the older system based clothing--is incompatible with their avatar.