As we mark 4/20 day, let us look back at a milestone in Second Life creativity, from back in 2006: The virtual cannabis plant of Dave and Robbie Dingo, which grew when you watered it, turned brown when you didn't, and sent you messages when it was ignored:
"Well, we toyed with the idea of it dying. But in the end, [we] opted for it not growing." Nothing worse than forgetting to log into SL for awhile, and coming home to a withered pot plant. But you can give your cannabis a name, and like a hippie tamagotchi, when it's running low on water, your plant will send you an urgent Instant Message, to remind you to start praying.
I called my own plant Kona Gold, and it still stands 25 feet tall in my Second Life office in Waterhead. Watering it is still one of my favorite activities in SL: You click and select Water from the menu, which launches a "Pray for Rain" animation on your avatar:
... and moments after you pray, dark clouds form, thunder rumbles, and...:
... your own private rain cloud appears. (Turning your browning plant back to a lush green.) And now that I look back at this now, I think about how much has changed, since 2006. When I was still at Linden Lab, the company was very hesitant about my writing about pot culture in Second Life, such as a whole pot-themed carnival launched in 2003. Since then, though, the plant's become fully legal in many US states, decriminalized in California by a Republican governor (albeit the Governator). And the idea of having a giant virtual pot plant, which once felt somewhat subversive, now just feels kinda quaint.
Long may Kona Gold wave.
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Times have changed, indeed. For example, this was featured on the Unity Asset Store yesterday. Made by none other than SpeedTree. The price of the object is also pretty awesome. https://twitter.com/Pathfinder/status/590223064358596608
Posted by: Pathfinder | Tuesday, April 21, 2015 at 05:44 AM
At one time a featured activity in SL was watching plants grow. No wonder people were saying it was boring.
Posted by: Ajax Manatiso | Tuesday, April 21, 2015 at 06:30 AM
snow crash :)
Posted by: Fizik Baskerville | Friday, April 24, 2015 at 03:17 PM