Linden Lab CEO: Sansar to Steer Clear of "Complete Geekdom"

Speaking of Second Life's many retrofits built on top of workarounds, here's another good interview with Linden Lab CEO Ebbe Altberg on Sansar, explaining how it's not like Second Life:

“We learned some positives but also a lot of ‘that’s not how you do it’ from Second Life,” said Altberg. “So we’re having a much more user-centric approach from the beginning, and try to make sure we stay away from the territory of complete geekdom.”

This should actually be Sansar's unofficial slogan: "Avoids Second Life's Complete Geekdom." Just like Linden Lab's unofficial is:

"We're still the shit when it comes to virtual worlds."

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Comments

[Bixyl Shuftan]

Staying away from geekdom? So instead of Star Trek and anime fans, it'll have rednecks drinking beer and waving Confederate flags? ;-)

[The Coffeehouse]

“So we’re having a much more user-centric approach from the beginning, and try to make sure we stay away from the territory of complete geekdom.”

Excellent, the best proof yet they have no clue who there customer is!

[Levio Serenity]

Because all the non-geeks of the world own Rift's and Vive's? *headdesk*

[sirhc deSantis]

:) I am convinced Altberg is really really trying to scare off SLers hihi

[Estelle.Pienaar]

It's wishful thinking that everyone will ne using a virtual social space. It just won't be like Facebook anytime soon. Geeks or no one will be the first settlers, period.

[ChiTown Streeter]

Every image that have seen of Sansar has looked dark and gloomy. It looks depressing. And what is more geeky than some dork wearing a VR headset, BTW? I'm not buying any on the hype.

[Connie Arida]

“So we’re having a much more user-centric approach from the beginning, and try to make sure we stay away from the territory of complete geekdom.”
Then I hear the frat boys at the back of the class hooting while forgetting that UI has been one of the vocal bugbears of the users. I bet some of them even remember hooting at that back in the day.
To me, virtual worlds like SL have always seemed to be a solution looking for a problem. They may be able to ride idea that it is part of the solution for people looking for problem of content to fill those VR LED's.
However.don't forget that SL and Sansar do not require the use of goggles and so are not too tied to the fortunes of VR.

[Aliasi Stonebender]

I might point out that SL is a solution to several problems in a way that is quite satisfying to the people involved. Now, yes, stuff like roleplaying or Tabletop Simulator-style shenanigans may be very *niche*, but you can't say it's a thing people don't want to do... because people do them.

[Rin]

They have to stay away from the geeks ... geeks are actual creators and people who go new ways and make things of their own instead blindly consume ;P
They have lost control over what is going on in SL long ago and it has for sure moved away from whatever vision was prominent within the corproate level of LL. Sheep in VR-glasses are a much better controllable audience after all.

The sad part is, that of course the geeks are exactly the sort of people who like SL and other virtual worlds like it. They are and will stay the core of the userbase and I think it is kind of silly to think that the Facebook masses will suddenly develop their liking for walking around in a avatar or to create virtual spaces. That is bordering on delusions.

[Vivienne Daguerre]

The geeks will be there in Sansar, making the content. We do need non-geeks as well to be the end users of what the geeks create, and to "oooo and ahhhh" at what we make and give us their money!

You are on the right track Ebbe!

[Han Held]

something something bad weather and oppressive governments something something pioneers something something.

God forbid they figure out who and why the folks that give them millions every year do so and try to pull in more of those folks...

[Rei]

Geekdom? Is that like femdom?

[Tizzy Canucci]

All the above. And.

That is like the sales blurb for a camera with several settings labelled with pretty pictures. Except camera companies don't normally sell compact cameras by slagging off their customers for slrs (even if some of them most definitely are geeks).

[Amanda Dallin]

I don't think he was saying he wanted to run off all "geeks". He just wants Sansar to appeal to a larger group of people than SL. That would be a good thing depending on how LL goes about it. Ebbe has a better chance of appealing to large audience than Phillip ever could.

[Adeon Writer]

I'd complain about misusing the lables 'geek' and 'nerd' and explain their differences, but that would mean I'm both.

[CronoCloud Creeggan]

I think Amanda's pretty close to what LL means in that wanting Sansar to appeal to more people than just Geeky Sandboxers, Geeky RPers or Geeky Shopping Obsessed Fashionistas. All of us have put up with wonky performance and suboptimal user-unfriendly UI, to share creations with others, or roleplay in a dystopian magi-tech city, or buy ALL THE SHOES... but the masses in general don't put up with that for long.

Though LL's with Sansar not only need to heed the lessons they learned from SL, but the lessons they can learn from other worlds. There's (HA!) things they could learn from Spaces, ActiveWorlds, Blue Mars, Cloud Party, "Home" on the PS3, Big City Stories, and yes...."There".

Now whether they can do that or not, we'll see.

[Clara Seller]

The masses have been pretty unpredictable in deciding what appeals to them lately. To me, Sansar comes off as overly-calculated, lacking much of a specific message, obsessed with market appeal, delusional in what it sees as its potential. It reminds me of Hillary Clinton in enthusiasm, but not quite as much fun. Combine this with the earth-shattering impact that Occulus has made on the market, and it's really a smart move to marginalize "geekdom" right now.

[vwfan]

Well, I'd say that a program that is built to support VR and that has been demoed via the use of VR and hand trackers is pretty geeky. But, I get what they're saying. They don't want to make another complicated user experience. I just hope that doesn't mean it'll turn into a bland product.

[rock ramona]

sansar will have the same problem as sl,12 to 35 yr old gamers are buying vr equipment to play shooters and cutting edge stuff,virtual worlds are still lame to them,the customer base will be frustrated husbands and wives having online affairs and using vr to satisfy sexual urges,then there will be a small group of the artsy fartsy folks,the builder geeks,the nice loyal married women who dress like whores but swear they are not in virtual worlds for sex........there will be the handicapped and lonely people of all shapes and sizes,the music crowd,the extemely messed up fetish crowd with the wanna be bikers and famalies that fill this wonderful place ive called home for 13 years,to run sansar will cost you anywhere from 1500,to 2k for a new puter for most,and most the folks that know in sl will not be upgrading,but will be putting groceries on the table first,personally,i will go look around if i can do so for free,i just hope that ll will keep sl up and running for years to come.....just my thoughts :) Rock Ramona