New World Notes

ROBLOX Releases New Rules for Its Metaverse: No Politics, Romance, or Cross-Platform Promotion of Its Virtual Currency Allowed

ROBLOX just updated its Terms of Use for customers, and given the many reports describing the massive virtual world platform as a Metaverse, the updates are fairly fascinating. They provoke the blunt question, "Is ROBLOX really making a Metaverse, or is it still making a game for kids?"

Because for starters, ROBLOX's version of the Metaverse forbids any virtual expression of romance or real life politics:

We value friendly debate about issues and topics that matter to Robloxians. However, to maintain a civil and respectful environment, we prohibit the discussion or depiction of: Current candidates running for public office, including their slogans, campaign material, rallies, or events... [s]itting real-world elected officials.

Roblox is a safe space for meeting online friends, chatting, and collaborating on creative projects, but we prohibit content that seeks or portrays romantic relationships, including: Animations of kissing, hand holding, or other romantic gestures... [e]xperiences that depict romantic events, including weddings, dates, and honeymoons

The rules against politics are fairly strict even by contemporary standards. For instance, Joe Biden had an official campaign presence in the new Animal Crossing. And one of the key reasons Second Life was deemed to be a metaverse was because it allowed real life politics. Indeed, the 2006 Second Life appearance of Virginia Governor (now Senator) Mark Warner as he was considering a run for President in 2008 was a milestone for the virtual world.

As for the new rules against romance, according to top ROBLOX YouTuber KreekCraft, they run counter to what the ROBLOX community is already doing in-world now:

Riowyn Magwell's Stylishly Badass Female Avatar Images -- Including Classic-Era Lara Croft Cosplay in Second Life!

Cajsa Lilliehook covers the best in virtual world screenshot art and digital painting

Riowyn Magwell’s “Break Time” is not typical of her photostream. It is a rare moment that catches her at rest. So savor the opportunity. It doesn’t happen often. I like the wash of light from blue to gold. The interior of the club is the cool blue while you can see through the windows the golden heat of the outdoors.  

Now for the action shots, including some excellent Lara Croft cosplay in Second Life -- click here:

RSVP Here: Join Matthew Ball INSIDE the Metaverse for a Virtual Fireside Chat With The Washington Post's Gene Park & Me -- October 21, Noon PT

Click here to RSVP for a Metaverse-based fireside chat happening October 21st at Noon PT with analyst and VC Matthew Ball, who has perhaps done more than anyone else to convey the value of virtual worlds and metaverse-related technologies to mainstream business audiences in recent years. Hosted in Breakroom, Sine Wave's metaverse platform for real events, this is also (I believe) the very first time that Matthew will discuss the Metaverse within a metaverse, in avatar form. 

My co-host for the event is The Washington Post's Gene Park, who along with covering the game industry for the US paper of record, also wrote one of the earliest in-depth articles on the new metaverse era for a major publication.

More details on Breakroom's event page. And as a warm-up to this literal (virtual) fireside, here's my series of posts analyzing Matt's epic Metaverse Primer, along with video of my last Breakroom fireside chat, with Philip Rosedale and Adam Frisby:

These Amazing Action Images Look Like AAA Videogame Screenshots But Were Actually Made in Second Life

Cajsa Lilliehook covers the best in virtual world screenshot art and digital painting

Ethan Lane’s “The Heist” is an action shot of a thief jumping off a balcony to escape the three-headed guard dog Cerberus. That he is robbing the joint reminds me of my own personal catnip, the caper story.. I love the cleverness of the caper undiscovered until the crew is safely in another country as the credits roll. Add an element of camp and you have the perfect caper whether it’s “Ocean’s Eleven,” “The Italian Job,” or the original “Mission Impossible” series. I wonder. Does Cerberus make this camp? 

If you like story-telling pics, click here:

Sannyのおすすめバーチャルワールドニュース : 2021年9月 Sanny Reports For Virtual Japan

Sanny Yoshikawa が、New World Notesのなかから、毎月おすすめのバーチャルワールドニュースを日本語で紹介します。

Sanny Yoshikawa covers the monthly virtual world highlights from New World Notes for virtual Japan.

 

 

Could You Run Second Life on Steam Deck? Would You Want To?

Interesting new comment from Tad Noodle and Jerom Franzic on an older post on Second Life's upcoming iOS app. How about Second Life on consoles? Specifically, Valve's Steam Deck, set for release this December. (Trailer above.)

As Mr. Noodle wonders aloud:

I wonder if Second Life would run decently on a Steam Deck? I watched a video with my husband and they said you could use 3rd party gaming apps on it, since it's basically a small PC.

 That sounds right. And Mr. Franzic expands:

Top 6 Posts Last Week Including a Travel Game for Second Life, Squid Game in ROBLOX, and a Futile Search For Bitcoin Usage in El Salvador

• SL-Based Passport Game Attracts 2500+ Players Who Want To Collect 100s Of Stamps Scattered Across The Virtual World - Here's How To Play!
• New World Notes Newsfeed: Metaverse Content I’m Currently Consuming
• Visit In SL: Rosemont, A Cyberpunk City Swallowed By The Forest
• Netflix's Ultra-Gory Squid Game Inspires 300+ User-Made Games In ROBLOX, The Metaverse For Kids, Attracting 80+ Million Visits So Far
• Anyone In El Salvador Actually Using Bitcoin? Evidence Seems Scarce
• Facebook Moving To Define The Metaverse's Future -- In Part To Rebuild Its Reputation And Despite Low Usage Of Its Own Metaverse

SL-Based Passport Game Attracts 2500+ Players Who Want to Collect 100s of Stamps Scattered Across the Virtual World - Here's How to Play!

Click here on the Marketplace or go here in-world to start playing Forever Tourist a fun and fairly brilliant game with a simple adventurous premise: Explore designated locations throughout Second Life, find the kiosk in each, and collect a stamp on your travel passport, displayed as a HUD.

Now with nearly 200 locations to visit and 2500 players, Forever Tourist is the brainchild of Feorie Frimon, who is using the funds collected by participating location owners to restore the Second Life mainland -- basically a Nature Conservancy for SL:

Fun SL Fashion Blog With a Fun Post About Blogging SL Fashion

Cajsa Lilliehook covers the best in virtual world screenshot art and digital painting

Roberta’s blog Dear Star had a recent post that cracked me up. This post from September 11th has a backdrop to die for if you’re a blogger. I love that she used green throughout, even coordinating her lingerie. A lot of women like to choose lingerie to match their outfit, but matching walls is less common. 

• Backdrop - NinaX: Eat Sleep Blog Repeat - MP
• Lingerie -LeiMotiv Grecia Lingerie

For a post featuring a great pose, click here:

Visit in SL: Rosemont, a Cyberpunk City Swallowed by the Forest

Click here to visit Rosemont District - Nirvanic Dystopia in Second Life, a cyberpunk city with a fun twist. Created by master builder Kaiden Tray (last seen here turning the Bates Motel from Psycho into a disturbingly beautiful SL experience), it's a fun twist to the usual dystopian metropolis: Basically it's what the city looks like after the people have gone away, and nature returns to consume it. Tray tells me the visuals were inspired by Horizon Zero Dawn, and set to work fashioning the place like it was a cyberpunk bonsai tree:

"I usually modify plants and trees and bushes," as he puts it. "Sometimes I will take sets apart and just use certain pieces from sets. I might resize different things to make a tree a bush or a bush a tree. I’ll also unlink and link different objects together or even retexture roads is I’m going for a certain look. A lot of the landscaping is custom."

Commissioned by longtime SL blogger Whoop C Daisy (gotta love her avatar name) Rosemont is actually a site for fashion shoots for her blog: