New World Notes

UK Second Life Users Already Planning Virtual World Brexit Parties

With the UK's Parliament rejecting a final deal, the country is careening toward a final Brexit from the European Union in 17 days. The streets of London will probably not be full of celebration, but the virtual streets of London City in Second Life plan to be kicking:

We're having a Brexit Party. Top Tunes with a leading Brexiteer DJ. Hurry on over cos 'Britain is open for business'

"I would think many people will to the party out of curiosity," London City owner and Brexit party host Torric Rodas tells me. While he's personally supportive of Brexit (like the DJ), he tells me most members of his UK-based Second Life community are ambivalent: "I do not believe that most members of London City are Leavers," as he puts it. "I believe it is still as deeply divided as the original referendum was." At least in the virtual world, any fisticuffs and general rioting won't lead to actual bruises.

Hat tip: Ysabelle Stewart

This Sunday in Chicago & on Twitch: "Improvised Second Life", Real Actors Doing Avatar-Based Improv Comedy Before Live Theater Audience

This looks fun: Starting this Sunday at 8pm SLT (10pm Chicago time) is a show called "Improvised Second Life". As the name suggests, it's improv comedy performed by avatars in Second Life, broadcast in front of a live audience at the Crowd Theater in Chicago, the world capital of improv comedy, and streamed on Twitch at the same time. (Video channel below.)

"This video is streamed live at the theater on our projector," show producer Dillon Cassidy tells me. "The players are at home and can hear the audience, and due to Second Life's native voice chat, the audience can hear the performers. Its a lot like a layered puppet show." They've done several shows already, he says. "It's been pretty well received. The whole production lies sort of in the uncanny valley and adds this really absurd quality to the improvisation."

If you're in the Chicago area, here's more details. Otherwise, join me below the break to watch and participate on Twitch:

Leader of Pro-Trump Troll Group Reportedly Banned from Second Life, Leaving Behind Nazi Insignia at SL HQ

Anonymous online trolls for Donald Trump continue to run rampant on Twitter and across much of the social media landscape, but there seems to be at least one Internet forum being closed off to them: Second Life, where a cohort of Trump trolls besieged a headquarters of Bernie Sanders' SL supporters with flying demons and swastikas last April, then gathered in their own headquarters in May, a fever dream auditorium replete with unabated furry porn, racial slurs, and a pot-smoking Trump-head choo-choo train. Now, however, according to a new report by roving furry reporter Bixyl Shuftan -- who's pretty much the Seymour Hersh of furries on this beat -- the ringleader and some of his crones have been banned in Second Life by Linden Lab. The private SL island where the Trump HQ was hosted -- appropriately entitled The Wall -- has been locked up, and had its content wiped.

Trump trolls being Trump trolls, this (above right) is what the The Wall looked like up until the end of last month, as seen from Second Life's satellite map view: with a reconfigured version of the Nazi Party's eagle-headed Parteiadler insignia. Which probably in itself could have got the group leaders banned, seeing as racist symbols violate SL's official Community Standards. (Something I pointed out back in May.) As of today, however, the neo-Parteiadler insignia, and for that matter, the entire Wall, has been wiped clean. 

So that, evidently, is that, leaving us with yet another example of life echoing Second Life -- and in this particular case, also giving us an avatar-based glimpse of the online subculture which is now directly influencing a major US Presidential campaign:

Bernie Sanders’ Second Life Headquarters Besieged by Trump-Supporting Swastikas, Demons and 120 Ft. Fireworks-Spewing Donald Trump Statue

Photo of pro-Trump demons besieging Bernie's HQ via Washington Liberals

As Donald Trump continues to ride roughshod over much of the United States, there’s multiple reports that Trumps’ virtual fans are riding roughshod on Bernie Sanders’ unofficial headquarters in Second Life as well. Sanders' spot is in the sim of Caspoli, located here, with a Bernie 2016 banner that can be seen from satellite -- a Roman-themed hangout space in a peaceful meadow, where Bernie supporters often gather to share news of their favorite candidate. But lately, the place has been besieged by pro-Trump griefers. I first read a report of anti-Bernie griefing from roving furry reporter Bixyl Shuftan (yes, that's a thing) and found out it wasn't an isolated incident:

“There is a picture I managed to capture of one of the flags spewing from a particle dispenser at HQ,” Sanders support group member Macaria Wind tells me, handing over an image file of a Trump swastika. “Left there by one of Trump's supporters when no one was around.”

But that was only the start. During a Bernie rally in SL, Mr. Wind goes on, Trump-supporting demons flew around Bernie’s rally, endlessly typing ”TRUMP! TRUMP! TRUMP!" into text chat.

“Pages and pages of TRUMP! LOL,” Wind tells me. “[O]ne has to laugh at the childishness displayed by some of his supporters. In my opinion, they mimic their candidate. I must add though, what is not a laughing matter are the racial slurs and bigotry witnessed by one group member who visited Trump HQ when there were actually people there.” (Read more about that incident here.)

To be sure, virtual landowners in Second Life can bar anyone from their property. But that effort was, well, trumped, by a Trump supporter’s next move:

Virtual Donald Trump Trolling Second Life Still Somehow Less Juvenile than Real Life Donald Trump

Now that Trump's virtual mansion in Second Life has become big news, the inevitable has happened:

Like I said last year, trolling videos in Second Life is quite literally a cottage industry on YouTube, so it was inevitable this would happen. And while I generally don't blog trolling videos, this one is actually on the relative low end of offensiveness. (I'm more offended this dude's Trump avatar doesn't look anything like actual Trump.) Even more notable:

Kotaku Goes Crazy for Donald Trump's Second Life HQ

Since we noted Second Life's anime-flavored fanclub for Donald Trump (first spotted by a Scottish socialist feminist, then interviewed by a roving furry reporter), top gamer news site Kotaku has been covering it like crazy, with not one but three posts:

• Donald Trump's Second Life Mansion Is Owned By An Anime School Girl
• And Then I Got Banned From Donald Trump's Second Life Mansion
• Anti-Trump Rallies Are Much More Entertaining In Second Life

The last two posts are by Michael Fahey, which is great, because Fahey is one of the few game journalists who actually "gets" Second Life (he's been writing sporadically about SL since roughly 2009). Fittingly, he actually explores the Trump mansion first-hand (with a giant raccoon tail, no less), and even crazier, the massive, surreal counter-protest against Trump across the street:

Donald Trump Mansion & Campaign Headquarters in Second Life Owned by Literal Anime Character

I told you about the Second Life recreation of Donald Trump's Florida mansion with a virtual wall last month, and now roving metaverse furry reporter (yes that's an actual thing) Bixyl Shuftan has more to that story: The mansion is owned by SL user JP Laszlo, who as you can see, is an anime character come to virtual life. She also runs a pro-Trump, anime-themed Facebook page, and she's expanding her promotion for Trump in SL:

Slate Remembers Incredibly Lame Example of RL Politics in Second Life -- Here's 3 That Are Way More Interesting

Above, Slate confusing everyday griefing for a noteworthy RL/virtual world event

Ho hum, Slate just published this throwback election season reminiscing of griefers attacking an unofficial John Edwards headquarters in Second Life leading up to the 2008 election. This is exactly akin to someone setting up a Tumblr page devoted to Bernie Sanders, accidentally posting the password, then getting it defaced by wingnuts overnight -- douchey behavior, but not exactly worthy of a Slate post. FORTUNATELY, there's far more interesting examples of real life political headquarters and persons in Second Life that deserve more attention. Such as:

That time then-Presidential hopeful Mark Warner (Governor of Virginia back then) made an official whistle stop-style appearance in Second Life in 2006.

That time Newt Gingrich gave a speech in Second Life which was protested by green fairies and other oddball avatars, but who was protected by a team of stylish avatar bodyguards.

And finally, that time Front National, the powerful far right French political party founded by Donald Trump fan Jean-Marie Le Pen, opened up an official headquarters in Second Life (in 2007). Which led a few weeks later to this:

Second Life Recreation of Lawrence's "Pinky" is a Top Google Search for Real Life Photos of Lawrence's "Pinky"

Virtual "Pinky" - first page on UK Google, third image on the third row

An Internet mystery solved! Yesterday I wondered why people keep Googling my virtual reality blog in search for an 18th century painting, and a bloke named "Shirtbloke" pointed me to this page on UK Google.

Actual Man Actually Arrested for Alleged Virtual Land Scam

If a scammer sells a virtual forest, do the locking handcuffs make a sound? As it turns out, yes. This announced this week by the Indiana Secretary of State:

An investigation by Indiana Secretary of State Connie Lawson’s Prosecution Assistance Unit led to the arrest of Josh Bills of Pennsylvania for allegedly selling virtual land investments in an online game called Second Life. Bills was arrested in Pennsylvania over the weekend to face criminal charges in Morgan County.

“Real estate schemes are some of the most common forms of investment fraud that come across my desk, but this is the first time we’ve seen a virtual land scam,” said Secretary Lawson. “I hope this case serves as a reminder to check with my office to ensure the investment is registered before investing... The investigation began when the Secretary of State’s office received a complaint about Bills. In the complaint, it stated that a loan agreement was made with Bills for $53,500 for the purposes of expanding his online real estate company. Bills was to use the money to purchase land that he would manage through his company, within the game Second Life, in exchange for a promissory note that would pay $10,000 for the investment within 24 months.

Much like the man recently imprisoned for not reporting his Second Life income to the IRS, it looks like the clincher here was not the virtual land scam per se, but doing so while running afoul of registration regulations: