We define a virtual world (such as Second Life) as:
"a shared, multi-sensory, 3D electronically generated visual environment in which users, represented by avatars, can act, create and communicate at will, retain ownership of what they create and can exchange assets, information and currency with each other (and ideally the outside world), whilst subject to no more onerous restrictions than they could expect in the real world."We, and many other commentators, are convinced that virtual worlds represent a new medium. As such they bring their own strengths and weaknesses, their own langauge and formats - and their own stars and turkeys. Virtual worlds themselves form part of a larger group of "synthetic environments". It is important that any organisation venturing into this medium understands the differences, and identify the right virtual world (or worlds) for their activity. |  |
What makes virtual worlds unique as a medium is social interaction. More than TV, or even the web, virtual worlds are about people talking to people. This also means that they are not really a mass-medium, although they can act as a wrapper for conventional mass-media channels such as TV, radio, billboards and so on. The real litmus test for whether a project or idea will work in a virtual world is "how much will this generate and encourage social interaction".
If you would like to understand more about virtual worlds before you take the plunge then please download and read any of our publications, or ask us to come over for a chat.
- Second Life - a simple 1 page flyer (PDF)
- Virtual Worlds - an introductory white paper (PDF)
- Virtual Worlds - A New Medium (PDF)
- Virtual Worlds - A Future Roadmap (PDF)
If you want to know what virtual worlds look like, and which ones are available, then check out our Virtual World gallery.
Read more about How Organisations Can Use Virtual Worlds.
And if you don't trust us, check out these presentations from Virtual Worlds Spring 2007 in New York where several leading commentators and industry professionals give there view about where Virtual Worlds are going.
