Group 4

1. Group 4 Bruno Campolo, Roger Carman, Chase Miller, Jeremy Gove

2. 2 Introduction • Created by the Linden Lab in 2003 • Became increasingly popular from 2006-on • 9.8 million accounts have been registered • 25% of Second Life's users are from outside the USA, UK second-largest country of origin • Average age of users is 32 • 43% of users are female

3. 3 What is Second Life? • It is a multiplayer online game • An internet-based virtual world • Players, or “Residents,” build themselves a “second life” online • Description of SL as a game is disputed • No points • No scores • No winners / losers • No levels • No end-strategy • Can be thought of as a game on a more basic level • Semi-structured, virtual environment • Characters undertake activities for the purpose of personal enjoyment.

4. 4 What is Second Life? (cont.) • Offers players, aka “residents,” virtual ownership rights • Unheard of in internet gaming • Results in residents being more creative • Ex. Tringo • Real Money is used • Second Life currency is the Linden Dollar • Linden Dollars are exchanged for real money • $5 million USD in virtual transactions per month • Hundreds of members use SL as full time job • 75% of users are buyers, 25% are sellers. • Current Exchange Rate for the US: $1 USD = $300 LD

5. 5 Timeline: The Evolution of Virtual Worlds • Online virtual worlds go back decades • Have evolved over time • Have become more realistic over time • Mid-1970s-1980s: Dungeons & Dragons takes off in popularity.

6. Timeline: The Evolution of Virtual Worlds(cont.) • Early1980s-Late 1990s: Role-Playing Games move online • Text-based multiuser domains (MUDs) make it possible • Mutli-player computer game that combines elements of role-playing games, hack and slash style computer games and social chat rooms. • Early 1990s-Late 1990s: Chat rooms begin creating online communities. • Precursor to chat rooms was BBS • Bulletin board system is a system running software for computers that enables users to dial into the system via a phone line

7. 7 Timeline: The Evolution of Virtual Worlds (cont.) • Mid-1990s-Present: 3-D MMORPGs on the rise • MMORPGs = massive multiplayer online role-playing games • Spurred on by improved computer graphics and faster Internet connections • Examples: Ultima Online, Everquest, World of Warcraft

9. 2000 to Today:“The Sims” computer game hits the market Offers a more open-ended game that resembles real life Encourages players create and control their characters' lives Timeline: The Evolution of Virtual Worlds (cont.)

10. 10 Timeline: The Evolution of Virtual Worlds (cont.) • Late 1990s to Today: Virtualworlds take “the Sims” concept to a new level • Encourage players to go beyond roleplaying • Give participants more power to create their own experiences • Examples of virtualworlds: • There • ActiveWorlds • Second Life

11. 11 Playing The Game • Consists of Three Steps • 1. Sign Up • 2. Recreate Yourself • 3. Do What You Want and Have Fun

12. 12 Step 1: Sign Up • Must sign up online • Software is downloaded to computer • Two types of accounts • 1. Basic • 2. Premium

13. 13 Basic Accounts • Free • Cannot own land on Second Life mainland • Can own your own island • Can be “homeless” • Basic gives you the opportunity to customize your avatar as well as gives you building options.

14. 14 Premium Accounts • Costs $9.95 / month • Can own land on Second Life mainland • Subscribers get an allowance of L$300 for each week they log in and a signup bonus of L$1,000 for going to premium

15. 15 Step 2: Recreate Yourself • Avatar = your character • Basic avatar is human in appearance, but can: • Be of either sex • Have a wide range of physical attributes • Be clothed or customized take on humanoid or other forms. • Can be changed at any point in the game • Minute details can be changed such as shape of nose and ears

16. 16 Step 2: Recreate Yourself (cont.) • Your identity • Much less anonymous in this virtual world • Any other avatar and any thing can ask: • For your avatar's legal name • For your avatar's date-of-birth • If real payment info is on file for your avatar • Your avatar is discussed without asking permission or notification • Anything you create in Second Life is registered to your avatar

17. 17 Step 3: Do What You Want and Have Fun • Game is entirely open-ended • The experience is what you make it • Can buy from / sell to / chat and interact with other residents • No points or score • More of a social network than a game • Games, puzzles, dance clubs, shopping malls, movie theaters, etc. • Can search for something to do- Discussions, Sports, Commercial, Entertainment, Games, Pageants, Education, Arts and Culture and Charity/Support Groups.

18. 18 Second Life: More Than Just Entertainment • Second Life has become more than just a game in recent years. • American universities, foreign countries, and local companies are finding Second Life to be a valuable tool.

19. 19 Education • Educational Applications of Second Life • Interactive virtual classrooms that can be accessed from anywhere • Spans the gap in long-distance learning • “Students interact with each other and there's a regular sense of classroom interaction. It feels like a college campus." - Rebecca Nesson, Harvard Professor • Professor Nesson holds both class discussions and office hours on Second Life.

20. 20 Education • Explosive growth • Last year there were 17 schools on SL • Currently there are 60, including: • Rice University • Harvard • Drexel • UNC at Chapel Hill • Ohio University • Stanford

21. 21 Political and National Relations • Some political organizations have established virtual HQs • National Front Party (France) • Virtual Embassies • Visitors can talk face-to-face with a computer-generated ambassador • Can talk about visas, trade and other issues

22. 22 Political and National Relations: Virtual Embassies • Several countries are currently using / planning to create virtual embassies on SL • Examples of countries currently using Second Life: • The Maldives • Sweden • Examples of countries planning to use Second Life • Estonia • Malta • Macedonia • The Philippines

23. 23 Video: Enhancing Business Using Second Life • Text 100 is the first Public Relations company to use Second Life • First portion of the clip talks about some of the advantages companies can gain from using SL. • Enhancing Business Using Second Life • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=synxFmQJ_0A

24. 24 Opportunities in Business • Many see Second Life as an investment opportunity • Ex. Amazon.com • Others are using Second Life to improve their physical business • Companies can create, test out, and view new designs virtually • Ex. Rivers Run Red (clothing company) • Companies can experiment with creating new methods of collaboration • Ex. Wal-Mart using Second Life as a virtual classroom and as a training tool. • Breathes new life into online meetings • Companies can experiment with new marketing techniques • Almost no financial recoil

25. 25 Opportunities in Business (cont.) • Companies are also looking to tap into Second Life’s “creativity reservoir” • Large quantity of good quality technical work for a low price • Some Second Life ideas have proven profitable both virtually and in real life • Ex. Cuddle avatar • Is a virtual product • Creator makes money off of selling customized versions • Sold 1,900 in the last month

26. 26 Opportunities in Business (cont.) • Another profitable product from Second Life is “Tringo” • Mix between Tetris and Bingo • Originally created and played on Second Life • Recently licensed to Nintendo

27. 27 Video: Advertising in Second Life • This video shows many of the brands that are advertised in various ways on SL. • Brands in Second Life • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEGHJuCbGdo

28. Any Questions?