Virtual worlds TRENDS
This is an interesting article about the “trends” of virtual worlds, and I’d like to add my opinion on each point:
1. Shedloads of virtual worlds will be launched in 2008.
That’s right, but… you perfectly know that Second Life is the most famous, and a couple more will enter the podium in 2008… the others will remain almost unnoticed by the mass.
2. Teen-focused virtual worlds are huge. Business is going toward teens more and more every day… but what happens when their parents will run out of money, or the kids will end up not being able to distinguish between their life and their avatar? I’m exaggerating, of course, but I hope you understand my point. I love companies that create wealth, not companies that ride the wave and take away, without “giving” a value to the world. Social networks, expecially with kids, are doing this.
3. Brands still get it wrong. Sooooo damn right. Wasn’t it the same with internet in the 90s?
4. There’s a problem with communication. Hmmm, there’s the same problem about other “electronics” and “technologies” as well. It’s human, we’re not expert of everything, and many things are complicated for non-experts.
5. There will be big growth in corporate use of virtual worlds. Yes, and Cisco and Sun are leading the way. Not much to say here. It’s damn right!
6. Virtual items will be a big moneyspinner. Come on, it’s not a BIG business: 100 million USD in 2007 IS NOT A BIG BUSINESS. Americans spend 1 BILLION dollars on chewing-gum. Do you consider chewing-gum a BIG business? It’ll became BIG (more than a billion) in 2009, of course.
7. Mobile is a bit of a wildcard. In Italy companies tried to convince everyone that videophones were the next big thing. They spent HUGE money on it. Today, almost nobody uses videocalls in Italy. Mobile is useless in Virtual worlds, just because “normal” mobile works pretty well, and for the rest there’s Skype.
8. Governments are waking up to virtual worlds. Yes, and almost always in a stupid way. They’re quite always replacing “good” web portals with “slow” and “complicated” virtual installations and sites. Baaaad.
9. Is it an online game or a virtual world, or both? It will always remain BOTH, like Internet today after 15 years of development.
10. China is getting into virtual worlds. China is getting into technology, and so into virtual worlds too. Korea, by the way, will STRONGLY get into virtual worlds.
11. Interoperability is important. 100% correct.
12. Advertising is another wild card. Yep.
13. Virtual worlds need to become easier to use. Internet too. My father uses PCs since some years, yet he’s still stuck many times a week. Virtual worlds are for “geeky” people, and NEED to become simpler, and to become simpler FAST. Yesterday is already late!
14. Media streaming is more common, but strangely low-profile. Streaming in virtual worlds is in its infancy. Give it time to grow.
15. Social networking convergence. Completely agree.
16. Which brands should set up their own virtual worlds? This is an open and interesting question. My opinion: language schools, conferences, v-learning, reproductions of real places are the best options.
17. Different approaches to graphical realism. I bet in the next 18-24 months we’ll have a software that takes ten photos, does its calculations, and return an almost “real” avatar face.
18. Booze and fags. Questions will arise, and there’ll be the need for a “global” legislation.
19. Is Second Life going to stay a niche? Yes. Second Life is great, but it has limitations. There will probably come a much better “engine”, backed by Microsoft or another giant, and it will soon become the most popular world. SL will merge into it within 3-4 years. Just my two cents, but I’m accepting bets.
20. Nobody talks about sex. I don’t agree. Sex is the biggest income in Second Life (Didn’t you guessed so? eheh), and I think that people are talking about “sex business” more than usual.
Well, those are my thoughts over Stuart’s article. Feel free to add yours in the comment.
Tags: second life, trends, virtual worldsRelated Stories
POSTED IN: second life, virtual worlds
1 opinion for Virtual worlds TRENDS
kevin
Dec 10, 2007 at 3:51 pm
I keep looking into second life and just am afraid to take the plunge.
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