Citing sources familiar with the plans, Kawamoto tells us

the new gaming platform (which some inside Linden Lab refer to as 2D) has already received the green light, and efforts are under way to develop the first version. The new product is being designed as a mobile gaming platform that would allow users to create or generate games on Apple's (AAPL) iPad or other iOS devices. More specifically, this browser-based design aims to allow users to create text adventure games, a type of genre that incorporates puzzle solving and exploration into a storyline

I can only hope Rod Humble is not totally bedazzled by the siren call of the iOS hordes and will spare a bit of time to address the issues of his current customers before giving in to his iPad ambitions.

Later in the article, Gartner analyst Brian Blau is quoted as saying "if Linden Lab gets into the user-generated games business -- turning Second Life players into game makers -- it would set the company apart" - something Blau has never seen before. Strangely enough, I think I have been watching Second Life players make games since I joined in 2005. Perhaps Gartner analysts don't get out much.

But how will this translate into revenue for the Lab?

Will it really be possible for Linden Lab to tax players' iPad games in light of the Lab's reputation for arbitrary action against the creator class? The Lab's less than stellar reputation for in-world governance may hurt them, and this points to the Lab's fundamental problem.

According to one of Ms. Kawamoto sources, "the company has seen a decline in the number of hobbyists and small businesses willing to pay a monthly subscription fee to rent server space to host their virtual world on the site" and Lewis Ward of IDC states, "the popularity of Second Life has been leveling off". 

Has the Second Life 3D cyber paradise been reduced to a cash cow being milked to fund development of a line of 2D text games for phones and tablets? This might explain the curiously detached attitude Linden Lab exhibits toward its current customers - and does align with comments Rod Humble made at the SLCC conference this August where he spoke of a new product and plans for a press tour this fall before he fled the conference a few minutes after his keynote address.

Going forward, look for a series of carefully orchestrated "leaks" to the mainstream media followed by a round of Rod Humble press events designed to hype the Lab's new venture and the possibility that this will lead to a rising tide of disenchantment among the Second Life players if the Lab is unwilling or unable to address both technical and political problems in the current cash cow platform.

A new Twitter-based Second Life metagame raises interesting questions about online identity, social media, and just how unprepared Linden Lab leadership was for the curiously-timed December 23rd announcement of Rod Humble as new CEO.

Given the level of investment of time and money by committed players – and tensions between Second Life customers and game gods – it was not surprising that some players attempted to research the new CEO’s background. Unfortunately, after some study it became clear that Mr. Humble does not have a Twitter account, and is not taking interviews at this time.

How will the new CEO engage in a dialog with the customers?

If Rod Humble won’t Tweet, Second Life players will do it for him

The nature of the Internet is to abhor an information vacuum, so an enterprising fur named Bunjie_ stepped in and created RodLinden and RodHumble Twitter accounts in hopes that some roleplay tweets might entice the silent CEO to engage – a sort of online identity cargo cult that hopes to vote Humble onto the island of player dialog.

This sort of confused online identity roleplay is possible when the only limit to account names are self-restraint and imagination, as is the case on Twitter, Facebook, Google’s Gmail, and a host of other online services committed to growth at any cost. Does this point to a business opportunity for those that would secure online identities for corporate chiefs – or a lack of planning by the Lab?

Bunjie_ controls Rod Linden and Rod Humble’s Twitter feeds – for now

While Bunjie_ has promised to freely hand the accounts over to Mr. Humble should the CEO decide to engage the residents via Twitter, delightful irony has already ensued with Soft Linden blocking the RodLinden Twitter account. We can only guess at the level of paranoia inside the Lab – will other Lab staff follow Soft Linden’s lead – or set up alt Twitter accounts for the guilty pleasure of reading residents comments?

More importantly, will Humble play along with the metagamers? On one hand this might buy him some goodwill, but comes at the risk of encouraging vigorous debate outside of Second Life’s controlled corporate forums where the threat of player bans can help keep the dialog under control. But the risk of real discourse might worthwhile if there is any interest in engaging and retaining an increasingly cynical customer base.

The Lab’s press release announcing the January debut of Humble as CEO/game god suggests Humble is interested in social and economic change brought on by online mediated human contact, and quotes the incoming CEO as saying:

"I have a long standing interest in the how the boundaries of society and economics change as communications evolve in new ways. Second Life is unique: it sits at the intersection of virtual worlds, avatars, and human contact. The Residents and developers of Second Life have built something very special, I am honored to join the talented team at Linden Lab to help expand this new frontier"

But some Second Life players wondered if the pre Christmas timing of Humble’s CEO announcement was a rush job intended to draw attention away from other developments – notably revelations that Joe Miller (Joe Linden) had departed the Lab. The idea that the announcement came a bit sooner than the Lab had planned seems possible based on the lack of communications about the Lab’s direction from Humble – and the fact that obvious Twitter accounts were left available to the first taker.

Those with deep investments in the Second Life platform worry about how well the new CEO will engage with the existing customers – what is his vision? how will his avatar look? what is to be the fate of Philip Linden’s infamous LoveMachine? can Second Life succeed by marketing Gorean and LatexGirl roleplay to the Facebook crowd, or is a virtual farming and pet-raising experience a better play? and most important, when will Rod Humble give his real tweet?

Non-violent protests at Help Island Public – demanding more violence in Second Life – and a furious Jira thread have resulted in a rollback of the most recent Second Life server update – an update which crippled combat and brought un-wanted peace to the players of Second Life.

Accusations began flying as players discovered that what Falcon Linden called anti-griefing code in the new server release could cause bullets and arrows to act oddly – first being added to an invisible queue without appearing in world – then suddenly appearing in uncontrolled waves washing across the sim. Fair combat was clearly impossible under these condition – so the battle moved to the Jira bug tracking system and Help Island.

nerfed combat protests on Help Island Public

Players used the Jira bug tracker to point out that the sim performance throttling can occur on even lightly used sims if others sharing the same physical server are overloaded, and an uhappy Suzanna Soyinka said, "This throttling logic is ridiculous ill thought out and I’d like to personally slap the programmer that thought it was a good idea".

Other unhappy combatants took up signs and crowded into Help Island to demand action. This created a classic in-world confrontation between Help Island regulars concerned that players needing help might be frightened by the sign wielding protesters, and the protesters anxious to get the Labs attention by any means necessary.

help island regulars take time from scolding nearly naked avatar to complain about protesters

Over on the Jira, thamala aabye risked a ban for dissing Falcon Linden: "Horseapples, Falcon. Every time you folks break something the next thing we hear is "UM UM UM WE DID IT TO STOP GRIEFERS!" and none of us are buying it anymore. We’re more than capable of handling griefers ourselves without your interference and wrecking the roleplay/combat systems that thousands of your residents enjoy every day. Telling us that all of our bullets and arrows queuing up and then releasing all at once in a hellish storm ISN’T A BUG makes you look like a complacent fool whose never actually logged in to secondlife."

Luckily, über coder Andrew Linden stepped in to help out Falcon with something more substantial then well worn anti-griefer excuses.

A veteran of countless server deploys, wily Andrew actually did some experiements then concluded that there was a real problem. A rollback announcement came ahortly after Andrew Linden, exhausted from the jira-battle raised a white flag over server release 1.40 saying, "Thank you Thord and your armies of combatants. We tested my experimental server-1.40.2 and then a server-1.38.4. The results were pretty clear that server-1.38 has much less lag: single digits simulator FPS in 1.40, while 1.38 tended to be in the 20′s and 30′s during the fighting –> something is messed up in server-1.40. I’m going to recommend to the deploy team that they rollback or at least provide a rollback option. We’ll see what happens."

Lab admits defeat, rolls back server update

Could this be a sign of a new, more responsive Lab? Perhaps, but one might also wonder why it took a manic Jira voting campaign and protests in-world to spur the Lab into action. Testing – we’ve heard of it.

With both regular militia and Gorean combat affected, the potential impact on Second Life was frightenting – as Xerxes Trevellion explained "Arrows to cease moving, sure, we all were used to that, it sucks mind you, but again, expected. But with the new H7, what now happens is not fair to any of us whom play the way we play. You fire in heavy lag, and all of the shots you should have hit, miss, because they are throttled, but the Avatars still move, and because of this, Friendly fire has become a serious issue that even the best of us can no longer control. Before with H4, when the arrows were sticking or hanging in air, you moved around them as best you could, you learned this from experience, now you can’t, as you have no clue where any of them are, then BOOOM!!! Your lit up like the 4th of July sky. Also, Avatar movement is greatly inaccurate, as the original poster, Jara, specifically accused me of using a scripted movement enhancer, of which I do not have nor would ever use. "

Will friendly fire on the part of the Linden developers cripple the virtual world? Kagehi Kohn made an impassioned plea on the Jira for a better approach:  "Every damn time someone has even an idea about expanding script function we also get that same excuse, "But griefers might use it!" Bull! And, even if true, that is what fracking ban lists are for. You want a sane solution, how about being able to ban a product, by original key. That way if some moron shows up to grief the sim their damn device flat out doesn’t work? That would be logical. But, the problem here is that **legit** products use the same sort of code that some of those griefer devices use. Thus, you throttle a minor annoyance, and fuck up 10,000 legitimate products in the process. Worse, all the bad, stupid, logic in the system to handle this is wasting processor time, physics logic time, database time, etc., which just adds to a fracking mess that you are fixing not by putting a stop to the defective products, but by hosing 100% of everyone else’s, including basic stuff, like the physics of the avs, and non-griefing scripts, which are also, apparently, fracking mixed up in the same damn mess. I bet you people deflate your tires, to keep people from stealing your car, because locking the doors is too complicated too, right? "
 

by Millennium Sands

It is night when the bus with our reporter comes to a halt. Stepping out on the street, she smells the stink of diesel fumes, stale cigarette smoke, and something else even less pleasant. As the bus pulls away, she realizes that she got off at the wrong stop.

Nearby is a run down service station. To the right, the road seems toloose itself in a wilderness, while in a distance to the left, thelights of a city beckon: Deadend City.

Spreading across just one sim, the town is much smaller than the Crack Den. However, the scenery equals its bigger counterpart in terms of atmosphere. Situated on a row of coastal hills, Deadend City has a distinctive mediterranean flair.

Players find support at a website with forum, and aside from the common notecards about RPG rules and basic required skills, automatic messages introduce newcomers to their situation when they enter the city for the first time (see above), making it easy to evolve an own story from that starting point.

It's exactly that point where our reporter finds herself, and it only takes a moment before her long slim legs carry her towards the lights that attract her like a moth in the night. It never occurs to her that these lights might lead to doom and burn her.

After a short march, one light stands out among the others. It's the illuminated sign of a motel. The promise of shelter, comfort, and a safe place to spend the night looks tempting to the girl, who's slightly aware that she might be too pretty for her own good to stay out on the streets at a late hour like this.

Upon stepping closer, she hears voices from the inside, talking french. Knowing no french at all, she can't understand what they say. It might be difficult for her to get a room here, but she's determined to give it a try at least and walks in.

A sleazy looking guy waits behind the counter, his bare chest tattooed from neck to navel. Next to him a woman is standing, only dressed in a bikini and boots. Their french is interrupted when they spot the young journalist, and without making matters too complicated by bothering with emotes, the guy switches to english and asks her if she's looking for a room.

The place doesn't look very cozy. Hesitating to get a room right away, our reporter tries to find out when the next bus will arrive. It turns out that she needs to spend a whole day in town before she might be able to leave it again, so she decides to stay for the night in this motel.

The guy tells her to follow him while he's leading her to her room, and together they walk downstairs, to a spacious suite that is already occupied by several french speaking people.

Our reporter is puzzled. It can't be true! Does that guy really expect her to share a room with a bunch of strangers she can't even understand? Confronted with an impertinence like this, she's about to protest as the guy opens a door and motions her over to keep on following him.

They enter a narrow corridor, and the girl begins to feel uneasy. Why didn't she see that door right away? Did she only overlook it, or was it hidden? And where is this guy leading her to? She can't see another exit from this passage!

Her worries become very substantial when they reach the end of the corridor, and the tattooed guy opens another door that was hidden and invisible before he touched it. But it's already too late to flee! At the very instant when she realizes that she had walked into a trap, the slender girl is grabbed and yanked through the door by the first emote she encounters in this sim. Within seconds, she's dragged along iron walls in an underground prison, pushed into one of the cells, and a door of steel bars slams shut behind her.

As she comes to her feet, her captor sneers at her from the outside, accompanied by a woman and a second guy. The comments they make on their prisoner while they talk to each other leave no doubt about their evil intentions. When they leave her for a little while, the young curvaceous reporter has more than enough reasons to cry for help.

After some minutes the trio returns and gathers again in front of the cell, enjoying the sight of their lovely captive while they frighten her even more with lewd statements and demands. One of them, a muscular black giant, tells her to strip naked, if she doesn't want him to come in and help her out of her clothes. Before the poor girl even had a chance to respond with a simple single line emote, the guy enters the small room.

Terrified, she backs off into a corner of the cell and hurries to get out of her skirt as fast as she can, to give him no reason to step any closer. Pleading and begging him not to touch her, she crosses her arms over her chest with the help of a special anim she carries in her chimera, in a desperate attempt to protect her body from the immediate threat of getting groped by his greedy paws. But as a set of poseballs is rezzed, she realizes that a fate far worse than just getting groped is coming her way.

Forcing the helpless girl down on her knees, the giant opens his pants, grabs her head by the hair, and silences her appeals for mercy in the most cruel and reckless way.

During the next minutes, the daring reporter pays a horrible price for ever being so bold as to even think about writing a story about capture sims. What makes matters even worse for her is the way her tormentor designs his roleplay, assumed there is any design at all: While she emotes her pretty ass off, depicting her actions and the variety of feelings she experiences during her ordeal, his responses are meager, to say the least. A few sentences in direct speech is all that comes back from him most of the time. Rough and lewd commands, barely filling a single line. It doesn't take long before the girl and her real life typist feel humiliated and badly exploited by this bad balance of roleplay giving and taking.

When he's finally done with her, he slaps her face and makes room for his comrade, who doesn't hesitate to rape her in the same fashion – and with equal "skills".

Meanwhile, the gang's third member, the woman, has entered the cell too. When our abused heroine receives another slap across her lovely face and her rapist lets go of her for a moment, she realizes that the woman left the celldoor open.

Not wasting time on another emote, the tormented girl dashes through the open door and runs for her life towards the exit of the cellblock. But all hopes for freedom shatter as she finds the door locked. The gang is enraged. Shouted commands order her back into the cell, and a whip is cracking. She knows she is doomed. They will drive her back into the cell and probably abuse her for the rest of her days. Despaired and in panic, she TPs out of this hell, actually fleeing more from another round of poor roleplay than from the sad fate she'd have to endure if she would stay.

Materializing at her home, sobbing and almost naked, she collapses in a state of shock.

[...to be continued...]

by Millennium Sands

[The dark alleys and derelict buildings of Second Life’s urban sims form a gritty stage set  where residents risk their lives in roleplay that might shock even a jaded Gorean slavemaster. The Herald recently send Millennium Sands on a dangerous assignment - to shed light on the dark underbelly of the urban sims. Ignoring the danger, our valiant and sexy reporter explored three popular places, and shares her first hand experience as warning or encouragement for those who dare to follow her trail. -- the Editrix]

innocent college student faces enrollment and financial aid problems in The Crack Den

With no less than five connected sims, The Crack Den may be the largest playground in SL that invites role players to explore a world crafted with an amazing sense for atmosphere and eye for detail. Hidden features surprise the casual visitor, and those who decide to stay and join the game can send an application to one or several of the seven general groups, to define their role and the character they want to play in this huge world. Many of these groups even have sub-groups, offering special roles.

A web page with forum, a wiki, and a character blog provide background information, and latest events are monitored by the "Hathian Observer", a web based newspaper that can be picked up at several places in the main sim.

Picking up an observer tag along with notecards about rules and general hints, and taking the elevator down from the OOC and shop area, our reporter enters the main sim, Hathian, to start her journey and form a first impression of the environment before she decides which group and role might be the most rewarding one for a daring investigative reporter.

The city is impressive, to say the least. Every pixelated brick seems to ooze atmosphere, and one sim blends into the next, while all of them altogether paint the picture of a town that might have seen better days.

In a voice-disabled RPG sim with no less than 40 people around, you could expect an almost spamming chat, but after some minutes of exploring it occurs to our reporter that it's strangely quiet, even at crowded corners. Moreover, hardly anybody seems to move. From time to time someone marches along the streets – in most cases visitors who obviously give a damn about the rules at this place, at least they don't care about wearing an observer tag.

Finally, our reporter "hear" someone talking, and – great lord – in chat appears an explicit and very extensive emote, composed of no less than TEN lines, describing among other things how the guy who's talking lights and smokes a cigarette he actually never cares to attach in world. It's probably dispensable, because he types in past tense, so the cigarette might already be history.

It takes a good while before a woman responds to the emote, and her answer is not any less elaborate and typed in past tense as well. Our reporter begins to suspect that all these people who seem to be nailed at their spot might actually be moving, but in such a slow motion that her dull senses can't perceive it. Or are they all just ghosts, reflections of a long gone past? Puzzled, she wanders off to continue her exploration.

Our reporter realizes her place in this world upon reaching the Crack Den's college, Columtreal University. The idea of playing a college girl who relies more on her charms than on her wits looks simply irresistible, but launching an application turns out to be a real challenge. Touching the application sign takes her to a website with no less than five steps before the application is complete!

Well, is there anything that can stop a reporter from pursuing a hot story? Not really! Filling out the application form and thereby severing the first head from the hydra that dares to oppose her, the next head rises: The valiant journalist is added to the university group, but without any role. She still can't join the game and is doomed to stick with her observer tag, until she's either granted financial aid or payed L$500 for enlistment to the university.

Financial aid is the path to glory for a poor reporter on a low budget, but alas, the offices where she could ask for aid are not manned. Determined not to waste much time, our smart prospective college girl sends a letter to the guy who seems to be in charge, already written in RPG-style, promising to grant him every favour he can imagine if he only grants her financial aid, along with a role that finally allows her to actually join the game. She drops the letter into his in-world mailbox, and waits.

After more than a day of waiting and even spotting the guy online, she realizes that he probably gives a damn about his mailbox once a year, and decides to contact him in IM.
Miracles happen: The guy checks his mailbox, and even an annoying noob visitor who pesters him with silly questions can't distract him from granting the desired stipend to our lovely student.

As luck will have it, a class is starting just at the time our fresh baked college girl is enlisted and finally able to join the game. But due to a lack of other attending students, the class is cancelled. There's still another task at hand, since the poor college girl has to earn her stipend by working at one of the university's facilities. In her case, it's the cafeteria. A good place to work and meet other students, if they would only care to make use of the various facilities at all. But the Columtreal students are just like most other Crack Den rezidents: They avoid buildings and don't care about using the environment.

Concentrating on long winded emotes, while they stay glued to the spot where they sit or stand, it wouldn't make any difference if they would play in a plain box with blank white walls. Probably nobody in the Crack Den ever realized that SL provides a graphic surrounding, aside from the folks who created these sims and wasted their time, love and money on creating a playground no player ever cares to use.

It takes another full day until a visitor enters the cafeteria. Our college girl wasn't bored in the meantime, because rather than sticking to role playing, casual players, fellow students and even members of the university staff preferred to hit on her in IMs in an attempt to start their own game with her.

On day three, a doctor from the Crack Den's hospital explores the university, and when he spots our reporter through a window, he feels an irresistible urge to get close to the lovely vision he beholds. After a coffee and the common small talk, things become more interesting when the doctor offers a health check for a special rate to our poor student, and they agree to meet at the hospital in an hour for a close examination of a certain elysian body. However, when the body in question arrives at the hospital, the surgeon fails to meet his luck and make the most of it.

Life has been calm so far. Assuming that three days should be sufficient to get a rough idea about role playing customs at this place, our journalist decides to leave the Crack Den.  As she takes the bus that will take her to the next station of her safari, she feels slightly bored. In her blissful ignorance she can't even guess that she'll get more than her share of the action soon enough.

[...to be continued...]

by Alessandra Narayan

Do you love hockey? Do you want to cross check other avatars into the boards here in Second Life? If so, you should visit Jack Belvedere’s sim and give it a try. You might end up absolutely in love – like so many others.

Jack Belvedere is the founder of Second Life’s Hockey Association and runs a sim – paid for from his own pocket – in the name of his love and true passion for the game.

Even is you have never laced up a pair of skates, Jack wants you to be able to play hockey. His work is starting to pay off as the sport attracts a rising number of fans and players.

Jack took a few minutes away from the sharpening skates and running the Zamboni machine to tell us of exciting news – including a hockey league name change after to a meeting with Linden Lab and an alliance with the Second Life Cable Network.

Alessandra Narayan (AN) – When did hockey start in SL?
Jack Belvedere (JB) –I started the league in 2006, had come to Second Life in late 2004 and had been exploring. There was a rink here in world, but no active group. Being a big hockey fan, I got an itch one day to go ahead and make an active league here.

AN – You've founded hockey in SL?
JB – I believe there used to be an active league here, at a place called Spittonie Isle, before my arrival here but yes I started the SL Hockey Association.

AN – Is it expensive to run hockey in SL or do you have sponsors?
JB – It is sometimes expensive. Katia and I pay all the sim costs here. The league itself has no income, or salaries for members, it is 100% on a volunteer basis.

AN – How many hockey players are there in SL?
JB – We have about 75 active players right now, possibly more. I lose track. We have 9 teams, 3 divisions. North American has 5 teams, European has 3 and Farm division, for our rookies, has 2 teams.

AN – Do you feel hockey in SL has been growing?
JB – Yes. We have some major expansions coming up and just changed our name, after meetings with Linden Labs, and SLCN which is the Second Life Cable Network. They air our games on Sundays. The league named just changed to Global Online Hockey Association. So, the last week has been a bit busy as we're making that transition.

AN – How did you get the venture with LL and SLCN?
JB – Everything there is still pending, and it's a venture with SLCN. They have been here now for some time with us, broadcasting our games. We actually now provide our own announcers.

AN – It's a big move?
JB – Yes, there's a few pending issues to be covered, and then we're going to be expanding throughout Second Life and beyond, so it's a pretty amazing venture.

AN – Expensive too?
JB – I don't think so. We will still cover costs of the sim, which is the big expense. We spend a bit on textures, website space, server space, etc, but we enjoy doing it.

AN – Passion for the game speaks higher?
JB – Yes, exactly! Basically we want to provide a free-to-play place for people in here. All the equipment is free, groups are free, no fees attached to anything.

AN – What are your main competitors?
JB – Well, I can't say we really have a competitor per se. There are two other (that I know of ) hockey leagues in here. Much smaller. We have some players who play in all 3.

AN – And what about other sports? What's hockey dimension compared to others?
JB – I am not sure on that, unfortunately I have little time to visit the other sporting events. The hockey is pretty time consuming. So I'm not sure on the comparison.

AN – But you're happy with the number of players?
JB – Yes, very. In fact, we have to expand the number of teams next season. We have a couple teams who have so many on the rosters this season that there's more bench time than we'd like to see. I like for everyone to get as much ice time as possible.

by aurel Miles

There’s going to be a showdown

Sports is one aspect of SL that has always baffled me. Writing about sex in Flatland, one is always mindful of the old cliché that the largest sex organ is between the ears. In my 18 months here in Flatland I have seen that stereotype proven true over and over again. Every form of sexual discussion and representation imaginable exists here. And honestly, what goes on behind the screen with the avatars on any of the sex sims is of very little concern to me. Fact is, people gather consensually in this virtual community and engage in group fantasy, intellectual exploration or discussion of all things sexual and seem to find it satisfying on one level or another. I find the phenomenon interesting and, as I have said before, I think most of it is probably pretty healthy. Thinking about sex is normal some of the fringe stuff might be freaky or might, in rare cases, indicate a serious problem but for the most part, it all amounts to open discussion of an adult nature and nothing more than that. (What people do in the privacy of their own 3-d bedroom is not something I need to speculate about.)

I think of it as being very similar to reading Dan Savage’s column, Savage Love; chances are you won’t do most of what you read about or see represented but you will probably discover some practice you never heard of before and, if you’re inclined to be repressed, sex here makes most sex in the round world look pretty darned wholesome.

SL sports on the other hand, have always seemed to me to be much more abstract than any other form of Flatland entertainment. Completely rooted in the physical world, athletic competition seems like the one area of life in 3-d that is not transferable to SL.

private facility in Astorg

But thinking you know everything about anything is always a mistake and my thinking I knew what works in Flatland and what doesn’t is proof positive of that. I’ve never been much of a sportswoman in RL so SL sports did not interest me. It never occurred to me that it might not be exactly what it I assumed it to be – a dull discussion of athletic moves for people who are interested in the sport in RL.

Researching an unrelated story one Sunday morning, I bumped into three women shopping who invited me to a wrestling match. Turns out there are a few wrestling clubs in SL. Not wanting to be rude, I accepted the invitation and visited one of the women’s groups.

The surroundings were pretty much what you would expect. The mats are animation generators that create boxing moves and they are as effective as any other animators in SL. I found a group of varied and interesting female avatars who are all interested in physical contact with other women – exactly what I would have found at any of a hundred other active areas in Flatland.

Wrestling gear in Sunset Arts

Garbo Szondi owns an island where a league of women wrestlers competes most Sundays. I asked Garbo and then “Battle Queen” Traci R to tell me about their favorite SL pastime and here’s what I found out.

aurel Miles: How long have you been involved in wrestling in SL?
Garbo Szondi: hmm, almost a year

aurel Miles: and how many women would you say wrestle at your club?
Garbo Szondi: 30 or more.

aurel Miles: how long have you owned the club?
Garbo Szondi: 9 months maybe?

aurel Miles: Do you have any plans for the future?
Garbo Szondi: well, I have ideas. I don’t like these very muscular, masculine looking girls. I would like a real girl catfight. I have thought about starting a girl catfight no androgynous wrestlers allowed.

aurel Miles: why is that? Can you elaborate?
Garbo Szondi: They look like men. It’s supposed to be girls

aurel Miles: Would you keep the regular matches? For the girls who do look manly?
Garbo Szondi: well, I won’t disallow it, I mean whatever, if they like that sort of thing.

aurel Miles: But as a spectator – you’d prefer more feminine girls, is that right?
Garbo Szondi: yes and as a fighter, I like catfights.

Wrestling gear in Helicopter Plane

Traci shed a little more light on what motivates female SL avatars to wrestle and, perhaps not surprisingly, it all leads back to a familiar place.

aurel Miles: Traci – can you tell me a little about wrestling?
Traci Rozenmann: Sure, hon, what do you want to know?

aurel Miles: What is it you enjoy about it? Is it strictly role play?
Traci Rozenmann: For the most part. The SL mats aren’t competitive. They need good RP to have fun with it. I personally enjoy the body contact of grappling with another girl on the mat…it turns me on. And I love ‘making up’ later

aurel Miles: so it is a particular type of eroticism.
Traci Rozenmann: Not with everyone, but most of the girls I know that wrestle in SL do enjoy that.

aurel Miles: Do the winners tend always to be winners?
Traci Rozenmann: Some girls enjoy losing, and they always lose. Some girls prefer to win, so there are randomizers such as simulated dice to determine who wins or we just take turns

aurel Miles: can i ask what general field you work in in rl? Is it very physical or not at all?
Traci Rozenmann: I’m an engineer. Not very physical

aurel Miles: do you think that’s typical?
Traci Rozenmann: I don’t know…I’ve only managed to set up one RL wrestling match with another girl. That was a lot of fun.

So there it is, were back to sex. The idea of physical contact, competitive or otherwise is erotic and, for some, sports has that element as much as any other, more explicit, expression of eroticism.

The Virtual Wrestling Alliance seems to be an SL continuation of that time-honoured wrestling tradition – wrestling as theatre.

The application for people who want to participate in wrestling with the VWA includes the following questions:

Do you know how to do any of the following:
change your environmental settings?
change your camera position?
change your graphics settings?
enable voice?
activate and trigger gestures?
wear a hud or other attachments?
create a new notecard?
disable typing animations?

Why are you interested in joining the VWA?
What do you hope to bring to the organization?
Have you attended any of the shows or seen them on Metaverse TV?

All of which tells me it’s about putting on a good show and being skilled at navigating the SL platform.

Eric Stuart – Davey Jones Locker

SL Championship Wrestling is about theatre in much the same way as RL wrestling is about theatre. Larger-than-Second-Life avatars gather to trash-talk, boast, knock each other around and do the usual wrestling stuff without any risk at all.

I spoke to Eric Stuart, manager and head builder at Second Life Championship Wrestling.

aurel Miles: Can you tell me a little about your organization?
Eric Stuart: The SLCW brings entertainment-based wrestling to life through a combination of animations and scripts. Besides obvious differences from real life to Second Life, we come very close to replicating the same experience here.

aurel Miles: would you say it’s more theatre, more sexually influenced? or more social?
Eric Stuart: Well, there’s little along the lines of “sexual influence”, as I’ve seen many erotic wrestling corporations in SL. Our main goal is to provide entertainment based action in the ring, not unlike many federations in real life. We’re a very social group, with over 45 members on our wrestling roster, and I guess due to the nature that it’s more entertainment and less competition (at least in ring), then it may apply somewhat to a theatrical styling as well.

aurel Miles: so it’s theatre and a social thing
Eric Stuart: Yes. There is a high level of interaction from all aspects involved, from the wrestlers to the fans, and everything is meant to put on, to put it the way that many have claimed, one hell of a show.

aurel Miles: Is that why you got involved?
Eric Stuart: Actually, I got involved at the very start. I’ve been here since the start of the SLCW and have worked closely with it’s growth.

aurel Miles: what are your hopes for the organization?
Eric Stuart: Well, the SLCW has done nothing but grow, and I can say many of us are very happy to see where we’re at. Almost every other federation that’s tried the same thing have fallen short, if they’ve even started at all. We’re getting great new wrestlers all the time, our product continues to get better, and our fanbase grows with every show.

aurel Miles: So this is a business?
Eric Stuart: In many aspects, yes, but we’re non-profit. We don’t charge our wrestlers to perform here, nor do we charge our fans to watch the shows. Still, it holds many of the same truths as a business. We have a direction we’re taking with many things, we have to keep an air of professionalism, and we have to deliver a great product. Not unlike many other businesses, to include the theatre. Every Wednesday and Sunday (soon to be Saturdays instead) we put on an hour to an hour and a half long show here. We’ve created many things to add to the feeling that the matches are as true to form as they can be. The wall back there plays videos for our wrestlers as they come out, allowing them to have their own entrances. Truly one of our greatest features that we’ve added.

aurel Miles: how long have you been around?
Eric Stuart: We’re just hit 7 months a few days ago.

aurel Miles: what gave you the idea?
Eric Stuart: Actually, to be honest, I joined on after the idea came about. I’d seen many other federations like this come and go in SL without any chance of them getting off the ground. I did a search and found the SLCW when it was nothing but a small box with a ring inside. I offered my services and joined up with them, and ended up becoming management soon after. Almost everything in here is my build.

Wrestling Republic in Sunset Arts

From what I’ve seen, SL wrestling takes one of two approaches, it is either a replica of RL entertainment wrestling, (and there is something really appropriate about faking something that is already fake – it’s classic post-modern art, really) or it is thinly veiled eroticism. There is a tradition in the communicative arts of equating wrestling with forms of homoeroticism and that is certainly evident in SL wrestling. There are a number of clubs that are all male or all female – there might be furry clubs but I never looked for them. For some it is a hobby echoing a hobby in real life, for some it’s just a different kind of hook-up, another fetish.

There are a lot of people in SL who don’t come to Flatland for sexual amusement education or visual art, socializing is a big deal of course – where would SL be without the ability to communicate globally? Just the same, in my travels, everything I’ve seen that involves an expression of physicality in the abstract comes back to one of three things; visual art, theatre or some idea of erotic play. Wrestling fits. When I find something that doesn’t – you’ll be the first to know.

by Pixeleen Mistral, National Affairs desk

“SL combat groups fight each other in their bases…who does that? I want to design a combat system that will work in non-combat areas – real armies and groups fight in cities full of people who want no part of it” –Supercool Sautereau

The on-going asset server attacks, self-replicating prims with DDOS payloads, and mega-IM and e-mail spam all started making sense to me Saturday evening while I was talking to Supercool Sautereau. Comrade Sautereau is a fan of traditional SL warfare and – as far as I know – has nothing to do with grid crashing or this sort of thing, but as the Soviet Premier pondered how to take his in-world combat game to the next level by moving the battle beyond damage enabled combat sims, I started understanding what is going on with the griefers and the Linden Lab “governance team” — everyone is trying to take their game to the next level. Too bad for the civilians caught in the crossfire.

For a griefer ready to level up, going from tweaking the noses of a few metaverse residents to virtual world-wide disruption is a natural move — and eventually leads to the possibility of taking on the game gods themselves. This seems to be the case with the DiSSENTiON group – who occasionally regale the Herald staff with tales of their exploits — such as taking advantage of borked SL features to create widespread IM spam.

However, all is not lulz and immersive gameplay in the big-time griefing arena – there is also the issue of respect. Sadly, if the chatlogs provided to the Herald are real, it appears that griefer/governance team relations have deteriorated to the point that the mutual respect that ought to characterize a friendly competition has gone out the window:

Bellatra Kips: tonight was only a very small taste
Plexus Linden: hahahaha
Plexus Linden: what?
Bellatra Kips: that was fun wasn’t it?
Plexus Linden: small taste of what?
Plexus Linden: this is old school…
Plexus Linden: I mean c’mon
Plexus Linden: nothing new.. nothing tasty

Apparently the Linden governance team has moved from account bans to account bans combined with taunting in an effort to protect the metaverse. Perhaps that will work – banning accounts while maintaining open enrollment in Second Life has not been stunningly successful.

Plexus Linden: I know more than u think, child
Plexus Linden:
Plexus Linden: and here is what I know.. too….
Plexus Linden: do not think u are beyond.. being Butthurt in a small cell

This particular exchange has apparently upset the PN/griefer community – or been taken as evidence that certain staff are losing their cool – and solemn oaths were sworn to take this to Robin Linden in hopes of better customer service – or improved sportsmanship and gameplay.

While I wondered about the likelihood of Robin Linden siding with those who have repeatedly created certain issues with the asset server, I sought out Plexus Linden for an interview, and found the ban stick wielding Lab staffer in an affable mood:

Pixeleen Mistral: There seems to be some controversy in the goon/griefer community right now. They are concerned that you were using bad language. Now – this does seem a bit odd. I mean they are complaining that you were not providing courteous customer service, but I don’t think they pay anything to LL. Still – I’m getting these complaints – they say they are going to Robin Linden to complain, and I’m thinking this is one serious case of unintentional irony
Plexus Linden: Any resident in SL has the absolute right to voice their concerns to managers, supervisors or other

Pixeleen Mistral: Pretty much anyone can make an account – even after you guys ban them. Seems like a no-win situation for the governance team. From what I am hearing, the griefers are stepping things up a bit, but maybe they are just role playing – its really hard to separate their boasting from reality
Plexus Linden: Governance Team works solely on facts gathered to determine appropriate responses or actions taken against any account violating TOS

Pixeleen Mistral: it is unfortunate that the facts are never published so that there are checks and balances – that lack of transparency leads to speculation. I hope it all works out for you
Plexus Linden: I am confident everything will work out as expected in our continuing efforts to protect SL residents from those who would do them harm

Pixeleen Mistral: well – my advice is turn off damage enabled land – that will keep the avatars from being harmed. I’d be more concerned about Linden Lab sustaining damage though
Plexus Linden: We have a very good team here… in all areas..

Still the mystery remains – why has the governance team taken to taunting and challenging the griefers to improve their weapons? Boredom? A new theory of game company/community relations? Residents advance a number of theories.

One theory supposes that creating a more emotionally charged atmosphere improves the g-team’s sense of immersion in “protecting the residents” – though I am still not clear on how improving the griefer and governance team’s immersive experience helps anyone else – except perhaps the Justice League Unlimited. But as Comrade Sautereau points out, wars are fought in cities full of people who want no part of it.

Another theory suggests that the real issue is turmoil inside the Lab – where the prospect of a new CEO has staff looking for ways to emphasize their importance – and the importance of the problems they “solve”. In this scenario, the Lindens may not mind driving people into the griefing community by repeatedly banning or suspending clean accounts for questionable reasons. Rather than look for ways to engage disgruntled residents in the success of the virtual world, creating a larger griefing community could mean a bigger governance team with certain benefits for the g-team members. This sort of moral hazard may beyond the ken of the game gods – but is certainly a possibility. Of course there is a downside — creating a large a class of players who’s gameplay is wrecking the game, since all other forms of play have been closed to them. But if you were trying to level up, perhaps that would be a risk worth taking.

[19:01] Bellatra Kips: hey there, old buddy, old pal
[19:02] Bellatra Kips: just dropped in to baaawwwww some more
[19:02] Plexus Linden: lol
[19:02] Bellatra Kips: PROTIP: Im not in the PN, I just happen to be tight with a few of the more influential ones
[19:02] Bellatra Kips: thats how they got copybot;)
[19:03] Plexus Linden: hahahaha
[19:03] Plexus Linden: influential PN
[19:03] Plexus Linden: bizarre terms
[19:03] Bellatra Kips: well they’re pretty disorganized
[19:03] Bellatra Kips: but there is a new entity on the horizon
[19:03] Plexus Linden: they always were
[19:03] Bellatra Kips: things are going to change
[19:03] Bellatra Kips: tonight was only a very small taste
[19:04] Plexus Linden: hahahaha
[19:04] Plexus Linden: what?
[19:04] Bellatra Kips: that was fun wasn’t it?
[19:04] Plexus Linden: small taste of what?
[19:04] Plexus Linden: this is old school…
[19:04] Plexus Linden: I mean c’mon
[19:04] Plexus Linden: nothing new.. nothing tasty
[19:04] Bellatra Kips: old school has nthing todo with it
[19:05] Bellatra Kips: disruption on a wide scale\
[19:05] Bellatra Kips: spamming copybot links
[19:05] Bellatra Kips: and using an malformed IM exploit to make trouble
[19:05] Bellatra Kips: oh wait
[19:05] Bellatra Kips: you didnt know about that?
[19:05] Bellatra Kips: its on jira
[19:05] Plexus Linden: no kidding
[19:05] Plexus Linden: I know more than u think, child
[19:05] Plexus Linden:
[19:05] Plexus Linden: and here is what I know.. too….
[19:06] Plexus Linden: do not think u are beyond.. being Butthurt in a small cell
[19:06] Bellatra Kips: lol
[19:06] Plexus Linden: lol
[19:06] Bellatra Kips: I am
[19:06] Bellatra Kips: Im not doing it for the lulz….we aren’t doing it for the lulz
[19:06] Plexus Linden: ugh
[19:06] Bellatra Kips: every person you ban
[19:06] Bellatra Kips: comes to me
[19:06] Plexus Linden: yeah, cuz that didnt work… apparently
[19:07] Plexus Linden: lulz
[19:07] Plexus Linden: hehehe
[19:07] Plexus Linden: Dissention..
[19:07] Plexus Linden: I mean.. CMON???
[19:07] Plexus Linden: who thought of that crap
[19:07] Bellatra Kips: lol
[19:07] Plexus Linden: its like.. I dunno
[19:07] Bellatra Kips: can you get any more pissed about it?
[19:07] Plexus Linden: something in a generic pill aisle at Walmart
[19:08] Plexus Linden: I am not pissed
[19:08] Plexus Linden: its childish
[19:08] Bellatra Kips: thats the hole goal dont you see
[19:08] Plexus Linden: and stupid
[19:08] Bellatra Kips: we will play on all of the dissent
[19:08] Plexus Linden: oh please…lol…
[19:08] Bellatra Kips: create more
[19:08] Bellatra Kips: every hates LL right now
[19:08] Bellatra Kips: we’re using every tool at our disposal to help that along
[19:08] Bellatra Kips: some more subtle thn others

by Pixeleen Mistral, National Affairs desk

Friday, NASA released an RFP seeking a partner to help create a massively multiplayer online game to help teach science and engineering. The project has been seen as an exciting opportunity since it was initially announced in 2007 – a promised $3 million budget could have something to do that. The level of interest was such that rumors of over a hundred responses to an RFI issued in January of this year seem credible.

But joy in the metaverse development community was short-lived, after it was clear that NASA’s MMO development partner is expected to create and maintain the MMO for free – or to use NASA’s language a “non-reimbursable Space Act Agreement (defined as one with no exchange of funds)”.

Of course, the development partner will get something from the experience – as the RFP points out, “In exchange for a collaborator’s investment to create and manage a NASA-based MMO game for fun and to enhance STEM, NASA will consider negotiating brand placement, limited exclusivity and other opportunities”.

This would suggest that the ideal development partner will be able to pay employees not with dollars, but with fun.

As one source put it, “NASA is not putting any money into this project at all. They will be graciously granting the rights to demand certain conditions be met by whom ever they choose, and yet will be providing no money. None for development, none for support. What ever happened to that $3 million we read about a year ago?!?”

We have to wonder – if there is no money changing hands – does NASA even need an RFP? Since this is all about having free fun, perhaps NASA should let anyone participate – the more the merrier!

I’ve received an urgent transmission and need your help! Beware the pink pony-tailed menace!

BEGIN TRANSMISSION 1 (07.31.07). S.O.S. – S.O.S. – IBMCODESTATION is breached. Infiltrator appears to be horrible pink beastwith devastating pony-tails. Our defender, SENTINEL, is defeated –broken in four and scattered across Second Life. [See attached movie.]You are our last hope. Find the four parts and rebuild SENTINEL. Theblack boxes will lead the way. Prizes and glory await all those whocomplete the challenge… END TRANSMISSION 1 (07.31.07).

IBM CODESTATION (SLurl)

The basic idea is that, scattered around Second Life, there are fourpeices of the Sentinel. Eventually, when you get all four, you can wearthem and you’ll BE the Sentinel and get to participate in a kick-assdrag-out fight with the Infiltrator. Each bit gets released on aschedule:

• Black Box 1 (Arms) – Tuesday, July 31
• Black Box 2 (Body) – Tuesday, August 13
• Black Box 3 (Legs) – Tuesday, August 27
• Black Box 4 (Head) – Wednesday, September 12

Not a bad way to keep people coming back to the sim, don’t you think? Here’s a link to the official IBM page on it: http://www-03.ibm.com/developerworks/blogs/page/codestation

Getting started is really easy. When you first get to the buildyou’re treated to the above video and a kind of scoreboard that tellsyou who the latest participants are. You also get to pick up a copy ofthe first “black box” that should lead you to picking up the Sentinel’sarms. When rezzed, this is what you get:

Click on it, and you get a landmark. Next thing you know, you’re in MTV’s Laguna Beach build!

Up until now I had thought that MTV’s Laguna Beach was all about abuild using Makena’s technology, but I guess they have a sim in SecondLife too. It’s gorgeous, as all Electric Sheep things tend to be. (Nothey didn’t pay me to say that and I’m in no way affiliated.) I didn’treally look around all that much because I didn’t have to: directly infront of the TP was a little sign. One arrow pointed to where the armswere, and the other direction pointed at this SCUBA gear you can pickup for free.

Now, I admit, I figured I could get away without the extra gear. Ihad a meeting coming up and didn’t want to mess up my hair. So I justheaded over to the buoy in the water and right away I could see thearms floating underneath it. Hunh, neat shark decoration…

AAaaah! Not decoration! Not decoration!

Alright… I’ll come back and figure out what the trick is after I get my arm re-attached.