Archive for 'Gaming in General'
Browser Based 3D Worlds: Are the Pieces Finally Falling in Place?
by Urizenus Sklar, Contributing Editor Raph Koster is expressing a kind of jaded been-there-done-that-saw-it-coming attitude about what he is seeing at the Game Developers Conference this year, and I’m not surprised. One year you are the crazy nut describing the future to an audience of twelve other nuts, and the next year the room is [...]
Full StorySecond Life Targeted for Shutdown as a “Game of Skill”?
by Pixeleen Mistral, National Affairs desk The US House of Representatives Financial Services Committee hearings on H.R. 6870 today have some residents of Second Life concerned that the metaverse could become collateral damage in the war on online gambling, with suggestions that “games of skill” could be targets for regulation – most notably at the [...]
Full StoryAmazon.com: Is Castronova Book Really About Online Whores?
by Idoru Wellman, literary cooking student Amazon using sex to sell books? Based on Amazon.com’s current listing of Edward Castronova’s latest literary effort as “Exodus to the Virtual World: Ho Online Fun Is Changing Reality”, it appears the Second Life online escort service business really is having an impact on reality. Certainly a number of [...]
Full StoryAs the Hype Cycle Turns
Does “The Slope of Enlightenment” mean “I Went to Webkinz?” by Urizenus Sklar, at the Hypewatch Desk Google trends shows that the SL Hype bubble continues to deflate while Webkinz pwns. Theoretically, the Gartner hype cycle is supposed to go like this: 1. “Technology Trigger” — The first phase of a hype cycle is the [...]
Full StoryLife 2.0 Summit Receives Royal Reproach
Unexplained avatar bans draw imperial frown by Pixeleen Mistral, National Affairs desk The Dr Dobbs Life 2.0 fall summit concluded yesterday, but was marred by what may become an international incident – Princess Manqo of Yaximixche’s expression of pleasure at meeting virtual world experts is mixed with strongly worded warnings to event organizers about how [...]
Full StoryForbes WoW Player Talkin’ Smack On Second Life
Will SL be the first virtual world to fail? by Pixeleen Mistral, National Affairs desk WoW player Dave Ewalt says SL players are losers The iMojo wire’s inter-world taunting alarm went off this morning – and with good reason. After sitting through a couple ads in the Forbes video clip here, and some blather about [...]
Full StoryUser-Created Content
Graffiti and Web 2.0 by Onder Skall On my way home there’s this tunnel I pass through. It periodically fills with graffiti and then gets wiped clean. The really good graffiti doesn’t appear here. The good stuff ends up on a wall between two lanes of the highway that few but the most stalwart urban [...]
Full StoryBees Get Sore Throats While Role Playing
by Onder Skall, virtual beekeeper Cab this bee make Tinkerbell sound like Barry White and vice-versa? Screaming Bee http://screamingbee.com announced their MorphVOX Pro software for online gamers. With it you can alter your voice and continue the illusion presented by your avatar. With voice coming to the main grid before the end of the month, [...]
Full StoryVirtual Worlds, Report No. 3: Half Time Score: There, 10; SL 3
Well, alright, maybe it’s 6-4, as one MTV guy conceded. The ad people in the room, the suits, respond to control. And Viacom/MTV/There offer them control. There won’t be any “flying objects,” as Colin Parris, the IBM VP, delicately called the Anshe Chung flying penises problem. He’s staying with SL because it’s on balance a [...]
Full StoryVirtual Worlds 2007, Report #2: How the Hair Holds Up
Prokofy Neva, Kremlindenologist So I walk into the 55th floor of the Millenium Hotel and I see it…The Hair. Our Hero’s Hair is Holding Up. Relieved, I shake Philip Rosedale’s hand and ask him how he’s holding up, but the message has already been telegraphed to me: gelled, sturdy, stellar, architectural — thank you very [...]
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