I've been exploring Second Life on and off for a little while now, and after
my first "gah - it's a virtual capitalism simulator" reaction, I do now
think that it's something that would be interesting to use for heritage
outreach.
Second Life is particularly interesting to me as I specialise in both web
technologies and 3D environments.
As Peter pointed out, you need a good broadband connection and a reasonably
well powered computer to enjoy using it (not to mention the accurate
observations about gambling and pornography). It's also worth pointing out
that to have a presence in Second Life other than the free 'resident'
account, you need to pay.
'Land' is very expensive, and it's never yours for life. A useful way of
thinking about buying land in SL is to view it as renting server space. If
you wanted an island, for example, it costs $195/month. Prices can be seen
here: http://secondlife.com/whatis/landpricing.php
Once you have your land, you have to then build your museum, currently using
the tools in the SL software. The basics are easy enough to grasp, but it
takes a long time to learn how to make complex objects. You just can't (at
the moment) import anything but extremely simple models from some of the
nicer 3D software (such as 3ds MAX or Google SketchUp) yet. SL requires when
you build objects to use the minimum number of 'prims' (primitives - e.g.
cylinder, box, cone). This effectively rules out virtual museum replicas at
the moment (which would be very complex 3D shapes), with the exception of
paintings and photos (and you have to pay per file you upload...).
That said, I've seen some very nice looking buildings in SL, but I believe
that such things are rather time consuming to build.
I have recently met someone who has set up a business in Second Life, and he
made a very interesting point about where you build. When he first built his
virtual office, it had a nice lake next to it. A few weeks later, it
disappeared. The owner had stopped paying for it, and it was erased. Shortly
afterwards, a shop with a very adult nature was set up next door... Another
caveat to bear in mind. (his company is now rich enough to afford a whole
island - http://www.crayonville.com/ )
That also led me on to think about what this means in a cultural context. Is
anyone recording the 'history' of SL? Is it important to document a virtual
world in the same way that we document the real one through archives,
photography, oral history etc. But that's a topic for another thread
perhaps.
Another rumour that is doing the rounds is that Google Earth might evolve
into a virtual world akin to Second Life. That's certainly one to watch.
So it's unlikely that Wessex Archaeology will be having a presence on Second
Life just yet, unless suddenly there's a planning requirement for historical
research or environmental impact assessments to be undertaken, prior to the
granting of planning permission... ;-)
Will the Science Museum be setting up in SL then?
Cheers,
Tom
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Museums Computer Group [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of
> Ellis Mike
> Sent: 04 December 2006 12:44
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Second Life
>
> Hi All
>
> Do any of you have virtual presences in Second Life (or any of the other
> virtual worlds)? Have you thought about it, decided against it, thought
> about it and done it, or not thought about it....?
>
> Would be interesting to hear from you, either on- or off-list
>
> Thanks
>
> Mike
>
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