As your intrepid news reporter i scored a media pass for vw2007 in NY. I disembarked to New York early this morning and arrived safely.
Tonight was a VIP party to meet the speakers of vw2007 and mingle and network. Surprisingly or not so, most were SL related people, though there.com, Entropia Universe and Multiverse peoples were there as well. No secret announcement were made, at least not to me if they were. :P
Every mayor player in the virtual world space is here, so hopefully there will be cool announcement in the next 2 days. We will have to wait and see.
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Virtual University Twente
A local project tickled my interest, while nothing to do with SL, it is another step towards the virtual enhancing the real.
To entice new students to their University, the Univeristy of Twente has created a virtual campus in a Habbo Hotel style.
You can walk around with a avatar and click the buildings to get basic information about what they are dedicate too, find out at what bus schedule is, learn about their sport facilities, etc. My first reaction was why not using something like Google maps and overlay all that information, seeing the RL layout would be more useful. But considering the target demographic,16-18 year olds, it is understandable. They have grown up with virtual places like these.
After exploring the campus I did notice that it had a lot more stickiness then the usual 2D maps have. Partly because of added game elements, like preventing moles from digging up a yard, teleports to farther off areas or a naked pixelated avatar in the woods.(It is The Netherlands after all.)
All these added things wouldn't be as easily possible in a 2D map, but in a 3D world they invite you to explore more. And now if I ever would be there and a flat tire on my bike I would now know where to go to get a pump or where the campus market is to buy some supplies.
If this would help people decide to go this University or not, i don't know. I hope quality of the University will still be the determining factor. It is certainly a interesting way to learn in a playful way more about the campus you are about to spend your next 4+ years on. But it might also be a indication of how virtual worlds will enhance the way of providing information about real world places.
Towns and Cities could do something similar and with some polishing and added community tool like myspace who knows what will happen.
To entice new students to their University, the Univeristy of Twente has created a virtual campus in a Habbo Hotel style.
You can walk around with a avatar and click the buildings to get basic information about what they are dedicate too, find out at what bus schedule is, learn about their sport facilities, etc. My first reaction was why not using something like Google maps and overlay all that information, seeing the RL layout would be more useful. But considering the target demographic,16-18 year olds, it is understandable. They have grown up with virtual places like these.
After exploring the campus I did notice that it had a lot more stickiness then the usual 2D maps have. Partly because of added game elements, like preventing moles from digging up a yard, teleports to farther off areas or a naked pixelated avatar in the woods.(It is The Netherlands after all.)
All these added things wouldn't be as easily possible in a 2D map, but in a 3D world they invite you to explore more. And now if I ever would be there and a flat tire on my bike I would now know where to go to get a pump or where the campus market is to buy some supplies.
If this would help people decide to go this University or not, i don't know. I hope quality of the University will still be the determining factor. It is certainly a interesting way to learn in a playful way more about the campus you are about to spend your next 4+ years on. But it might also be a indication of how virtual worlds will enhance the way of providing information about real world places.
Towns and Cities could do something similar and with some polishing and added community tool like myspace who knows what will happen.
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
spam blog
This is what we have been staring at the last few days. Appearantly the stupids bots at blogger considered SLOG a spam blog, and we couldn't post untill a admin/mod came around to check the blog. :(
What kind of whack shit is that. It would have been great if they told us how and what caused it, because really all the posts and comments look pretty normal to me. Maybe the recent articles where so good they got linked to, to much. I will have to keep thinking that, to stay sane.
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