Tweeting from a Prim using the new Second Life Viewer 2.0. Image credit: Ian Hughes (SL's ePredator Potato).Today's launch of the new Second Life Viewer 2.0 put the mainstream tech world on notice. Robert Scoble was wisely chosen as the one to interview Linden Lab CEO Mark Kingdon about the implications. The implications are vast--so much so that it's almost impossible to tell where this will take those of us who have been in business in Second Life for years, as well as countless new users this will attract (Linden Lab is looking to increase active users by 40 percent to a million in 2010).
This isn't just a new viewer, in the sense that it yields a new view and organizational framework on a pre-existing platform, but rather a massive extension of exciting new capabilities within the platform itself.
Second Life has never been more poised for mainstream success. This milestone has been a long time coming, but I've always believed that the day would arrive. I don't view the new viewer as a Second Life for Second Life, because from my perspective, the space has been vibrant from the start and has only become more remarkable and impressive over time. But this is a new dimension.
The new viewer feels akin to seeing that first glimpse of the earth from the moon. Not necessarily the way an astronaut feels it, from space, but from the perspective of a human being who nevertheless shares in the mixed media gathered over time and gains immeasurably from the new visions it creates when shared and experienced. The ability to embed mixed media within the basic fundamental building blocks of user-created content, known as prims, is revolutionary. Among other benefits, that's the new viewer's major headline.
Story is the beam that unifies people during a particular time and place and gives our collective symbols meaning. The new viewer is a door that opens into a deeper form of storytelling, one that contains the possibility of successful collaboration in the face of looming global transformation. Story is at the core of every strong brand, movement and life.
Immersion within such environments will create unprecedented opportunities for the development of business and education as training and simulation expand significantly into the medium--for real world benefit.
Thank you, Linden lab, for developing this amazing new capacity to collaborate, create, document and innovate in an entirely new dimension!
2 comments:
I've been fortunate to have been part of the private beta program for the past few weeks testing V2. It does take some adjustment, but the more you use it, the simpler it gets. But you're quite correct - the major feature is shared media, where quite literally the entire universe can now freely enter into Second Life. My imagination boils with ideas; a year from now the virtual world will be vastly different.
Yes so exciting!
It's huge for machinima. It takes it to a new level being able to integrate it INTO the 3D experience. Before, I saw machinima as a bridge for people who can't get into SL. NOW it's PART of SL.. it's so complicated and vast I can't wrap my head around it.. so I'll just AHHHH! OMGGGG! ;)
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