Librarians on Second Life
Thursday, February 1 2007
Like a civilizing force in a brave new world, libraries and librarians have set up camp (or more specifically, islands) in Second Life (SL). This popular massive multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) tests the limits of online gaming. And where libraries go, publishers usually follow, and vice versa. But is this just a passing fad, or is it here to stay?
Some virtual reality (VR) worlds, such as SL, need time and hordes of dedicated believers to grow. They are unlike the strictly gaming MMORPGs, where a game publisher creates software, and the players play the game without having to build it. As a VR world, SL is relatively young.
Activeworlds, a similar product, launched in 1996 and grew slowly because of its struggles with the massive bandwidth and storage capacity that VR requires. SL, which was begun in 2003 by San Francisco-based Linden Lab, faced similar issues. Despite these challenges, the dedicated residents have lovingly built increasingly elaborate objects and worlds while paying for the privilege to do so.
