Is Second Life an alternative to There
As I wrote earlier, There.com will close on March 9th. I also wrote that many of their users might probably go to Second Life afterwards, as their approach at virtual reality is similar. But is Second Life really an alternative for There?
I have been at this point several times in the past, only approaching it from the opposite direction, and asked myself for alternatives to Second Life. It is the purpose of this article to compare my view on other virtual worlds than There and Second Life, and perhaps serve as a guidance for refugees from both worlds.
I am limiting my comparison to the ‘Second Life’ model of virtual worlds. This model shares the following traits:
- There is no overall ‘theme’ or ‘goal’ to the virtual world, and it is not a ‘game’, but rather can serve as a platform for such.
- The virtual world does (or can) have an in-world economic model
- The virtual world enables its users to create content themselves
Thus, I did not include many of the most popular MMORPG’s like World of Warcraft, EVE Online, or even Entropia Universe (which is sometimes traded as the hottest alternative to Second Life, but which has been left out here because of the gaming aspect and the fact that there is no way to step out of the ‘theme’).
Another point to note is that most virtual worlds do not display their user statistics, so there is no telling how easily and how many people can be met when signing up to that world, unless you become an active part in it. I did not try all these worlds myself, but merely collect them here as a reference and comparison guideline.
Active Worlds is unique (or near-unique) as it allows access not only through a client software, but also through a browser plugin. Personally, I believe this is overrated, even though there seems to be a consensus that ‘people don’t want separate clients for different aspects of the internet’ and prefer to have everything inside their browsers. This view leaves aside the fact that web browsers aren’t eternal themselves, and are subject to change as the technology changes. (Who knows, maybe Viewers will be the next browsers?)
Other than the browser plugin feature, Active Worlds looks really ugly from the outside, and the avatars aren’t nowhere near as good as in Second Life (even though they are a far cry from the avatars in There). Also, their community guidelines prohibit “material containing nudity, pornography, or sexual material of a lewd, lecherous or obscene nature and intent”, which is a showstopper to me, as these contents are all part of the human life (and a most enjoyable part actually) and something I enjoy virtually as well. So all in all, it’s not a place I’d like to be.
On the other hand, the chinese online world HiPiHi seems to come closest to Second Life in terms of graphics and content creation. Actually, it is so similar that it’s hard not to think of a Second Life Copycat, even though HiPiHi creator Hui Xu states otherwise that “it is absolutely a misunderstanding of the virtual world if people think HiPiHi is a copycat of SecondLife”. Due to the nature of HiPiHi, most of its users are chinese, so the real issue with it will probably be language barriers. And then, why switch to a virtual world that is just like SL anyway?
IMVU is another virtual world whose user base seems to be quite large (the website talks about ‘millions of users’ and shows around 100.000 users ‘online right now’). Their avatars, again, look worse than Second Life (and childish, in a way). Actually, ALL competitors seem to share this common drawback, even though SL avatars are believed to be ugly already (probably in comparison to MMORPGs which feature expertly created avatars and great graphics, but nowhere near the creative options of virtual worlds).
Kaneva is another world with ugly avatars and terrible graphics, and even the website doesn’t feature much (or ANYTHING at all) about why I would want to join it in the first place. Actually, it is getting tedious of seeing this trait over and over, as virtual worlds all offer the same ‘meet friends, chat, create, have fun’ scheme without offering something unique that would give people reason about why to join THIS world in the first place.
Maybe it’s just me, but the avatars of Onverse look so freakish to me that I actually am afraid to join it. They are probably meant to be comical, but for some reason give me the creeps. Also, this ‘funny’ approach prevents users from creating a really beautiful virtual persona, which is a huge incentive that shouldn’t be overlooked. Other than that, more of the same.
Then, of course, there is Blue Mars, which, from its onset, offers much better graphics, more professional building tools, allegedly better performance and (by now, at least) cheaper prices than Second Life. A massive drawback right now might be the small user base, and the demanding system requirements.
And finally, there’s the Red Light Center, which is an exception in this list as there doesn’t seem to be a way to create content yourself. I just included it here as a curiousity, because it is exclusively aimed at the ‘adult’ side of virtual worlds and gives its residents plenty of opportunities to dance and have intimate encounters. The point here is again: Why settle for ‘just this’ when you can have the same things at the same graphics quality in Second Life as well, and so much more?
While there are some promising alternatives (Blue Mars, HiPiHi), Second Life remains the standard in today’s virtual worlds, and will provide its users with the largest possible creative freedom and customization as well as sporting a gigantic user base. However, SL has its drawbacks, too. As There.com shows, virtual worlds are dependent on commercial success, without which they will cease existing. This is true for all of the above, and thus sets them at the same risk as There, which already backed Adam Frisby’s first prediction for 2010.
To sidestep this risk, there is the very narrow path of taking part in an open sourced project at creating standardized virtual world software, called Open Simulator. Is is a non-commercial project (and thus independent of commercial success) and aims at openness and intercompatibility. Currently, it is fully compatible with the Second Life viewer software, thus enabling anyone who is familiar with Second Life to access one of the many OpenSim Grids and enjoy the same graphics and features as SL itself (plus a few extra, such as megaregions and megaprims).
The biggest of these Grids is OSGrid, which is also the most ‘open’ as it enables anyone to connect their own servers to their grid, and test and play with the software in any way they like, without being restricted by terms of service. The one thing to keep in mind is, however, that the user base of OSGrid is very very small in comparison to Second Life (around 100 users online at all times in OSGrid, when over 60.000 are online in SL). Thus, OSGrid and OpenSim are certainly not for everyone, but rather a viable alternative for those who feel SL is too restrictive, expensive or not innovative enough to be exciting.
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Maria Korolov on 03.04.2010
V —
You forgot to mention backups.
If someone is looking for a virtual world where they can create content, the OpenSim platform is currently the only one that allows you to back up your entire build — terrain, objects, textures, everything — to your hard drive. You can use this to keep archives of your work as it progresses, or to keep a build from completely disappearing if you want to tear down and start fresh.
Once a region is saved as an archive (also known as an OAR file), you can load it back up later, or run it locally, just for your own pleasure, or locally with HG access for your closest friends, or even give it away or sell it to someone else.
For example, if you’re an educator and create a nice classroom or historic or simulation setting for your students, you can share it with other schools and teachers. Or if you’re a builder who makes a very nice office building in a nicely landscaped setting, you can sell the entire thing to companies.
Some creators are using the backup feature of OpenSim to create object warehouses, manufacturing backlots, or animation studios. When they’re done with a project, they can import it into Second Life using the Meerkat Browser’s free built-in function, or a third-party program like Second Inventory.
In addition to backups, OpenSim also offers a very significant cost advantage. If you’re running OpenSim at home (I recommend the Diva Distro) you get four regions, hypergrid-enabled (so you can teleport in and out to other grids, and other folks can visit you), for free. On a typical home bandwidth, expect to have no more than a handful of visitors at a time.
If you decide to go with professional hosting, prices start at less than $20 a month for a whole region — compared to $300 a month at Second Life (plus the $1,000 setup fee).
As a result of the ability to make backups, the low cost — plus the ability to fully control your environment — the top 40 public OpenSim grids have more than doubled in area over the past few months, with even more growth occurring with small, private grids.
However, as V said, user counts remain very low. Many people are coming to OpenSim to build and create — or for special purposes, like training, collaboration, and small meetings — not for a social outlet. As the platform grows, this may change, and several OpenSim grids are trying to create social opportunities.
List of top grids here: http://www.hypergridbusiness.com/2010/02/opensim-continues-region-growth/
Top OpenSim hosting companies here: http://www.hypergridbusiness.com/2009/12/top-opensim-hosts-of-2009/
– Maria Korolov
Editor, Hypergrid Business
http://www.hypergridbusiness.com
[Reply]
V on 03.05.2010
Yes, that’s exactly the point! I know how it is to lose everything and have to start anew, and I feel with all Therians, who not only lost their assets, but their world, their comunity, their online-friends as well. And to move now to YET ANOTHER closed world would not be a wise decision. Personally, I believe anything that doesn’t let you backup and save your own data isn’t worth putting your heart into. Additionally, any world that makes users depend on a single source is bound to fail.
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