Comments on: Shock: Second Life is all hype says study http://www.crunchgear.com/2007/10/02/shock-second-life-is-all-hype-says-study/ Gadgets, gear and computer hardware. Tue, 10 Nov 2009 01:27:45 -0500 hourly 1 By: Mike http://www.crunchgear.com/2007/10/02/shock-second-life-is-all-hype-says-study/comment-page-1/#comment-993199 Mike Wed, 18 Mar 2009 10:18:42 +0000 http://crunchgear.com/2007/10/02/shock-second-life-is-all-hype-says-study/#comment-993199 Yeah- Second Life is not a "game". It's been a while since this guy wrote that, so I hope he's realized that he did not "research" Second Life, and the "study" he cited was flawed because of its erroneous components. It's a pastime for personal entertainment where people can tinker with architecture, listen to lectures interactively, talk to folks from far flung corners of the earth, learn how to do scores of things applicable to the real world like real estate management, business techniques, and group leadership principles. If you just go in for a few minutes, and you happen to end up in a porno sim, of course, your view will be skewed. You have to actually spend some time and be fair before you comment on something as useful and entertaining as Second Life. Yeah- Second Life is not a “game”. It’s been a while since this guy wrote that, so I hope he’s realized that he did not “research” Second Life, and the “study” he cited was flawed because of its erroneous components. It’s a pastime for personal entertainment where people can tinker with architecture, listen to lectures interactively, talk to folks from far flung corners of the earth, learn how to do scores of things applicable to the real world like real estate management, business techniques, and group leadership principles. If you just go in for a few minutes, and you happen to end up in a porno sim, of course, your view will be skewed. You have to actually spend some time and be fair before you comment on something as useful and entertaining as Second Life.

]]> By: Craig http://www.crunchgear.com/2007/10/02/shock-second-life-is-all-hype-says-study/comment-page-1/#comment-757430 Craig Fri, 04 Jul 2008 18:09:50 +0000 http://crunchgear.com/2007/10/02/shock-second-life-is-all-hype-says-study/#comment-757430 Lol, "says study" What study? You mean the study where you played for a couple hours and decided you didn't like it? How scientific! Lol, “says study”

What study? You mean the study where you played for a couple hours and decided you didn’t like it? How scientific!

]]> By: Vendor Xeno http://www.crunchgear.com/2007/10/02/shock-second-life-is-all-hype-says-study/comment-page-1/#comment-509784 Vendor Xeno Sat, 03 Nov 2007 19:36:15 +0000 http://crunchgear.com/2007/10/02/shock-second-life-is-all-hype-says-study/#comment-509784 That has to be one of the worst reviews, citing simply and exclusively one of the worst sources, I've ever seen. Second Life is an artistic medium, like composing music or painting with oils. The difference is that you have a large, 3-d realm in which you can affect texture, sound, space, behavior and so forth. For the creative mind, Second Life is the opposite of hype, it's raw, almost limitless potential. If you're looking for a game to play, then yes, it could seem hollow for you. If you're just hoping for a more vibrant singles scene, then SL is what you make of it. But to declare an online environment which allows you this degree of creative and productive license and control 'hype' simply demonstrates a mind entirely void of imagination or creativity. Seriously, I know that people have become numb to being called idiots online, but this declaration was genuinely idiotic. It's on par with people who claimed film would never be useful as an art form. Either you've got the brains to measure something based on what you can build and create with it, or you don't. That has to be one of the worst reviews, citing simply and exclusively one of the worst sources, I’ve ever seen.

Second Life is an artistic medium, like composing music or painting with oils. The difference is that you have a large, 3-d realm in which you can affect texture, sound, space, behavior and so forth. For the creative mind, Second Life is the opposite of hype, it’s raw, almost limitless potential.

If you’re looking for a game to play, then yes, it could seem hollow for you. If you’re just hoping for a more vibrant singles scene, then SL is what you make of it. But to declare an online environment which allows you this degree of creative and productive license and control ‘hype’ simply demonstrates a mind entirely void of imagination or creativity. Seriously, I know that people have become numb to being called idiots online, but this declaration was genuinely idiotic. It’s on par with people who claimed film would never be useful as an art form. Either you’ve got the brains to measure something based on what you can build and create with it, or you don’t.

]]> By: csven http://www.crunchgear.com/2007/10/02/shock-second-life-is-all-hype-says-study/comment-page-1/#comment-472395 csven Mon, 08 Oct 2007 18:24:02 +0000 http://crunchgear.com/2007/10/02/shock-second-life-is-all-hype-says-study/#comment-472395 So now that the numbers have been debunked and the Yankee Group shamed into pulling the report, what now? If it sucks for one person, should we ignore the positive reports like that of the Guardian which - just two weeks ago - cited Second Life as being even more engaging than Facebook? So now that the numbers have been debunked and the Yankee Group shamed into pulling the report, what now? If it sucks for one person, should we ignore the positive reports like that of the Guardian which – just two weeks ago – cited Second Life as being even more engaging than Facebook?

]]> By: Margaret Cooter http://www.crunchgear.com/2007/10/02/shock-second-life-is-all-hype-says-study/comment-page-1/#comment-467566 Margaret Cooter Sat, 06 Oct 2007 02:56:18 +0000 http://crunchgear.com/2007/10/02/shock-second-life-is-all-hype-says-study/#comment-467566 Second Life is an opportunity--or, at least, the concept is. I am not a gamer and not a technical type. But I have been, because of a friend, experimenting in Second Life for the last month. And what I've found surprised me. First, there is an insistence on copying what might be in this life--the beaches are empty and the surf is always up. Second, it is pleasant. There are weird occurences--hackers--but I've yet to be approached in any but the warmest (and I don't mean sexual) way. Third, there is a real opportunity, that I haven't seen discussed much, for this platform to be a way to, in the most romantic of concepts, save the planet. It does create a much more intimate platform than any teleconference I've been in--real interaction, or something very close, occurs and without the cost to the environment of a meeting in London or Cairo. You can feel that personal interaction, see reaction, and communicate clearly without killing the world. Yankee might have found some reality--although 12 minutes does sound absurb--but if they did, that's sad, for the virtual world concept should be viewed as a potential way to prevent further degradation of this planet. And even if you are a denier of global warming, even if you think man should be master of all he surveys (and I don't say "man" lightly), you must think it'd be better for the air to be cleaner and skies brighter. Second Life, or its future equivalent (VHS or Beta), can give us that. So root for it. Support it. Find ways to use it. It's fun, it's economical, and it's good for the world. Did I mention it's fun? Try it again. If you want to play games, there are whole sims dedicated just to that. Search for them. If you want to learn, well, check out the universities. It's a fascinating platform--neither one thing or the other, just like good old mother earth. Second Life is an opportunity–or, at least, the concept is. I am not a gamer and not a technical type. But I have been, because of a friend, experimenting in Second Life for the last month. And what I’ve found surprised me. First, there is an insistence on copying what might be in this life–the beaches are empty and the surf is always up. Second, it is pleasant. There are weird occurences–hackers–but I’ve yet to be approached in any but the warmest (and I don’t mean sexual) way. Third, there is a real opportunity, that I haven’t seen discussed much, for this platform to be a way to, in the most romantic of concepts, save the planet. It does create a much more intimate platform than any teleconference I’ve been in–real interaction, or something very close, occurs and without the cost to the environment of a meeting in London or Cairo. You can feel that personal interaction, see reaction, and communicate clearly without killing the world. Yankee might have found some reality–although 12 minutes does sound absurb–but if they did, that’s sad, for the virtual world concept should be viewed as a potential way to prevent further degradation of this planet. And even if you are a denier of global warming, even if you think man should be master of all he surveys (and I don’t say “man” lightly), you must think it’d be better for the air to be cleaner and skies brighter. Second Life, or its future equivalent (VHS or Beta), can give us that. So root for it. Support it. Find ways to use it. It’s fun, it’s economical, and it’s good for the world. Did I mention it’s fun? Try it again. If you want to play games, there are whole sims dedicated just to that. Search for them. If you want to learn, well, check out the universities. It’s a fascinating platform–neither one thing or the other, just like good old mother earth.

]]> By: Nick Ramsay http://www.crunchgear.com/2007/10/02/shock-second-life-is-all-hype-says-study/comment-page-1/#comment-463101 Nick Ramsay Wed, 03 Oct 2007 06:16:31 +0000 http://crunchgear.com/2007/10/02/shock-second-life-is-all-hype-says-study/#comment-463101 Second Life is as good as you make it, just like your first life which sucks at times, too. Curiosity and creativity go a long way to making Second life both enjoyable and useful. If you think it sucks, you're probably lacking those two qualities. Second Life is as good as you make it, just like your first life which sucks at times, too. Curiosity and creativity go a long way to making Second life both enjoyable and useful. If you think it sucks, you’re probably lacking those two qualities.

]]> By: Chris Taylor http://www.crunchgear.com/2007/10/02/shock-second-life-is-all-hype-says-study/comment-page-1/#comment-462820 Chris Taylor Wed, 03 Oct 2007 03:15:28 +0000 http://crunchgear.com/2007/10/02/shock-second-life-is-all-hype-says-study/#comment-462820 I love second life because I am represented by an nearly limitlessly customizable avtar instead of a name in a text list and I can talk to people from around the world without being in an ugly boring IRC chat room nd its so much easier to "mute the flak" in second life unlike an IRC chat room. I love second life because I am represented by an nearly limitlessly customizable avtar instead of a name in a text list and I can talk to people from around the world without being in an ugly boring IRC chat room nd its so much easier to “mute the flak” in second life unlike an IRC chat room.

]]> By: Ecocandle Riel http://www.crunchgear.com/2007/10/02/shock-second-life-is-all-hype-says-study/comment-page-1/#comment-462754 Ecocandle Riel Wed, 03 Oct 2007 01:53:59 +0000 http://crunchgear.com/2007/10/02/shock-second-life-is-all-hype-says-study/#comment-462754 Both John and AJ have make great points. I just wanted to add something that I found interesting, sort of an addition to the point AJ made about education in SL. I recently helped a friend research a book on SL, and one of my focuses was education. There are over 100 colleges or universities using second life, and Princeton just opened their spaces in world. It is 8 sims, and is by far the largest space dedicated to one campus. I spent about 40 minutes looking around and was amazed by the quality of work they have done thus far. Another fun thing to do in SL is to go to the Dresden Gallery. It is a recreation of the real life Dresden Gallery, and has all 700 + masterworks. If you enjoy art, you can go and take in the paintings, and if you want to know something about them, simply give it a click, and you are given a notecard. Second Life has also done a great job with raising money for cancer research. 2005 = $6000 US Dollars, 2006 = 42,000 US Dollars, and this year, 2007 = over 100,000 US Dollars. If you enjoy french politics, and really, who doesn't, then you would have been able to learn a bunch about all four major canidates, including Sarkozy and Royal. So in conclusion, it may not be a world were one can get their video game fix (Unless you count the sims with Shooters on them, the Golf Course, Tringo, the RPG sims...but we don't count those...ok I do, they are actually fun.) I guess my point is that, it may not be easy to find the cool stuff, but once you do, it is a rich environment. Both John and AJ have make great points. I just wanted to add something that I found interesting, sort of an addition to the point AJ made about education in SL. I recently helped a friend research a book on SL, and one of my focuses was education. There are over 100 colleges or universities using second life, and Princeton just opened their spaces in world. It is 8 sims, and is by far the largest space dedicated to one campus. I spent about 40 minutes looking around and was amazed by the quality of work they have done thus far.

Another fun thing to do in SL is to go to the Dresden Gallery. It is a recreation of the real life Dresden Gallery, and has all 700 + masterworks. If you enjoy art, you can go and take in the paintings, and if you want to know something about them, simply give it a click, and you are given a notecard.

Second Life has also done a great job with raising money for cancer research. 2005 = $6000 US Dollars, 2006 = 42,000 US Dollars, and this year, 2007 = over 100,000 US Dollars.

If you enjoy french politics, and really, who doesn’t, then you would have been able to learn a bunch about all four major canidates, including Sarkozy and Royal.

So in conclusion, it may not be a world were one can get their video game fix (Unless you count the sims with Shooters on them, the Golf Course, Tringo, the RPG sims…but we don’t count those…ok I do, they are actually fun.) I guess my point is that, it may not be easy to find the cool stuff, but once you do, it is a rich environment.

]]> By: Pompo Bombacci http://www.crunchgear.com/2007/10/02/shock-second-life-is-all-hype-says-study/comment-page-1/#comment-462750 Pompo Bombacci Wed, 03 Oct 2007 01:50:17 +0000 http://crunchgear.com/2007/10/02/shock-second-life-is-all-hype-says-study/#comment-462750 Well said John! I sure would like to know what the heck you experienced in a few hours: Orientation island? LMAO That's a very superficial research...uhm no wonder you dont have a clue! Well said John!

I sure would like to know what the heck you experienced in a few hours:
Orientation island? LMAO

That’s a very superficial research…uhm no wonder you dont have a clue!

]]> By: AJ http://www.crunchgear.com/2007/10/02/shock-second-life-is-all-hype-says-study/comment-page-1/#comment-462670 AJ Wed, 03 Oct 2007 01:07:38 +0000 http://crunchgear.com/2007/10/02/shock-second-life-is-all-hype-says-study/#comment-462670 I'm sorry you had such a bad experience. I completely understand someone who was looking for a "game" not being happy with Second Life. Second Life is not a game. There are no rules, per se - there are terms of service to be followed (or not, in some cases), but there is no goal upon arrival. There can be a goal if you want one. I see great value in Second Life as a tool for education, for instance. There are certainly other industries that benefit, but education seems like an exceptional environment for the virtual experience. Second Life also functions as much as a social and professional social networking tool. Many, probably an extremely large percentage, sign on and find some way of "socializing". But there are also a number of companies and educational organizations already actively using Second Life to work, teach, meet, collaborate, etc... I can see how it could be extremely disappointing if one was looking for a gaming experience. I’m sorry you had such a bad experience. I completely understand someone who was looking for a “game” not being happy with Second Life. Second Life is not a game. There are no rules, per se – there are terms of service to be followed (or not, in some cases), but there is no goal upon arrival. There can be a goal if you want one.

I see great value in Second Life as a tool for education, for instance. There are certainly other industries that benefit, but education seems like an exceptional environment for the virtual experience.

Second Life also functions as much as a social and professional social networking tool. Many, probably an extremely large percentage, sign on and find some way of “socializing”. But there are also a number of companies and educational organizations already actively using Second Life to work, teach, meet, collaborate, etc…

I can see how it could be extremely disappointing if one was looking for a gaming experience.

]]> By: John Jainschigg http://www.crunchgear.com/2007/10/02/shock-second-life-is-all-hype-says-study/comment-page-1/#comment-462371 John Jainschigg Tue, 02 Oct 2007 21:49:13 +0000 http://crunchgear.com/2007/10/02/shock-second-life-is-all-hype-says-study/#comment-462371 Yankee is wrong. Nobody does anything for 12 minutes a month. You can only get numbers like that if you average users and non-users together. Second Life has never claimed that all the 9.6 million people who download their client are actively using the system. Smart money says half a million, however, use it every day. Re. mobile - the demographics for intense mobile use (young) don't even overlap with the target demo for Second Life, which skews upward from a mean of about 32 years old. Finally, if you look at recent growth-rate stats from objective sources (e.g., www.secondlifeinsider.com) you can see that Yankee's assertions about stagnation are completely ludicrous. As far as the experience goes: I just finished producing a six-day conference in Second Life, aimed at software developers, sponsored by Sun Microsystems and IBM. 1000 people attended -- all fully registered -- mostly senior developers and software architects with the Fortune 500, US government agencies and top-flite universities. Average time spent by the top 500 audience members was 15 hours. Average time spent by the top 250 attendees was 23 hours. Top 100, 26 hours. In other words, they spent as much time at this virtual event as they would at any professional conference held in a destination city. Except ... nobody had to get on a plane. Dude ... if it sucks for you, you probably just need a better computer. Yankee is wrong. Nobody does anything for 12 minutes a month. You can only get numbers like that if you average users and non-users together. Second Life has never claimed that all the 9.6 million people who download their client are actively using the system. Smart money says half a million, however, use it every day.

Re. mobile – the demographics for intense mobile use (young) don’t even overlap with the target demo for Second Life, which skews upward from a mean of about 32 years old.

Finally, if you look at recent growth-rate stats from objective sources (e.g., http://www.secondlifeinsider.com) you can see that Yankee’s assertions about stagnation are completely ludicrous.

As far as the experience goes: I just finished producing a six-day conference in Second Life, aimed at software developers, sponsored by Sun Microsystems and IBM. 1000 people attended — all fully registered — mostly senior developers and software architects with the Fortune 500, US government agencies and top-flite universities. Average time spent by the top 500 audience members was 15 hours. Average time spent by the top 250 attendees was 23 hours. Top 100, 26 hours. In other words, they spent as much time at this virtual event as they would at any professional conference held in a destination city. Except … nobody had to get on a plane.

Dude … if it sucks for you, you probably just need a better computer.

]]> By: Malignant Narcissist http://www.crunchgear.com/2007/10/02/shock-second-life-is-all-hype-says-study/comment-page-1/#comment-462087 Malignant Narcissist Tue, 02 Oct 2007 17:28:43 +0000 http://crunchgear.com/2007/10/02/shock-second-life-is-all-hype-says-study/#comment-462087 "To boil it down to two words—it sucked." Perfect!! “To boil it down to two words—it sucked.”

Perfect!!

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