Ac3d builds for second life
The game received considerable press lately when the Reuters news agency opened an all-digital bureau within the environment, becoming just the latest real-world organization to recognize the significance of the space. Meanwhile, the ability to interact with people from all over the globe enables political and cultural exchange and research in a safe and controlled environment. Because Second Life is a rough simulation of the natural world, with meteorological and gravitational systems, the possibilities of experimenting with natural and physical sciences are endless. The ability to build 3-D objects collaboratively and in real time with others in the same world has enormous potential for teaching building, design, and art principles.
This is the play aspect many educators find appealing about Second Life, where learning becomes a fun challenge to be enjoyed in a group setting.Įven from that brief description, the educational applications should be obvious. As of October 2006, the total subscriber base is well over 1 million and, at current growth rates, is expected to triple by next October.įor many, the ability to look over the shoulder of one's virtual self unlocks a realm where anything seems possible, and they're happy to treat this world as a risk-free platform for lucid dreaming, crafting a collectively experienced, collectively told narrative of conflict, adventure, and exploration. Linden Lab, the company behind Second Life, maintains a policy whereby Residents retain the IP rights to their creations, enabling businesses, nonprofit organizations, and educational institutions to re-create their assets without fear of losing control over them. That is, Residents literally build the world together with the 3-D construction and programming tools provided for them, a process that resembles a group session of Lego building, except that it's done with people logging in from anywhere in the world.
Unlike online games, however, Second Life is entirely user created. Using mouse and keyboard, players (or Residents, in the SL lingo) maneuver their stylized avatars, or alter egos, through a lush three-dimensional landscape of forests, mountains, and plains, typing chat messages to other users, and interacting with them at parties, events, and so on. If you've ever seen video games like Tomb Raider or Grand Theft Auto, with their third-person, over-the-shoulder view of the action, you get the visual appearance of Second Life.