Jennyfur & Philip at SLCC (Photo: Jeska D.)
Hype is short for hyperbole, and it can be positive or negative. Virtual worlds have gone through a hype cycle not seen in technology for quite some time. Through 2006 and most of 2007, virtual worlds were the darlings of the press, every company seemed to want in, and small hip companies could charge huge amounts just for doing something “cool.” It resembled the beginning of the dot-com era, and reminded me of my own experiences as a young professional in that era.
That all came crashing down towards the end of 2007, and throughout 2008. The thing about hype is that it is never reality: throughout 2006 and early 2007, virtual worlds, and Second Life in particular, were praised far too much. From some of the press, you’d think Philip Rosedale and Cory Ondrejka had discovered the cure to cancer! Now, give Philip and Cory credit where it is due: they led the team that put virtual worlds on the map, and created an environment so conducive to creativity and group interaction that it has survived and thrived. Compare that to other virtual worlds over the years: Active Worlds is a ghost land, early start ups like Virtual Places and The Palace are long past their popular days, There is still, well, there, and Kaneva never took off. Don’t even get me started on Worlds, which until just recently featured Blair Witch World and Hanson World as their “new things.”
Since that hype cycle, things have come crashing down. If you mention virtual worlds in conversation, people immediately seem to think that it is nothing but a giant orgy, or even worse, that nothing but the most perverted acts happen, thanks to the press about sexual age play. Fortunately, we seem to have weathered the negative hype storm through the first half of 2008, and now that we’ve been through both the crest and the trough of the cycle, it seems things are starting to be looked at more realistically.
That bring us up to what I’ve found most exciting about 2008: it is the first year where people doing things in virtual worlds can actually get attention for what they’re doing. I’m fondly looking in the rear view mirror at stories about how easy it is to make money, land barons, sexual perversity and how virtual worlds will either save us all or destroy us all, depending on the month. The days of FlipperPA Peregrine, metaverse superstar, are behind me, and I’m enjoying just being passionate about technology and virtual worlds again, something I’ve been involved with for almost 15 years now.
2008 has been a great year. In part 2, I’ll explore exactly why, and share some experiences and new technologies that I’m sure a lot of people haven’t experienced; in the year when Philip Rosedale and Cory Ondrejka stepped aside, two people with enough vision and charisma to make people with money believe in virtual worlds, the playing field was opened and many new voices have emerged. It is the most exciting time to be a virtual worlds enthusiast: the hype has settled, and now we can actually get down to work!