Second Life Second Time Around

My return to Second Life was much like the 1985 Fairuza Balk vehicle Return to Oz - dark and scary, full of things I didn't understand, and overrun with choppy 3D polygons. (To continue this analogy, let's assume "choppy 3D polygons" are the "Wheelers.")  Last fall, everyone wanted a piece of the Second Life pie. Who wants sliced bread when you can render it and sell it through a virtual online community?  The user count was exploding and companies were rushing to get their product on the Second Life market.

Months later, I wonder what all the fuss was about. I played around with Second Life for a day or two, grew bored with it's poor user controls and rendering abilities, and ushered it to the back of my hard drive.  Maybe I was too old to enjoy what Second Life had to offer.  Maybe I liked spending my money on items like rent and Cadbury Cream Eggs.  Despite all of this, I recently took another plunge into the online world to see if my experience was better the second time around.

It wasn't.  All the faults from my original experience still existed. It seemed as if more cyber-sex islands had sprung up. And it appeared to have even more download lag than before.  Despite all of this, I wasn't ready to give up.

Toyota has been showcasing their Scion cars in Second Life and offering test drives.  I thought I'd give it a whirl and see what a Second Life test drive had to offer.  Aside from pushing my "up" arrow key while watching a blocky car make its way down a road, not a whole lot.  It sure didn't make me any more likely to buy the car.  I give Toyota credit for playing the "hip card" and putting their product up in the virtual world, but that's where I'd stop.

In order to save Second Life, I'd start with improving the graphics and controls.  Also, I'd make it easier for the user to understand what he/she is actually doing and where they're going.  Finally, I'd figure out what customers can get out of the experience instead of just looking at pictures and videos.  After all, the buzz factor on Second Life is fading quicker than those Pets.com commercials.

Comments

[Amelia Torode]

Just found your blog and liked this post in particular. I wonder whether I am too old for Second Life, because I just don't get it and I have tried. But when I go there I find it either boring, I just wonder around and find other people just wondering around to (probably from other agencies, maybe in my First Life I actually know them!) or bizarre orgy things going on.
I like the idea of alternate reality, but there was an interesting post about SL vs WOW, and it said that the problem with Second Life was that there was no point. But at least once a day clients ask me if I should be on it!