Second Life Pageviews expressed as a percentage of available audience over a three year span.
http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1407952648/bctid1443716894
The Second Life(SL) video, linked above, is the multimedia companion to the three page San Francisco Chronicle article in Sunday's Travel Section. Are things going great at SL? Linden Labs, the San Francisco based creator of SL, appears to be populated with upbeat workers, but there are those declining numbers to give you pause.
Our easily distracted, conventional media, outside the Bay Area might have found some other shiny new toy. On the popular Digital Campus podcast, from the Center for History and New Media, the moderators seriously questioned the role a virtual world such as Second Life plays in education. This back and forth has been going on for a couple of years with many institutions represented in SL Education Programs.
The many and varied opinions are the lot we have earned by the thoroughness of our of information webs. Avatars might be fashionable today, but keep an eye out for an evolving grid.
5 comments:
I have to wonder if people who get really involved with this have a real life? It reminds me of the Sims, a game my brother used to waste lots of his time on, before he met a woman and got married.
Between working full time, taking 2 classes each semester at UF, keeping house, cooking, keeping up with family and pets, reading, and watching an occasional movie, I cannot see having time to have a "second life".
I have always held that computers are great tools, lousy pets, and not a replacement for relationships.
Do you find any learning value in games or simulations?
I think that is part of the problem with any type of video game or simulation similar to "Second Life." Some people tend to seperate from real life in favor of the game. It does seem like there is a potential for educational value. I watched the video and it explains that the geographical locations are true to real life and also talked about "becoming a part of a painting." Those who do not have the opportunity to travel or who are trying to decide where their next travel destination should be could first travel virtually and speak to others who can give them a virtual tour. Becoming a part of the painting seems like it would be a good way to learn about art education.
I have never been a gamer, so I can't answer that, Mr. Ed. Pong and Space Invaders were the last games I played.
To me, making a database work with input and output screens is a good "game".
I have seen abuses of gaming, where the gamer has no friends and no social life except for the game. So I am not a big fan of it.
I am sure there are computer skills to be learned from gaming and simulations.
A friend of mine has a pilot simulator that is very interesting, and teaches worthy skills. I know the military has simulation programs, and that makes more sense than actually using up ammo and fuel to learn to drive tanks and shoot artillery.
I am not a snob about it, I just never found any pleasure in it.
I thought of an educational application for a simulator...for environmental issues.
The premise is to affect various ecosystems by conserving water, reducing pesticides and fertilizers, conserving wetlands and wildlife habitats, etc. Students can manage rain forests, agricultural lands, water districts, wildlife populations through fishing and hunting licenses...
That would be intriguing!
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