I've gotten into the habit of responding to questions on the linkedin q&a boards that concern virtual worlds, Second Life, or other subjects such as global outsourcing, teleconferencing, etc that somehow bear on the work I do. Here's one of my typical responses. I hope to discuss the points I raise in the response below as I continue blogging.
"I started my own consultancy VRWorkplace to advise businesses on how to use virtual worlds like Second Life for real work benefiting purposes. Having led a global workforce, I can tell you that virtual worlds will radically change how we interact across distance. The experience within a virtual world is dramatically unlike anything most of us have seen before. Do I enjoy the "game" aspects of Second Life? Not particularly, but that's not why I built my facility there. Just as I don't engage in telephonic 'chat rooms' or web-chats, I don't engage in much gaming in Second Life. That said, as a communications medium that bridges distance in a way that no other tool has, virtual worlds are incredibly powerful. As for some of the other issues: 1. The interface will get easier. Memory requirements will become more manageable. Frankly, the workforce before long will consist of members who never lived without a mouse in hand and keyboard in front of them. For these people, getting around Second Life is "cake." 2. The "I have a first life crowd" needs to understand that Second Life, in my opinion, is a victim of an unfortunate name. Yes, for some it is in fact their "second life." For others, it's a medium that permits interaction as if in person with friends and colleagues across the globe. This is why I built facilities for work and play in my Second Life location. To enable participants to interact with each other, as if in person, in different and engaging environments. 3. I am not a gamer. The last game I played I think was Donkey Kong. I use this medium as a tool. Same reason I use LinkedIn. It's a powerful way of connecting with people I wouldn't otherwise connect with in a meaningful way. 4. Virtual Worlds are not going away. Large corporations are investing mega-bucks in their own virtual worlds and virtual worlds facilities in Second Life and others. Now, ultimately, it may not be Second Life. The virtual world that impacts the way I expect may not even have been invented yet. That said, the act of engaging in an immersive environment on the net with avatar-like interfaces will not go away. Indeed, I predict that as graphics improve and hardware changes to accomodate such worlds, virtual worlds and things like telepresence will essentially merge -- rendering physical distance irrelevant." |
