The last three years in virtual worlds has seen many changes, and very few all at the same time.
In the wake of the Virtual Worlds 2008 and Worlds in Motion conferences, people are asking if kids’ worlds is all our industry has to offer right now. Well, one answer is that this stuff does not make kids uncomfortable. Kids don’t waste time on nervous jokes about first lives, but rather get busy feeling empowered, exploring new horizons, and having fun.
I do not personally (as opposed to work-related) know any more adults today that have avatars than I did 3 years ago (Reuters picked up on this comment when I made it at the conference). Conversely, I probably don’t know a child who hasn’t played with virtual worlds.
I do not know if the cultural mind-shift required among US adults will emerge from workplace usage or entertainment. In Asia, entertainment has been a huge driver. Many adults in the US still get nervous with the word “game” and I’ve heard countless people note that Facebook is successful because it can be a game without being *called* a game. However, casual games and innovations like the Wii are breaking us out of “gamer” stereotypes and usage patterns.
I see three important baby steps for adults happening this year.
1. Virtual world concepts will be integrated into websites. Online communities will be able to engage with each other in more visual ways. Adults will be exposed to virtual world concepts in places they already go (websites) with tools they already use (the browser).
2. Corporations are experimenting with virtual worlds for education and collaboration. IBM is playing a major role in helping this along, as seen with Forterra’s announcement of integration to Sametime, and IBM’s experiments hosting private regions of Second Life. Most of Second Life’s corporate usage right now is in this usage segment.
A dose of the boring might be a very healthy thing, expanding the “cocktail party gut reaction” beyond the strange. Of course, for educators and trainers who are seeing positive results, this topic is anything but boring. However, every platform out there has technology gaps to fill around accessibility, usability or application-integration, so in my opinion, 2008 is really about the pilot / prototype.
3. We’ve seen the kids-to-adults influence pattern with Obama, and I also expect adults to get increasingly exposed to virtual world possibilities through their children. Of course, for this pattern to get interesting, we’ll need to see continued innovation and creativity in the kids space. I really like how Barbie Girls is including the parent in the orientation experience, helping the child and parent work together to set engagement rules. We will no doubt see a flood of me-too, low-budget, copycat efforts in the kids space, but I expect we will see breakthroughs as well.
译文:
成人还未适应
说实话，过去三年之中发生了很多变化，并且这些变化的发生时间各不相同。
随着虚拟世界2008和动感世界大会的结束，人们怀疑是不是服务儿童已成为我们当前工作的重点。答案之一是，至少这些东西不会让孩子们感到不舒服。孩子们不必关于生命的
冷笑话中浪费时间，他们拥有更多的自主权，眼界变得更开阔，而且还能享受乐趣。我个人认为（与工作无关），比起三年前来，现在并没有增加多少信仰救世主的人（当我在会上发表这个观点时，人们振奋了）。我不知道竟然有的孩子没有玩过模拟游戏。
我不知道美国成人所要求的文化上的思想转换，是否会在工业和娱乐业上得到渗透。在亚洲，娱乐业也成为一个巨大的驱动产业。许多美国成人仍对“游戏”这个词感到紧张。我听说有数不清的人注意到facebook成功了，因为它是游戏，但不被叫做“游戏”。然而，非正式的游戏和创意，比如Wii正在改变我们作为游戏玩家和游戏使用者的模式。
今年我看到成人世界三个重要的小变化。
1. 虚拟世界的概念将会融入网站的建设中。网络社区将以更多可视的方式联系起来。成人将会暴露在虚拟世界的概念中，因为他们去过一些网站，用过一些浏览工具。
2. 企业正在尝试把虚拟世界应用于教育和商业合作。看到
Forterra合并Sametime的宣传，IBM正在以上两领域发挥巨大作用。
IBM还尝试创办“第二生活”私人空间，现在“第二生活”公用部分正在使用之中。
对健康有益的事可能很无聊，比如详述“鸡尾酒会后的肠道反应”，让人不可想象。当然，正在寻求正面结果的教育家和培训师来说，这个话题并不无聊。然而，每一个外界的平台都有应用技术方面的障碍。所以我认为，2008年我们只是做一个雏形。
3. 我们已经在
奥巴马身上看到孩子对承认的影响，我期待成人通过孩子更加了解虚拟世界。当然因为这个模式很有趣，我们需要在儿童空间做更多的创新。我很喜欢
芭比娃娃，包括有生活经验的父母模型，它能帮助孩子和父母共同制定规则。我们会在儿童空间看到低成本的复制，但这种情况会有所改观的。