The Times UK reports, in a meandering sort of way, about VW2008, coming to the conclusion that “Companies are increasingly turning to virtual worlds not just for brand building, but also to hold meetings and train staff.”
They make the following claim about Second Life:
In reality, Second Life doesn’t work. As the firm itself admits, the system crashes constantly and the steep learning curve for anyone entering Second Life puts off all but the hardcore.Nevertheless, virtual worlds are here to stay. Among this year’s Virtual World attendees were Intel, Google, Microsoft and the US Department of State.
Well, first – sure, it crashes. It lags. Residents get frustrated. But that’s a long way from not working. It’s a long way from 400 universities having campuses. But whatever – the main stream press needs to make up for their gushy or over-wrought claims of yesteryear, and I’m increasingly fascinated by how they seem to ride waves of enthusiasm about specific things only to come crashing down on those same things later as if they weren’t partly to blame.
This not-exactly-new-news comes after trailing Craig Morrison and Joel Cockrill’s experiences traveling in North American for the conference. Cockrill has come to the conclusion that the future is bright for 3D worlds, saying “We are at a turning point where the technology is just about catching up with what we want to do with it.”
Morrison and Cockrill are working with the University of Wales to create 3D mirror worlds.
