It seems that some residents of Second Life aren't happy with the commercialism that is coming to the online world. Slate has this news about the actions of those individuals in an effort to make the corporations feel unwelcome:
Terrorism has erupted in a huge, online fantasy world.
Membership in Second Life has soared from 100,000 to 2 million in a year. Freeloaders and corporations selling real stuff are coming in; imaginary elves are leaving. The company that runs the world says it needs corporate money to keep it growing and going. Some old-timers, angry at the changes, stratification, and limits on democracy, have formed the "Second Life Liberation Army" and are virtually shooting people and detonating bombs outside chain stores to generate real publicity. Liberation Army's spin: We're like the American revolutionaries.
Left-wing view: Everything started going to hell when the corporations came in. Right-wing view: Everything started going to hell when the terrorists came in. Human Nature's view: Everything started going to hell when the people came in.
If the long term residents want corporations to go away, I think that just continuing their normal behavior of dressing up like animals or children and having lots of cybersex with appropriate animations will eventually do the trick.
Article from Razorwire News
23.2.07
ING creates Dutch 'mini state' in Second Life
Dutch banking group ING has ceated a virtual mini-state - ourvirtualholland - on screen-based 3d-world Second Life.
The bank says the aim of the site is to build an online community of creative and entrepeneurial people. Residents will be able to set up a new business, build their own housing and design new products.
The bank is also pitching the site as a tourist hotspot, expressly designed to reflect Dutch culture and architecture. Included in the plans is a virtual art gallery, at which ING will make available digital reproductions of its private art collection, and show work by other artists.
ING's venture into Second Life follows that of its compatriot ABN Amro, which in December opened a virtual financial advice centre for game-players.
The bank says the aim of the site is to build an online community of creative and entrepeneurial people. Residents will be able to set up a new business, build their own housing and design new products.
The bank is also pitching the site as a tourist hotspot, expressly designed to reflect Dutch culture and architecture. Included in the plans is a virtual art gallery, at which ING will make available digital reproductions of its private art collection, and show work by other artists.
ING's venture into Second Life follows that of its compatriot ABN Amro, which in December opened a virtual financial advice centre for game-players.
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