Virtual Worlds News

Guest Post: What Does the Future Hold for Virtual Events?

This guest post comes courtesy of Malcolm Lotzof, CEO, InXpo.

Over the past few months, the virtual events’ industry has experienced tremendous growth and interest from corporations. The economic recession, cost-cutting and the AIG effect have all contributed to corporations canceling physical meetings and conventions and looking for alternative solutions. 

This has presented an opportunity for our industry to educate corporations regarding the power of virtual events to connect, educate and engage with their audiences, as well as to begin shaping how corporations can creatively use multiple virtual events to create a virtual experience that extends their brands.

Intel Bullish On VW Interoperability In Predictions For Next Decade

Intel made 10 predictions for the next ten years at a media/analysts event yesterday in London, reports Electronics Weekly. Many of them hint at a commitment towards increased reliance on processing power to drive high-quality visuals. Specifically, Intel technical marketing manager Steve Cutler predicted new heights in visual computing and realistic computer-generated images. That's a trend Intel has previously highlighted--and bolstered with its acquisition of Havok in 2007 and work with ScienceSim as a way of assessing data virtually.

Cutler also predicted that over the next ten years, users will access seamlessly conntected 3D virtual worlds. Those worlds, in turn, will be used for more practical applications. The hunt for interoperability in current virtual worlds has died down a bit lately, with most of the activity occuring between the similar Second Life and OpenSim platforms, but with a recent display of interest from major players like Google and Mozilla in establishing standards for 3D on the Web, it looks like the process could be starting up again. [via Electronics Weekly]

eModeration Report: Moderators Should Encourage Participation And Loyalty In Virtual Worlds

The extracts below are taken from a new white paper by eModeration that looks at how moderators can encourage participation and loyalty in virtual worlds. You can find the full paper, "How to Encourage Participation and Player Loyalty in Virtual Worlds," online for free here.

Today, there are two types of moderators. The first and more traditional type is the silent moderator, who stays in the background blocking offensive material from participants, warning users, defusing confrontation and reacting to abusive or illegal behaviour. 

The second and increasingly-popular type is the in-game moderator, who actively participates as a character or avatar on the site, helping other players engage with the various activities within the game. This type of moderator may also act as an in-game host—i.e., visible to the children— and can be compared to the host of a children’s party. The role is about encouraging children to explore and try new things and have as positive an experience as possible, but stay safe and secure while doing so. 

A Mini Case Study: Player Driven Payment Choices in Wizard101

This is a guest post from Elie Akilian, Founder and CEO of KingsIsle Entertainment, on his company's decision to offer a variety of different pricing options for its virtual world, Wizard101.

As KingsIsle Entertainment neared the launch of Wizard101 last year, we needed to determine which payment model would most appeal to our customers.  While the pricing model is one of the most critical decisions to be made at the launch of a virtual world, historical data on what works and what doesn’t is scarce.  After a close look at other online virtual worlds with an emphasis on gameplay, we noticed that most companies use a system of micropayments or subscriptions—almost never both.

Gartner: Virtual Conferencing to Cut 2.1MM Airline Seats by 2012

At the annual Gartner Predicts 2009 last week, the item topping the list of forecasts called for a significant decrease in physical traveling as virtual conferencing options offer an alternative. Specifically, Gartner is looking at high-definition based video meeting solutions to replace 2.1 million airline seats annually by 2012, costing the travel and hospitality industry US$3.5 billion per year.There is still room for virtual worlds, though, according to the company.

Virtual Worlds Management Industry Forecast 2009 Now Available

The Virtual Worlds Management Industry Forecast 2009 collects responses from over 60 industry executives, analysts, observers, and thought leaders on what the coming year holds for the virtual worlds industry. Their answers have been edited only lightly for formatting and a consistent style. Otherwise they've been left untouched, providing a snapshot of the industry's status, mindset, and goals regarding 2009. Request a free copy of the full survey by emailing vw2009forecast@showinitiative.com.

J.P. Morgan on Virtual Worlds: "Two Audiences, Two Differing Growth Curves"

In J.P. Morgan's new report, "Nothing But Net: Outlook for Global Internet Stocks in 2009" [PDF], analysts point to a diverging market in virtual worlds. Just as at the beginning of 2008, Morgan is largely bulllish, though with more reservations, on youth-oriented kids virtual worlds. It's less excited, though, about the adult market and virtual worlds overall.  I think, however, that we'll begin to see more convergence in the markets and, hopefully, success.

"We think that, although virtual worlds have yet to reach the status of mature companies, they are not, taken as an aggregate, positioned for further rapid growth.  We think the market is ultimately one that should be seen as consisting of two parts – virtual worlds for children/teens and ones for adults– with diverging longer-term growth prospects," explains the report. "We think virtual worlds for kids/teens are a product with strong promise, and one that could continue to achieve mainstream status in coming years. To the contrary, we think virtual worlds aimed at adults face greater challenges in the U.S."

Pew: 55% of Experts Herald Virtual Worlds and Augmented Reality in 2020

In a new report from the Pew Internet & American Life project, 55% of 578 surveyed experts agreed with a scenario that depicted virtual worlds, mirror worlds, and augmented reality becoming increasingly significant to our daily lives by 2020. 30%, however, disagreed and another 15% declined to answer. The scenario depicted is as follows:

"In 2020, virtual worlds, mirror worlds, and augmented reality are popular network formats, thanks to the rapid evolution of natural, intuitive technology interfaces and personalized information overlays. To be fully connected, advanced organizations and individuals must have a presence in the  'metaverse' and/or the 'geoWeb.' Most well-equipped Internet users will spend some part of their waking hours—at work and at play—at least partially linked to  augmentations of the real world or alternate worlds. This lifestyle involves seamless transitions between artificial reality,  virtual reality, and the status formerly known as 'real life.'"

Guest Post: Meez CEO Sean Ryan - "Alternative Payment Systems Power Social Monetization Growth"

This is a guest post from Sean Ryan, CEO, Meez.

I've previously blogged about the rise of virtual goods and overall premium services in virtual worlds, social media and gaming, but one key component of this growth in revenue has been the rise of what are generally called alternative/aggregated payment services such as OfferPal, SuperRewards, PeanutLabs, PayByCash, Sometrics, etc.

This occurs because there are 3 components to a successful virtual good-oriented revenue model:

5 Thoughts On Reactions to Home: Is It Getting Harder To Launch a Virtual World?

It's been less than a week since Home went to open beta on the PlayStation 3, and, so far, the press has been a bit middling. From virtual world bloggers to game publications to tech writers to the mainstream press, reactions seem to mostly vary from disgust (IGN summed up, "PlayStation Home is dumb") to frustrations with the evolving technology and inability to log in to, at the better end, optimism that the free service is an impressive feat and has room for growth. New World Notes is already listing reasons why Home will fail and others are pointing out, seemingly everywhere, that some sort of sex is possible in Home. There has been some positive coverage as well, but this is just a small sampling from my RSS reader and Google Alerts over the weekend.

It reminds me of when Lively launched to open beta this summer, and, less than a month later, The Economist called it as a "flop." Given Lively's track record, that's not too hopeful for Home.