The first of several SLA in Second Life Click-U events was held yesterday. Introduction to Second LIfe--Part I was the webex portion of a two part series introducing people to virtual worlds in general and Second Life in particular. Part II actually takes place in Second Life. Both parts will be offered several times over the next two months. Check the SLA in Second Life wiki for the schedule. You will need to register for the sessions.
Scott Brown, from Sun Microsystems, was the primary instructor. He was joined later in the session by his co-teacher Christy Confetti Higgins, also from Sun Microsystems. The one hour program began with an explanation of how virtual worlds sprang from a science fiction background. Seminal books and movies were briefly identified. Scott then went on to explain that with the emergng technology, "a slew of virtual worlds" have been created. These new virtual worlds have several features in common including interactive chat capabilities, a 3-D environment, capabilty of moving within the world, etc. Many virtual worlds are not games--this includes Second Life. He provided screen casts of several worlds including Google Lively and There.com
Scott then shifted gears, focusing on Second Life. He explained how Linden Labs provided the basic infrastructure for Second LIfe but that everything else from plants to buildings to clothing has been created by the avatars or residents as they are known in Second LIfe. He demonstrated how the different simulations could range from the almost realistic to the fantastic. The avatars who inhabited these simulations could also vary from closely resembling their human counterparts to 'furries' (animal avatars).
Scott then provided one of the best explanations yet given on why a person or organization might want to participate in Second Life. He included educational, environmental, and social reasons to explore this new frontier.
He provided a number of resources that could help people prepare for their initiatiion into Second Life. In preparation for Part Ii, which will take place in Second LIfe, Scott also talked about the systems requirements to download the Second LIfe software and the need to practice navigating around Second LIfe before actually particpating in Part II.
The last half of the class was devoted to Q&A. It was very helpful to have two experienced Second Life users answer questions on how to get into Second Life, where to hang out, and what to expect.
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