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| AUGUST 19, 2008 |
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And true, the whimsical universe in the online game Second Life is an inviting place for
candidates hoping to get an audience with some of its 14 million ``inhabitants'' - people who
create a character and move through a made-up world that's somewhere between The Matrix
and Grand Theft Auto.
But even with this presidential race forging new territory in online fundraising and networking,
the alternate reality of Second Life is one frontier of the Internet that has yet to find a toe-hold
in the buttoned-up arena of politics.
Campaigns haven't figured out how to reconcile the all-important image and fundraising with
a world in which a Gothic nymph can sit in on a congressional hearing - or a Teddy bear
might try to donate to a political campaign.
So for now, the Second Life campaign headquarters of Barack Obama and John McCain are
pristine, glistening and completely vacant most of the time.
``It's been written about in fiction and cyberpunk, this idea that these online worlds could
actually be used for political purposes, whether it is to recruit supporters, or train people to
take action or to fund raise,'' said Julie Germany, director of the Institute for Politics,
Democracy and the Internet. ``It just hasn't exploded the way other online tools have
exploded.''
Second Life, a game launched in 2003 by Linden Lab in San Francisco, has only one real
point: Create an alternate world online, move through it and interact with other people. It's like
a giant chat room, but with bodies walking around instead of just letters on the screen.
Anyone can get onto the game and create an ``avatar,'' a computer character that can walk,
talk and fly, for no cost. They can use their real money to buy and sell Second Life real estate.
They can build monuments, open businesses and create groups around common interests.
And, of course, they can talk politics and gather in a 3D form and in real time. [read more]
candidates hoping to get an audience with some of its 14 million ``inhabitants'' - people who
create a character and move through a made-up world that's somewhere between The Matrix
and Grand Theft Auto.
But even with this presidential race forging new territory in online fundraising and networking,
the alternate reality of Second Life is one frontier of the Internet that has yet to find a toe-hold
in the buttoned-up arena of politics.
Campaigns haven't figured out how to reconcile the all-important image and fundraising with
a world in which a Gothic nymph can sit in on a congressional hearing - or a Teddy bear
might try to donate to a political campaign.
So for now, the Second Life campaign headquarters of Barack Obama and John McCain are
pristine, glistening and completely vacant most of the time.
``It's been written about in fiction and cyberpunk, this idea that these online worlds could
actually be used for political purposes, whether it is to recruit supporters, or train people to
take action or to fund raise,'' said Julie Germany, director of the Institute for Politics,
Democracy and the Internet. ``It just hasn't exploded the way other online tools have
exploded.''
Second Life, a game launched in 2003 by Linden Lab in San Francisco, has only one real
point: Create an alternate world online, move through it and interact with other people. It's like
a giant chat room, but with bodies walking around instead of just letters on the screen.
Anyone can get onto the game and create an ``avatar,'' a computer character that can walk,
talk and fly, for no cost. They can use their real money to buy and sell Second Life real estate.
They can build monuments, open businesses and create groups around common interests.
And, of course, they can talk politics and gather in a 3D form and in real time. [read more]
AUSTIN Chron.com
It would seem a natural fit: politicians, people
and a world removed from reality.
It would seem a natural fit: politicians, people
and a world removed from reality.
Could virtual votes count?
Presidential candidates overlook
Second Life universe
Presidential candidates overlook
Second Life universe