Nicholas Carr asks what is the ecological cost of Second Life.
“…the average citizen of Brazil consumes 1,884 kWh, which, given the fact that my avatar estimate was rough and conservative, means that your average Second Life avatar consumes about as much electricity as your average Brazilian.”
Of course, this isn’t the whole story. The average human in the developed countries consumes about 6 times as much energy.
Yes, James, I’m ragging on Second Life. I’m being extremist on my views. I do see some point in it – but more from the point of view of replacing MySpace and Bebo rather than replacing the web.
I see the value in it being a persistent virtual world. Why not have an entire island dedicated to “Halo” for example. Complete with Banshees and Ghosts. And ready-made suits. And of course guns.
Why not have an entire island dedicated to Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. Complete with Elf and Halfling suits? Swords and rings.
And yes, why not a Hogwarts?
Second Life, to me, adds a visible element to online gaming. Without the trappings of World of Warcraft, it’s more about narrative fiction than fighting for points.
I’d like to see Bladerunner done SL-style. Or maybe Brazil.