Aleks Quizzes Raph on Areae:Future Metaverse?
No, none of the names in that headline are misspelled. That’s virtual worlds researcher and journalist Aleks Krotoski, who has a nice interview with veteran games designer Raph Koster about the idea behind his new start-up, Areae, Inc. (from which I’ve stolen the image at left), on Friday’s Guardian GamesBlog. Don’t expect to read about just what Areae will be, though. Raph is remaining mum until he appears at GDC in early March. (Speculation is that it will either be a Second Life-like world with a better new-user experience or a tool to allow the creation of one’s own 3D space — both are things Raph has wished for in the past — or something similar or else completely different.) Instead, Raph talks about what virtual worlds can learn from Web 2.0 apps, and vice versa. And see below for another argument for interoperable virtual worlds.
As one of the wise men of MMO design, someone who refuses to think along established lines, Raph’s insights are often valuable, as is the case here. It’s also interesting to consider what the future of virtual worlds might look like if Areae can bring something truly new to the metaverse, even if it’s only ease of use. And if it’s better Web interoperability, so much the better.
But with Multiverse also coming on, and other experiments in the works, the question arises of whether the metaverse of social virtual worlds might become too fragmented to support itself. This is probably not a danger. While it costs far more to launch a virtual world than it does to throw up a Web 2.0 site, the 3D metaverse will probably sink or swim on its own merits, and not be drowned in a proliferation of choices. The vast array of motion pictures released each year doesn’t prevent some from becoming hits. The best case scenario, if you ask me: For an increasing number of virtual worlds to be able to communicate with each other, so that each can benefit from the feedback loops and network effects that Web sites like Amazon, Google and Flickr, among many others, capitalize on. There’s a reason such sites provide code snippets and APIs: the more interoperable they are with other sites, the greater the benefit they derive. It would be fantastic to see something like this spring up in the virtual world space. Will it be Areae? Who knows. We’re looking forward to it nonetheless.
Feeds
Connecting metaverses?…
Over at 3pointd is an article about Areae and some commentary, that I have to agree with, about interconnecting the new metaverse platforms
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The real question I think is what technology AREAE and these new others are based on. The irony is that the most work and best vision of web3d interoptablity is X3D and the work of the web3d.org. All other high profile and VC funded “metaverse” startups ive seen go game engine and proprietary toolsets thus end up far away from any REAL 3d WWW or internet type experience. This Includes the Multiverse demos ive seen to date and products like There, SL,IMVU,meez, etc..
Fragmentation- you bet– as long as theres a vc startup “we’ll own it all” mentality to the internet, theyll be seperate companies failing, in fact , thats exactly what happened in 2000 in web3d round 2. Dozens of Vc funded web3d tech companies, many on game engines that were too old for the market, all gone today…But who remembers from this new crowd…lol;)
Even MS couldnt pull off total web control, nor yahoo, nor will google-mark my words about google:)—
Theres good reason the Virtual Hills are in THERE or Activeworlds….FEAR of the unknown by todays media protectors,and loss of brand control. Thus the same with just about every licensed MMO game…like Star Wars Galaxies…be safe, be in control. find a licensor publisher pay you upfront, and let them take the risk of the product failure to work in the new medium:)
the WWW is not under any
“one group ” editorial control, nor should any future 3d web .
With so many good examples of how the web got built organically I find it hard to see how one of these game publishing background mmo type groups will be the ones who provide the first mass web3d interface to the internet.
i think the real metaverse app is hidden from all the PR right now…and may come from a small garage in sweden or china….:)
At best, i think these groups offer more Second lifes, fine for corporate interests and projects beyond video and flash on the web, but far lacking in the planning and structure that the simple web browser brought to the internet and its protocals in 1994.
anyhow- cant wait to see what technology they’ll be using, since i think i know them all by now. hoping to be surprised—-
larryr
c3