3pointD.com

Dutch bankers ING, which have been building Virtual Holland in the virtual world of Second Life, will also be bringing the Renault Formula 1 racing team their sponsor into the virtual world, according to a press release. Not many details are available at the moment, but it looks like virtual-world services company Rivers Run Red will be doing the heavy lifting. The team’s SL build will “put enthusiasts and non-enthusiasts alike behind-the-scenes with a championship-winning Formula 1 team. The experience is designed to take them closer to the dedication, technological excellence and teamwork required to achieve Formula 1 success, alongside a number of unique interactive virtual experiences.”

“The ING Renault F1 Team aims to offer a unique experience that will put the public in contact with the team and its personnel,” the press release says. Sounds like virtual community-building to me. It would be great if residents could go racing as part of the Formula 1 experience as well. I can’t imagine this wouldn’t be part of the build, but the press release doesn’t mention it explicitly. Nice to see ING pushing yet more resources toward Second Life, but it remains to be seen how sustainable communities like Virtual Holland will be. [UPDATE: This isn’t actually an ING project, it seems, but a separate project of the Renault team.] Adding an ancillary Formula 1 component is slightly reminiscent of MTV’s strategy of building a constellation of virtual worlds out of its network properties. Do great virtual minds think alike?