Massively http://massively.joystiq.com Massively http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Massively http://massively.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[There.com is closing]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/03/02/there-com-is-closing/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/03/02/there-com-is-closing/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/03/02/there-com-is-closing/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Virtual worlds have had a rocky time in the marketplace. Focusing on user-generated content, it takes a while for enough users to become active and enough market traction to be established for them to start becoming financially viable. Earlier this year marked the shutdown of Metaplace, Raph Koster's entry into the field of virtual worlds. Now another long-running part of the field is closing down, as There.com has just announced the service will be closing on March 9th.

A retrospective on the game's history is available on CNET, discussing the world's status as being a competitor for Second Life without ever quite gaining the traction that its bigger cousin managed. While the environment was seen as slightly more kid-and-media friendly due to restrictions on adult-only content, the project had a difficult time turning a profit. After seven years, it's finally overwhelmed the company.

The official announcement includes a number of resources for those who have invested money in There.com to regain it prior to the shutdown, with extensive buyback programs and refunds available for all participants. Our condolences to the team on this sad turn of events.

MassivelyThere.com is closing originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 02 Mar 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>businesscnetgame-endingmarket-tractionmarketplacemetaplaceraph-kosterrefundssecond-lifeservice-endingshutdownthere.comvirtual-worldsTue, 02 Mar 2010 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Japan's online games industry steps up security]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/02/04/japans-online-games-industry-steps-up-security/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/02/04/japans-online-games-industry-steps-up-security/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/02/04/japans-online-games-industry-steps-up-security/#commentsFiled under: , ,

The potential for having a hacked game account clearly goes hand in hand with online games, regardless of which country you're in. Japan is taking aim at this particular issue through a rather significant partnership with Visa International, reports Nicholas Aaron Khoo for CNET Asia.

The Japan Online Game Association (JOGA) has pushed for the industry-wide adoption of Verified by Visa by year's end. Verified by Visa uses SSL encryption as part of its Three-Domain (3-D) Secure platform, and it's hoped that establishing this industry standard will reduce the frequency of stolen accounts. Khoo writes, "According to JOGA, Verified by Visa has already been implemented by over 60 percent of online gaming companies in Japan -- the highest among any online retail and service provider industry categories." You can check out the full story in Khoo's "Peace of mind for Japanese gamers?" as part of his Geekonomics column at CNET Asia.

[Via PlayNoEvil]

MassivelyJapan's online games industry steps up security originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 04 Feb 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>account-securityasiacnetcnet-asiafraudhackhacked-accountjapanjapanese-onine-game-associationjogammo-industrynicholas-aaron-khoosslverified-by-visavisavisa-internationalWed, 04 Feb 2009 19:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Daedalus Project tracks MUD]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/02/29/the-daedalus-project-tracks-mud/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/02/29/the-daedalus-project-tracks-mud/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/02/29/the-daedalus-project-tracks-mud/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , ,

Actually, it tracks MMOs, but what a clever title, huh? The Daedalus Project is the demographic/analysis website created and maintained by Nick Yee, a graduate student of Stanford University in the field of Communications who now works at the Palo Alto Research Center (PARC). Nick's site is noteworthy both for the online surveys of MMO players that are open to anyone who wants to participate, and also for the conclusions he draws based on those survey results.

This statistical data has been used by Washington Post, CBS, TechWeek, CNET, the Associated Press, Nature.com, the New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal, among other publications. Nick always has a survey or two running, so if you're interested in contributing your experiences and thoughts to the collective (and growing) body of knowledge concerning MMOs, you can do so at the 'Current Surveys' section of his site.

For those of us interested in metadata, The Daedalus Project is a genuine boon, and we hope he continues his necessary and groundbreaking work well into the future.

[Thanks, Nick!]

MassivelyThe Daedalus Project tracks MUD originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 29 Feb 2008 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>associated-presscbscnetdemographicsmetadatanature.comnew-york-timesnick-yeepalo-alto-research-centerparcstanfordstanford-universitysurveystechweekthe-daedalus-projectwall-street-journalwashington-postFri, 29 Feb 2008 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Ginny Talamasca Day: Cui bono, Second Life?]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/26/ginny-talamasca-day-cui-bono-second-life/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/26/ginny-talamasca-day-cui-bono-second-life/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/26/ginny-talamasca-day-cui-bono-second-life/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

There's a lot to chew on in this recent post by CNet's Daniel Terdiman. As one of the leading figures in Second Life's huge fashion industry, Ginny Talamasca was a beloved resident. After her recent death, a message was sent to Linden Lab to declare April 17th as 'Ginny Talamasca Day'. LL's response appears to be that it merely controls the architecture and underlying tech of SL, but keeps its hands clear of any of its content, which in this case apparently includes social structures.

However, LL did take the time to acknowledge the death of Jesse Malthus, and it could be (and probably will be) argued that Ginny's influence was at least as strong as his. There's a shade of difference in the form of acknowledgment, however -- Jesse's honorarium is the "Best Community Influence" award, not a special day once a year. This will all be fodder for discussion in the upcoming days and weeks, but while Terdiman's post centers on asking whether or not it's LL's responsibility to issue an official proclamation concerning a public event like this, I think it's more reducible than that. The question to ask should be 'who benefits'?

[Via news.com]

Continue reading Ginny Talamasca Day: Cui bono, Second Life?

MassivelyGinny Talamasca Day: Cui bono, Second Life? originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 26 Nov 2007 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>catharsiscesar-chavezcnetcommunitycui-bonodaniel-terdimanginny-talamascaharvey-milkjesse-malthuslinden-labmassivelysecond-lifeMon, 26 Nov 2007 10:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Virtual worlds teaching kids consumerism]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/16/virtual-worlds-teaching-kids-consumerism/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/16/virtual-worlds-teaching-kids-consumerism/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/16/virtual-worlds-teaching-kids-consumerism/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , ,

Here's a CNet article about a USC panel discussion concerning how virtual worlds are affecting children, sponsored by the MacArthur Foundation, who are investing in research in virtual worlds. Telling points from the discussion:

Spaces like Club Penguin and Webkinz encourage consumerism as part of being a good citizen. Well, this is true, but let's lift our heads from the monitor and realize that American culture itself embraces that model, and virtual worlds are merely the latest iteration of that concept. If we're not careful, these things will become yet another scapegoat for undesirable behavior, just like videogames have been and continue to be.

Educators continue to extol the virtues of virtual worlds as beneficial for learning. One of the strengths of online distance learning is its ability to provide the chatroom experience, which is inherently social, with the ability to immediately gratify the desire to search for background information. Being in your class in Second Life and Googling facts at the same time brings to your education a valuable 'live' experience that is difficult to match with standard real life classrooms. Add to that the playful nature of speaking through a customizable avatar, and this is a worthy new color in any educator's palette.

Real world ugliness is promulgated throughout virtual worlds, including bullying, racism, and homophobia. The problem is that, no matter how you view virtual worlds, either as utopias or dystopias, human behavior is a learned thing, and that frequently begins at home. Respect for your fellow humans must be taught. If it isn't taught, it isn't learned. Of course online spaces are filled with abusive behavior; life itself is filled with it. Like consumerism, this is a problem that virtual worlds are only bringing into sharper relief, not engendering themselves.

[Via CNet]

MassivelyVirtual worlds teaching kids consumerism originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 16 Nov 2007 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>club-penguincnetkidsmacarthur-foundationmassivelyopinionpanel-discussionsecond-lifevirtual-worldswebkinzyouthFri, 16 Nov 2007 09:30:00 EST<![CDATA[New product will let you MMO on the go]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/07/new-product-will-let-you-mmo-on-the-go/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/07/new-product-will-let-you-mmo-on-the-go/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/07/new-product-will-let-you-mmo-on-the-go/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Multiplayer online virtual worlds consume a lot of your time. It's important to put them down now and then and get out of the house to live a real life, but that's about to get more difficult; we can expect massively multiplayer online worlds to become available on our cell phones any day now. There have been a couple small scale examples already, but a company called GEMINI Mobile Technologies thinks it's produced a breakthrough product.

The product is called "the eXplo platform." It's a framework for 3D online environments running on mobile phones. Its features include customizable personal spaces (essentially player housing), messaging, photo sharing, shopping, and games. A few days ago the CNET News Blog took a look at S! Town, a product based on the platform. Initially released in Japan, it's headed to North America and Europe and will feature Facebook and YouTube integration for American consumers.

Look for S! Town in North America and Europe in 2008.

MassivelyNew product will let you MMO on the go originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 07 Nov 2007 15:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>casualcell-phonescnetexplofacebookGEMINIGEMINI-Mobile-Technologiesmobilemobile-mmoswirelessyoutubeWed, 07 Nov 2007 15:46:00 EST