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Cinemassively: Real Biz in SL chats with Millions of Us

Moo Money — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 12:30:00 EST

Filed under: Real life, Video, Second Life, Cinemassively, Machinima, Virtual worlds

Christian Lassonde, of Millions of Us, appeared on the Real Biz in SL show to discuss their work in Second Life. They recently announced that they would be bringing celebrity likenesses into virtual worlds, including SL. Cybergrrl Oh grilled Chris on the important questions, including their investment in the platform, their return on the investment, what kind of metrics they employ, whether it's worth being there, and if MoU will continue to stay.

While most of the answers sounded prepared, it was still informative! To check out the full half hour program, visit the show page on SLCN.tv.

If you have machinima or movie suggestions from any MMO, please send them to machinima AT massively DOT com, along with any information you might have about them.

Cinemassively: Real Biz in SL chats with Millions of Us originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 18 Jun 2008 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Virtual Greats to sell celebrity likenesses

Tateru Nino — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 23:00:00 EST

Filed under: Business models, Culture, Economy, MMO industry, News items, Second Life, Habbo Hotel, Virtual worlds, Gaia Online

And not just likenesses. Metaverse developer Millions of Us intends to market likenesses, hair-styles, catchphrases, dance moves, signature moves, clothing lines, furniture collections -- you name it -- based on well-known celebs all under the banner business name of Virtual Greats. These appearances and digital accessories would be sold in dozens of virtual worlds, though you'll probably see them in Gaia Online, Habbo and Second Life first.

Deals have already been done with Justin Timberlake, Elvis Presley Enterprises, Snoop Dogg, Paris Hilton, Raven Symone, Marvel (for The Incredible Hulk), and Tila Tequila, and more are in the works.

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Virtual Greats to sell celebrity likenesses originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 16 Jun 2008 23:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Cisco opens virtual hospital in Second Life and IBM ... doesn't

Tateru Nino — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 13:30:00 EST

Filed under: Events, in-game, News items, Second Life, Virtual worlds

Two hospitals opened up in Second Life today. Except only one actually did any opening. IBM's Virtual Health Center actually isn't open to the public. Rumors of its opening seem to be greatly exaggerated, and are largely confined to the press-release and coverage by folks who didn't actually try to visit it. We've asked IBM what's up with that, and we're waiting for an answer - so we can't even show you a picture of the place.

So, the more interesting hospital (ie: the one we could actually look at) comes to us courtesy of Cisco, Palomar Pomerado Health, and metaverse developers Millions-of-us. The design of the hospital is exceptionally modern, and the Second Life version of the hospital is - essentially - a model of the physical campus that will be built (by the year 2011) in San Diego, California, all packed with top-of-the-line, medical-grade Cisco technology.

Palomar West hospital has its own Second Life account registration portal, and a video tour. On the whole, the campus is very pretty. It's as 21st century as you could hope to see, without flying cars.

Cisco opens virtual hospital in Second Life and IBM ... doesn't originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 25 Feb 2008 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GDC 08: Entertainment content convergence in online worlds

Barb Dybwad — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 08:30:00 EST

Filed under: Business models, Culture, Events, real-world, MMO industry, Club Penguin, Second Life, Webkinz, Virtual worlds, Massively Event Coverage, Gaia Online

We spent most of Monday ensconced in the GDC Worlds in Motion summit track, which made "standing room only" seem extremely spacious -- most of the sessions were packed to the gills and then some. It seems like more than a few industry types are interested in the intersections between gaming and virtual worlds. Case in point, the following session we've paraphrased (hopefully not too liberally!) from Reuben Steiger, CEO of Milllions of Us, a company that builds marketing campaigns and content for virtual worlds.

Reuben: Storytelling is the bedrock of human culture. (Looking at a slide with a real campfire on the left and a user-created campfire in Second Life on the right) -- users in virtual worlds are recreating this storytelling tradition. I'm going to make a contention: the internet has failed as a storytelling medium. Instead, the norm is bathroom humor and ridiculous jokes.

So virtual worlds: are they games or not? What defines a game -- linguists and semioticians get real worked up about it. The audience might say "virtual worlds are games without rules, competition, goals or fun." And it's hard to blame them. Extreme openness has defined virtual worlds, where fun can be in a way you define as opposed to what some game developer feels is fun. But the appeal of virtual worlds is that we can tell stories on a broader and less walled playing field.

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GDC 08: Entertainment content convergence in online worlds originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 19 Feb 2008 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Cinemassively: What is Scion City?

Moo Money — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 12:30:00 EST

Filed under: Video, Second Life, Cinemassively, Machinima

It looks like Millions of Us has some kind of Alternate Reality Game (ARG) going on in Scion City. They are encouraging user submissions in order to uncover clues about what went on in the fictional Second Life city. The first video release is a promotional commercial about the origins of Scion City.

In the clip, the island is portrayed as a place to escape from troubled times and explore a new way of life. The people are always on the move and have visions of tomorrow. This is made possible by SciTek, a nanotechnology bioalloy that is powered by the sun. What could this mean for the future of the people?

Over the next week, we'll be exploring the strange events that have occurred. Each video will hopefully lead us closer to the answer that they're seeking. In the meantime, explore their website and see what you can come up with!

Cinemassively: What is Scion City? originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 14 Jan 2008 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Cinemassively: Video blogging as a form of expression

Moo Money — Sun, 11 Nov 2007 12:30:00 EST

Filed under: Video, Second Life, Cinemassively, Machinima

I know what you're thinking. This isn't Machinima! That's the beauty of vlogging, though. It could be. Vlogging, short for video blogging, is just that; a spoken blog entry recorded on film. It might consist of words on your screen, footage of your real life typist, Machinima of your avatar, or all three. It's also not limited to any platform, either. You could even vlog in WoW or LotRO.

Michael Verdi, previously mentioned on Cinemassively for his Coca Cola Virtual Thirst video in Second Life, is best known for his vlogging site, freevlog. He is also an author of a book on vlogging, Secrets of Videoblogging. In this video, he uses all three methods discussed to showcase what goes on in his work with Millions of Us, a development company in SL and other worlds.

I'll admit that the main reason I can't stop watching the video is the background music, created by Bart Cheever, VP of Production at MoU. However, it's also nice to see how surprisingly normal they all look. We see them chatting about business, bouncing around ideas, goofing off, and wearing their signature jumpsuits. While I'm sure their creative process isn't all fun and games, this gives us a glimpse of their routine. How do you choose to express yourself?

Cinemassively: Video blogging as a form of expression originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 11 Nov 2007 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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