Virtual Worlds for Global Commerce Daniel Livingstone Virtual Worlds for Global Commerce

Welcome to Adventure!! Would you like instructions? >no You are standing at the end of a road before a small brick building. Around you is a forest. A small stream flows out of the building and down a gully. In the distance there is a tall gleaming white tower. >

Welcome to Adventure!! Would you like

instructions?

>no

You are standing at the end of a road

before a small brick building.

Around you is a forest. A small

stream flows out of the building and

down a gully. In the distance there is

a tall gleaming white tower.

>

Games

Ultima Online

World of Warcraft

MUVEs A range of 3D virtual worlds are more ‘general purpose’ - not games per se Active Worlds There Second Life / Teen Second Life Habbo Hotel Kaneva VastPark Twinity Gaia Online OpenCroquet Project Wonderland …

A range of 3D virtual worlds are more ‘general purpose’ - not games per se

Active Worlds

There

Second Life / Teen Second Life

Habbo Hotel

Kaneva

VastPark

Twinity

Gaia Online

OpenCroquet

Project Wonderland

…

Some numbers Annual world-wide subscription income from World of Warcraft? Estimated: US $2 Billion

You know, for kids

Club Penguin: Bought by Disney in 2007 for $700 Million US

(L)earning From Virtual Worlds

WoW in Action

How to make real money the MMOG way Players can trade items in games Can trade accounts People started selling items and characters for real money Virtual assets = real money Generally discouraged by developers – with exceptions Gold Farming

Players can trade items in games

Can trade accounts

People started selling items and characters for real money

Virtual assets = real money

Generally discouraged by developers – with exceptions

Gold Farming

Second Life Any - and every - user is able to create content Buildings, Furniture, Scenery With scripts – pets, vehicles, guns Avatar clothing, skins, custom avatars A user-created world With IP rights and freely convertible in-world currency (L$) Social platform: Engaging with other ‘residents’ is the core experience

Any - and every - user is able to create content

Buildings, Furniture, Scenery

With scripts – pets, vehicles, guns

Avatar clothing, skins, custom avatars

A user-created world

With IP rights and freely convertible in-world currency (L$)

Social platform: Engaging with other ‘residents’ is the core experience

Resident Run Businesses Many residents enjoy SL for the ability to create their own content Many choose to sell their creations To cover their in-world expenses To supplement RL income Or even as their primary real-life income SLExchange & OnRez: eCommerce web sites for Second Life

Many residents enjoy SL for the ability to create their own content

Many choose to sell their creations

To cover their in-world expenses

To supplement RL income

Or even as their primary real-life income

SLExchange & OnRez: eCommerce web sites for Second Life

What’s in it for business? Sales and direct income? Marketing? Market size? Degree of contact? Engaging with audience A business tool? Virtual meetings

Sales and direct income?

Marketing?

Market size? Degree of contact?

Engaging with audience

A business tool?

Virtual meetings

Virtually There

Show me the (real) money

Real Life Business Many real-life businesses have created presences in SL, or run marketing campaigns… IBM, Dell, Sun, Amazon, O’Reilly, Wired, C|Net, BBH, Vodaphone, BBC, Adidas, Nissan, Sony Ericsson, Fox Movies, Pontiac, L’Oreal, Microsoft, CBS Television, Cisco, Intel, Coke, British Telecom … Some have left… ABM AMRO, … New businesses providing virtual worlds marketing & development services Electric Sheep Co., Millions of Us, Beta Technologies, KZero, …

Many real-life businesses have created presences in SL, or run marketing campaigns…

IBM, Dell, Sun, Amazon, O’Reilly, Wired, C|Net, BBH, Vodaphone, BBC, Adidas, Nissan, Sony Ericsson, Fox Movies, Pontiac, L’Oreal, Microsoft, CBS Television, Cisco, Intel, Coke, British Telecom …

Some have left…

ABM AMRO, …

New businesses providing virtual worlds marketing & development services

Electric Sheep Co., Millions of Us, Beta Technologies, KZero, …

Imaginary worlds, real laws

Links Games: Ultima Online: http://www.uoherald.com/news/ World of Warcraft: http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/index.xml You Know, For Kids: Club Penguin: http://www.clubpenguin.com/ WebKinz: http://www.webkinz.com/ Barbie Girls: http://www.barbiegirls.com/home.html L(earning) from virtual worlds: Leeroy Jenkins: http:// www.youtube.com/watch?v = LkCNJRfSZBU You play WOW? You’re Hired!: http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/14.04/learn.html Virtually There: Tapped-In: http://tappedin.org/tappedin/ Qwaq: http://www.qwaq.com/ Project Wonderland: https://lg3d-wonderland.dev.java.net/ Show me the (real) money: IBM Virtual Business Center: http://www.ibm.com/virtualworlds/businesscenter/ http://www-03.ibm.com/press/us/en/pressrelease/23800.wss Virtual Worlds 2008: http://www.virtualworlds2008.com/ Imaginary worlds, real laws: US Congress committee meeting on virtual worlds (April 2008): http://energycommerce.house.gov/cmte_mtgs/110-ti-hrg.040108.VirtualWorlds.shtml American Bar Association, virtual worlds group: http://www.abanet.org/dch/committee.cfm?com=ST252000 Further reading: Virtual Worlds News http://www.virtualworldsnews.com/ Virtual Worlds Weekly http://www.virtualworldsweekly.com/ http://terranova.blogs.com/ http:// learninggames.wordpress.com /

Games:

Ultima Online: http://www.uoherald.com/news/

World of Warcraft: http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/index.xml

You Know, For Kids:

Club Penguin: http://www.clubpenguin.com/

WebKinz: http://www.webkinz.com/

Barbie Girls: http://www.barbiegirls.com/home.html

L(earning) from virtual worlds:

Leeroy Jenkins: http:// www.youtube.com/watch?v = LkCNJRfSZBU

You play WOW? You’re Hired!: http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/14.04/learn.html

Virtually There:

Tapped-In: http://tappedin.org/tappedin/

Qwaq: http://www.qwaq.com/

Project Wonderland: https://lg3d-wonderland.dev.java.net/

Show me the (real) money:

IBM Virtual Business Center: http://www.ibm.com/virtualworlds/businesscenter/

http://www-03.ibm.com/press/us/en/pressrelease/23800.wss

Virtual Worlds 2008: http://www.virtualworlds2008.com/

Imaginary worlds, real laws:

US Congress committee meeting on virtual worlds (April 2008): http://energycommerce.house.gov/cmte_mtgs/110-ti-hrg.040108.VirtualWorlds.shtml

American Bar Association, virtual worlds group: http://www.abanet.org/dch/committee.cfm?com=ST252000

Further reading:

Virtual Worlds News http://www.virtualworldsnews.com/

Virtual Worlds Weekly http://www.virtualworldsweekly.com/

http://terranova.blogs.com/

http:// learninggames.wordpress.com /