The metaverse: a latter-day Second Life, without legs?
One of the biggest concerns when discussing the metaverse, and particularly when those conversations are of a strategic nature, is whether it will be do-over of Second Life, the Sims or assorted immersive video games like Roblox or Fortnite?
With virtual environments such as video games, the character and the journey are vertical, restricted to gaming. It’s true that some young users use them as discussion forums as well, that concerts can be held virtually and that some platforms allow users to créate their own video games within a video game, but in practice, we’re still talking about video games.
That said, let’s not dismiss video games, after all millions of young people spend their spare cash on weapons, clothes, objects, on them. As technology progresses, their potential will expand.
Second Life was different, even if it was largely recreational (and for some people a first foray into virtual sex), transcending the video game and instead becoming a place where many companies came to acquire islands, to build environments and buildings, and to develop activities. In 2007 I gave some classes and lectures in Second Life, along with a few tips on using it (in Spanish). For the developer company, it was a major source of income: an island was equivalent to renting space on a server, and building…
