By David Cain, MediaSauce, President
What do you think of when you hear the term immersive worlds? Do you think of outer space? Or maybe nothing comes to mind — just wonderment. Well, immersive worlds, more generically referred to as immersive media, are becoming commonplace on the Internet. Many have social equity incorporated into the web site — a fancy way of saying there are social aspects for why someone would visit and ultimately join. Social equity includes things like the ability to share and network with friends, the ability to post pictures, create profiles, chat in real time, and generally be part of an online, social community — even if that is just playing a game. Immersive media can present business opportunities, too. There are several online examples of immersive media that create an environment for marketing opportunities as well as places to conduct any business that requires gathering people or employees.
There are several immersive worlds on the Internet, like Entropia Universe, Second Life, World of Warcraft, and even some for kids— Webkins and Club Penguin. Even so, the two most recognized are World of Warcraft and Second Life. World of Warcraft is an online fantasy role-playing game in the style of Dungeons and Dragons. It boasts of having more than 8 million account holders. Second Life (SL) is an online, immersive world that is totally built and owned by its “residents.†SL claims more than 6.5 million residents (accounts/users) and is unique in that it allows residents to turn their “in-world†currency into U.S. dollars. In World of Warcraft, for example, it is not uncommon for users to sell access to online items in the real world, but there is no currency exchange like SL — where your Linden dollars (the online or “in-world†currency) can be traded (based on an exchange rate that fluctuates with supply and demand) for U.S. dollars. Inside SL, capitalism is alive and well. SL is a real-time three dimensional environment. It presents a place where companies can market a product or company image, conduct research — possibly in the form of a focus group, train people/employees, or hold events — such as conferences. In SL, you can buy a piece of real estate or an entire “island†and then build your own improvements. What you build is up to you. In SL, the only “zoning†is really just a rating of “PG†or “Mature†— a warning to your audience.