Some Competition

I have to admit that the progress of virtual world technology has fallen short of my expectations. However, there are two promising factors that cannot be ignored. First, those familiar with virtual world technology still see it as having enormous potential despite the ups and downs of the hype cycle, while those unfamiliar with it still wish it would go away. Second, we are beginning to see some competition which means that developers other than Linden Labs are willing to invest in it. I would like to focus on that competition in this post and in the next few to follow.

I have discovered three which I will explore in more detail over the next few weeks. These are OpenLife, SciSim, and Blue Mars.

I don't know a great deal about any of these competitors, although I do hope to learn much more. OpenLife and SciSim seem to be based on the open source versions of Second Life. Blue Mars seems to be based on video game technology. I think this is a promising sign and look forward to the next few weeks of checking these worlds out.