Google’s Niniane Wang said that entering a customized Lively room can give users an immediate “sense of the room creator’s interests, just by looking at the furniture and environment they chose.”  To us, Lively feels more like a chat room with 3-D camera controls, but hey, it’s still early, so we are somewhat excited at the possibility of portable virtual environments for the masses, by the masses.

Visiting Lively rooms requires Windows XP or Vista, Internet Explorer or Firefox, and downloading the Lively browser plug-in.  Mac support is not available, and may not be an option for same time. 

User-created Livelry rooms can be embedded in any Web site.  Visitors can chat within the various rooms and also add/move furniture and other objects.  The appearance of avatars can be modified in some basic ways.  Lively rooms can also display YouTube videos on virtual TVs and display photos (via Picasa) in virtual picture frames.

How does Lively compare to Second Life?  It’s certainly easier to use, but for now, it lacks the latter’s programmability (Second Life has an object oriented scripting language called Linden Scripting Language, or LSL for short.   We’ll keep you updated on how Lively progresses over time.

• In short: Combining a virtual environment and a social network, Kaneva,
• URL: http://www.kaneva.com
• Maintained by: Kaneva, Inc. since 2004
• Price: Free access
• Kaneva System Requirements:  Windows XP or Vista, 515 MB hard drive space, 512 MB RAM, high-speed internet, Nvidia 5200/ATI X700 series graphics card or better
•  Platforms supported: PC

Kaneva Overview

Kaneva is touted as a place for 3D friends and good times.  You can meet new people and hang out, go shopping for virtual clothes and accessories, customize a 3D home, open your own 3D dance club, among other things. 

Kaneva, inc. is a privately owned Atlanta-based company.  Founded in 2004 by Christopher Klaus and Greg Frame, Kaneva supports 2D web browsing, social networking features, and the ability to share media.

History 

Kaneva originally started as a product to help game developers build games.   The first version of Kaneva’s game platform was released in late 2004, allowing game developers to produce games.  Soon thereafter, Kaneva decided to use its own technology to develop a virtual environment that combined a 3D world, video sharing, and aspects of social networking.  In 2005, Kaneva started development on the Kaneva virtual world, which was ultimately released into beta in mid 2006.

Kaneva takes place in a modern-day setting.  It boasts a world “full of real friends and good times” and a “a more human way to connect with friends online.”

Members create avatars, digital version of themselves, and gets their own 3D space called a Kaneva City Loft.  Lofts can be customized, decorated, and furnished.  Videos, photos, music, and games can be watched on 3D televisions.  Friends can come hang out in the 3D home or one can use one of Kaneva’s public spaces to chat syncronously.  Users can dance, shop for the latest fashions, play games, watch TV and movies, and explore.

Kaneva seems to target teens.

Kaneva Screenshots

Kaneva Resources

Kaneva Official Site

Kaneva Logo and screenshots are ©2007 KANEVA, INC. All Rights Reserved. The Virtual World of Kaneva is a trademark of Kaneva, Inc.

• In short: A world targeted for teenagers featuring customizable 2D avatars, dorm rooms and other locations, and games to earn Zbucks.
• URL: http://www.zwinky.com/
• Maintained by: IAC Search and Media since April 2007.
• Price: Free
• Zwinktopia System Requirements: Flash-supported browser

Zwinktopia Overview

IAC first launched Zwinky in June 2006, a tool that allows teenagers to create and share 2D avatars, emoticons, cursor icons, and other items for teenagers to use on a blog or MySpace profile. After gaining over 4.7 million users, the company released Zwinktopia, a persistent world that provides over 28 unique locations (such as the beach, colleges, and bowling alleys) and several games and activities, including chat, shopping, events, and hanging out in customized dorm rooms. By playing these games, Zwinktopia users can also earn Zbucks, Zwinktopia’s unit of virtual currency, which they can use to purchase clothing, furniture, and various other items.

Compared to other virtual worlds, Zwinktopia is relatively unspectacular in terms of graphics or immersion. Whether it’s clever marketing, “tween baiting,” or teen branding genius, leveraged their growth substantially by first familiarizing kids with their avatar site Zwinky through aggressive marketing.Zwinky’s appeal is largely based upon these easy drag and drop customizable avatars that can be exported and used elsewhere. Unlike many other virtual environments, Zwinktopia avatars are not limited to in-world use. Avatars can be placed on blogs, websites, and social networking sites and so they are transportable all over the Web.

Some have expressed concern over some aspects of Zwinktopia. There is no age verification process and Zwinktopia does not filter language, personal details, or sexually explicit comments. Zwinktopia seems to be particularly appealing for middle school teenagers who may feel that they’ve “outgrown” some of the more protected hubs (e.g. the active filtering mechanism built into virtual worlds like Club Penguin) in pursuit of more freedom and social interaction. Zwinktopia is yet another virtual environment in the increasingly crowded space for teens.

Zwinktopia Screenshots

Zwinktopia Resources

• IAC Launches Zwinktopia at Peak of Virtual Worlds Hype, article at TechCrunch.com

• In short: A 3D world with fully customizable avatars and a built-in scripting and building language. Users imagine and create all sorts of objects, including educational simulations and real-world products for sale.
• URL: http://www.secondlife.com
• Maintained by: Linden Lab since June 2003
• Price: Free basic accounts. Premium accounts are $9.95, which allows one to own land on which you can build upon.
• Second Life system requirements
• Platforms supported: Windows, Mac

Second Life Overview

Second Life (or SL for short) is a 3D online virtual world that is “imagined, created, and owned by its residents.” The software is a free download and basic membership is free. Second Life is a collaborative virtual environment in which residents can socialize, meet other real people, go exploring, participate in events and various activities, and create and barter user-created items and services. There are no winners or losers or predefined quests to complete. It is a virtual world that has been described as a builder’s world, open to exploration and limited only by one’s creativity.

The virtual currency in Second Life is the Linden Dollar. The exchange rate of Linden Dollars to US Dollars is generally about $260-$300 Linden Dollars per US Dollar. More than $1.1 million US dollars is exchanged within Second Life every day.

More than 9 million accounts have been registered, although many seem to be inactive. Many corporations have built islands within Second Life, including Dell, Nissan, IBM, and many others.

Educational Uses of Second Life

Second Life has been hailed by many for its educational potential. Many colleges and universities have purchased islands within Second Life and have built virtual campuses inside. To date, over 74 schools have already built virtual campuses. See SimTeach’s for a list of Second Life virtual campuses. Others have built informal learning exhibits, or proof-of-concept educational simulations (e.g. the Heart Murmur Simulation). There is a listserve for educators who wish to use Second Life for formal education.

This video provides many examples of current Science Learning Opportunities within Second Life, including real-time visualizations, hands-on genomics simulations, ARC Research Center’s 3-D anatomy exhibits, and New Media Consortium’s clinical simulation modules.

Second Life Screenshots

Second Life Resources (Note: we are not responsible for the content on these external pages)

• SimTeach Wiki – Linden Lab’s official resource for educators in Second Life.
• Corporations in Second Life – A list of corporations with islands in Second Life, including Adidas, BMW, Dell, Kraft, Nissan, Reuters, Sears, Toyota, and others.

• In short: A rapidly growing Barbie-themed world where girls shop for fashion, music, chat, design rooms, and play games.
• URL: http://www.barbiegirls.com
• Maintained by: Mattel since 2007
• Price: Free access, virtual items cost money
• Barbie Girls system requirements
• Platforms supported: PC

Barbie Girls Overview

Mattel, the nation’s top toymaker, released a relatively new virtual world called Barbie Girls, that targets 7 to 12 year old girls. An attempt to blend girls’ love of fashion, music, and the Web, there is much to do. Girls can create their own virtual characters, adopt virtual pets, chat with others, play games and watch Barbie themed videos, design their own room, shop with “B Bucks”, and try on fashionable clothes at a cyber mall. A Barbie-inspired handheld MP3 music device (optional, about $59.99) also interacts with the website.

Like other virtual environments designed for kids, Barbie Girl has measures to protect the safety of children. The website features word filters to block the exchange of personal information such as names, phone numbers, and addresses. Girls also can lock or allow access to their virtual room to others. A more personal chat is available to those who both have a Barbie Girl device and who have physically connected their devices into a friend’s computer docking station.

Barbie Girls has seen amazing growth since its launch; it hit the 3 million users just in its first 60 days and has been growing at the rate of 50,000 new users a day, figures which will threaten the likes of Second Life and even World of Warcraft. Some have observed that the amazing adoption of Barbie Girls sends a clear message: that virtual worlds are going mainstream and that the user base is dramatically shifting from being predominantly male to majority female. As those playing Barbie Girls grow into adults, this will lead to interesting changes as the next generation of online gaming and virtual world users will not be dominated by men.

Competitors include Zwinktopia, Habbo Hotel, Webkins, Neopets, and Club Penguin, among others.

Barbie Girls Screenshots

Barbie Girls Resources

• Barbie Girls Official Website