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: The sister of There, a private virtual world technology for domains such as e-learning, military and homeland security training, healthcare, etc.
• URL: http://www.forterrainc.com
• Maintained by: Forterra Systems since 2005.
• Price: Depends on service
• Forterra System Requirements
• Platforms supported: PC

Forterra Systems Overview

Originally founded in 1998 as There, Inc., Forterra Systems Inc. is a company that “builds distributed virtual world technology…for domains such as e-learning, military and homeland security training, healthcare, and entertainment industries.” Based upon the Online Interactive Virtual Environment (OLIVE) Technology Platform, one can rapidly generate realistic 3D virtual environments that are scalable and (like many virtual environments) useful for simulations, planning, training, and collaboration in ways previously considered impractical or impossible. OLIVE is private and secure, open and extensible.

The History of Forterra Systems and There

There Inc., a Silicon Valley startup, was created by Will Harvey and Jeffrey Ventrella in 1998 and was launched in October 2003. In June 2004, There Inc. went through a major restructuring, and went through a process of layoffs.
Robert Gehorsam approached There Inc. about pitching the software to the military for training purposes. Shortly thereafter, he had won a four-year, $3.5 million contract from the Army’s Research Development and Engineering Command (RDECOM) to utilize There for military use. Ultimately, the company announcing in April 2005 that it would be splitting into two companies: Makena Technologies (which operates the current massively multiplayer online game There (there.com) and Forterra Systems (a government contracted client that would initially modify the client for military training use), led by Gehorsam as CEO.

Forterra therefore shifted its focus from entertainment to Serious Games that service the military, healthcare, education, among other domains, while There continued on as a social virtual world. Both have grown to be successful in their respective foci.

Recent News

In August 2007, Forterra Systems announced that the Defense Department’s Joint Advanced Distributed Learning (JADL) Co-Laboratory, selected Forterra to build and study Counter-Improvised Explosive Device (CIED) training system within a virtual environment. This is meant to directly benefit the military’s efforts in Iraq. The results of this will also be applicable to other Department of Defense missions and other requirements of military training.

Developed under DoD’s ADL initiative to establish common guidelines and specifications for learning on a global scale, SCORM is designed to allow users to create a future learning environment that is better, faster, and less costly, anytime and anywhere it is needed, to meet the training requirements.

Forterra Screenshots

Screenshots below developed by Forterra Systems.

Corporate

1st Responders

Medical

Military

Resources

[This entry needs to be expanded. If you have suggestions or wish to be an editor, please email us at info (at symbol) virtualenvironments.info]

• 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.