As we’re all aware, the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has caused a suspension of many events around the world, with some seeking alternative means of going ahead with their programmes.
In April I reported on MuseWeb, a global organisation offering members a range of professional learning opportunities, using Second Life to support its 2020 conference (see: MuseWeb: utilising Second Life in support of a global conference).
Now, this coming weekend – Memorial Weekend in the United States – the Baltimore Science Fiction Society (BSFS) will be hosting their annual Balticon science fiction convention on-line, and will be using Second Life for a range of social events and activities in support of the convention.
Running between Friday, May 22nd through Monday, May 25th 2020 inclusive, the convention is free to attendees, although support for it is requested through a Gofundme page, the money from which will go towards the primary work of BSFS – see About the BSFS, below). It will include panels, presentations, and readings hosted as webinars across several platforms, together with guest speaker talks, filk singing (folk singing with a science fiction or fantasy theme), film presentations, etc.
The Second Life element of the convention will be centred on Balticon Station, a multi-level environment centred on one of the Lab’s turnkey region solutions for business use – specifically, the “futuristic” island. At the ground level, this provides a landing point and short-form tutorial on some of the Second Life basics – walking, chatting, using voice, and so on.
From here, visitors are offered a social lounge, a bar, and a portal hall (together with information boards on using in-world media). A ramp alongside the portal hall provides the way to a seabed facility where visitors can again socialise or, if they wish, go scuba diving (a short tutorial on SL swimming and basic inventory management is also provided).
The portal hall offers a series of experience-based walk-through portals. Several of these will deliver people to spaces is the sky over the island, and other are intended to link the region with other sci-fi related destinations within Second Life – although at the time of my visit, these were still awaiting final configuration.
The spaces over the region comprise:
- A speedway platform, where visitors can participate in slug or segway races.
- A elven forest, with walks and a hall.
- An art exhibition hall, featuring physical world art (also connected by a ramp with the speedway).
- A space “transfer station”.
To help promote the use of Second Life, the convention’s website includes a dedicated page on the platform, which includes an outline of how to obtain the SL viewer and create a account, as well as the SLurl to Balticon Station.
Attendance in-world – or via the other on-line services offered by the convention – is open to any science fiction fan (or anyone curious) within Second Life, and as noted, attendance is entirely free of charge this year.
Full details on the convention, its special guests, its programme, virtual dealer spaces, etc., can be found on the the convention’s website.
About Balticon Science Fiction Society
BSFS is a 100% volunteer-run organisation that depends upon Balticon as its main source of revenue. This funding supports efforts to develop new writers and foster literacy among Baltimore City’s disadvantaged youth, and helps pay for the maintenance of the BSFS East Baltimore building, which houses a free lending library of more than 12,000 volumes.
The loss of direct fees (registration, etc)., resulting from the cancellation of Balticon would mean:
- No 2021 funding to support awards for writers (BSFS normally seed awards for new writers to the tune of US $7,000 a year).
- No funding for the BSFS Books for Kids programme, which is traditionally supported by fund raised through the convention’s annual auction. Books for Kids provides as much as $1,800 in grants to Baltimore City neighbourhood organisations and schools to help support youth literacy.
- Funds for the upkeep of the Society’s East Baltimore building.
To help overcome this, BSFS hopes that attendees of the 2020 Virtual Convention, both on-line and in-world in Second Life will consider donations to their GoFundMe campaign. so if you do attend the convention, please consider supporting the work of BSFS through GoFundMe.
Inara Pey: Living in a Modemworld 
I’ve been to quite a few conventions in my time, so I shall probably pop in. Balticon comes out of a different tradition to the typical event centred on a TV show such as Star Trek. There isn’t the same sort of split as there is between the actors and the audience.
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